LOCATION BASALTLAKE AK

Established Series
Rev. MHC/DLM
02/2022

BASALTLAKE SERIES

Depth class: very deep
Drainage class: well drained
Landforms: mountains
Parent material: silty eolian deposits over gravelly till or colluvium
Elevation: 2,244 to 3,812 feet (684 to 1,162 m)
Slope: 12 to 75 percent
Annual precipitation: 28 to 40 inches (700 to 1,010 mm)
Annual temperature: 25 degrees F (-4 degrees C)
Frost-free period: 50 to 80 days

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive Typic Haplocryepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Basaltlake silt loam - on a slope of 14 percent under green alder/red current/bluejoint scrub. (All colors are for moist soil)

Oi--0 to 4 inches (0 to 10 cm); dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) slightly decomposed plant material; common very fine and fine, medium and coarse roots; extremely acid (pH 4.2); gradual smooth boundary.

A--4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm); very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) and very dark brown (10YR 2/2) silt loam; weak medium granular structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine, medium and coarse roots; extremely acid (pH 4.4); clear smooth boundary.

Bw1--6 to 9 inches (15 to 23 cm); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) silt loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; extremely acid (pH 4.4); clear smooth boundary.

2Bw2--9 to 20 inches (23 to 51 cm); yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) very cobbly sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; 20 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles; strongly acid (pH 5.5); clear smooth boundary.

2C1--20 to 31 inches (51 to 79 cm); light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very cobbly sandy loam; massive; friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 20 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles; 3 mm olive gray (5Y 4/2) low chroma mottles (approximately 10 percent of horizon); moderately acid (pH 5.7); abrupt wavy boundary.

2Ab--31 to 32 inches (79 to 81 cm); black (10YR 2/1) very cobbly sandy loam; massive; firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; 20 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles; strongly acid (pH 5.5); abrupt wavy boundary.

2C2--32 to 60 inches (81 to 152 cm); olive gray (5Y 4/2) very cobbly sandy loam; massive; firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; 20 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.1).

TYPE LOCATION: Delta River Survey Area, Alaska; along the lower Delta River about 3 miles above Black Rapids; UTM coordinates: Zone 6, Easting 558440, Northing 7034882.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture class: udic
Average annual soil temperature: 33 to 36 degrees F. (0.5 to 2.0 degrees C)
Mean summer soil temperature: 36 to 39 degrees F. (2 to 4 degrees C)
Depth to strongly contrasting textural stratification: 2 to 10 inches (6 to 25 cm)
Percent clay in the particle size control section: 0 to 15 percent

Oi horizon:
Color: hue of 7.5YR or 10YR; chroma of 3 or 4
Organic matter content: 65 to 90 percent
Reaction: extremely acid to very strongly acid

A horizon:
Color: value of 2 or 3; chroma of 2 or 3
Clay content: 0 to 10 percent
Silt content: 55 to 75 percent
Sand content: 15 to 45 percent
Organic matter content: 4 to 10 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent subangular very strongly cemented gravel
Reactionextremely acid to very strongly acid

Bw1 horizon:
Color: value of 3 or 4; chroma of 3 or 4
Clay content: 0 to 10 percent
Silt content: 55 to 75 percent
Sand content: 15 to 45 percent
Organic matter content: 4 to 10 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent subangular very strongly cemented gravel
Reactionextremely acid to very strongly acid

2Bw horizon:
Color: value of 4 or 5; chroma of 4 to 6
Texture: very cobbly sandy loam or very gravelly sandy loam
Clay content: 0 to 20 percent
Silt content: 10 to 40 percent
Sand content: 45 to 80 percent
Organic matter content: 0 to 4 percent
Rock fragments: 15 to 30 percent subangular very strongly cemented gravel; 5 to 40 percent subangular very strongly cemented cobbles
Reaction: strongly acid to moderately acid

2C horizon:
Color: hue of 10YR to 5Y; value of 3 to 6; chroma of 2 to 4
Texture: very cobbly sandy loam or very gravelly sandy loam
Clay content: 0 to 20 percent
Silt content: 10 to 40 percent
Sand content: 45 to 80 percent
Rock fragments: 15 to 30 percent subangular very strongly cemented gravel; 5 to 40 percent subangular very strongly cemented cobbles
Reaction: moderately acid to neutral

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Butchlake, Cuberant, Enentah, Garlet, Gromes, Soakpak, Storm, Targhee, and Telay series. Butchlake and Telay soils lack buried A horizons and mottles in the substratum. Cuberant and Targhee soils are moderately deep to bedrock. Enentah soils have spodic materials in the solum. Garlet soils have calcium carbonate in the solum. Gromes and Storm soils have greater than 15 percent clay in the particle size control section. Soakpak soils need to be redefined.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landforms: mountains
Parent material: silty eolian deposits over gravelly till or colluvium
Elevation: 2,244 to 3,812 feet (684 to 1,162 m)
Slope: 12 to 75 percent
Annual precipitation: 28 to 40 inches (700 to 1,010 mm)
Annual temperature: 25 degrees F (-4 degrees C)
Frost-free period: 50 to 80 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include Castnot, Elting, Petrokov, and Sonderna soils. Castnot, Elting, and Sonderna soils are well drained, very deep, and occur on mountains. Petrokov soils are somewhat excessively drained, very deep, and occur on mountains and outwash plains.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, medium to high runoff. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to high.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for wildlife habitat and recreation. Native vegetation is green alder/red current/bluejoint scrub.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 228, Interior Alaska Mountains, Alaska. The series is of small extent.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: WASILLA, ALASKA

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Delta River Area, Alaska, 2005

REMARKS: Diagnostic features and horizons recognized in this profile include:
Cambic horizon: 6 to 20 inches. (Bw1 and 2Bw2 horizons)
Lithologic discontinuity: At the upper boundary of 2Bw2 horizon
Loamy-skeletal particle size control section: 10 to 40 inches below the mineral soil surface
Temperature regime: cryic

ADDITIONAL DATA:

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.