LOCATION BEARISLAND AK
Established Series
IRD. NDP/SCD
02/2022
BEARISLAND SERIES
Landscape--mountains
Landform--moraines of mountain valleys
Slope--10 to 85 percent
Parent material--outwash
Mean annual precipitation--about 1400 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about 5 degrees C
Depth class--very deep
Drainage class--well drained
Soil moisture regime--udic
Soil temperature regime--cryic
Soil moisture subclass--typic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed Typic Cryorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Bearisland very gravelly loamy coarse sand on a moraine, on a slope of 45 percent at an elevation of 19 m (When described on July 02, 2013, the soil was moist throughout.)
Oi--0 to 2 cm; slightly decomposed plant material; slightly acid (pH 6.1); abrupt smooth boundary
A--2 to 24 cm; very gravelly loamy coarse sand, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, fine, coarse, and very coarse and many medium roots throughout; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 5 percent cobbles, 15 percent fine gravel, and 25 percent medium and coarse gravel; slightly effervescent (HCL, 1N); moderately alkaline (pH 7.9), gradual smooth boundary
C--24 to 150 cm; very gravelly loamy coarse sand, light gray (2.5Y 7/1) dry, gray (2.5Y 5/1) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots throughout; common very fine and few fine interstitial pores; 8 percent cobbles, 20 percent fine gravel, and 30 percent medium and coarse gravel; strongly effervescent (HCL, 1N); moderately alkaline (pH 8.3)
TYPE LOCATION: Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve-Gustavus Area, Alaska; Hoonah-Angoon Census Area; latitude 59.0721277, longitude -136.1890895, datum WGS84 (coordinates determined by a GPS unit)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--1 to 7 degrees C
Soil moisture control section--dry less than 45 consecutive days in June through October (udic)
Other features--free carbonates
Particle-size control section
*Clay content--2 to 10 percent
*Total rock fragment content--35 to 75 percent
Oi horizon
Thickness--2 to 5 cm
A horizon
Value--4 to 5 moist, 6 to 7 dry
Chroma--2 to 3 moist or dry
Fine-earth texture--loamy coarse sand, loamy sand
Clay content--2 to 10 percent
Gravel content--35 to 50 percent
Cobble content--0 to 5 percent
Reaction (pH)--7.2 to 7.9
Thickness--14 to 22 cm
C horizon
Hue--10YR, 2.5Y
Value--4 to 5 moist, 6 to 7 dry
Chroma--1 to 4 moist or dry
Fine-earth texture--loamy coarse sand, loamy sand, sand
Clay content--2 to 5 percent
Gravel content--35 to 60 percent
Cobble content--0 to 10 percent
Reaction (pH)--7.7 to 8.3
Thickness--128 to 134 cm
COMPETING SERIES:
Chena--high amount of mica throughout
Drybay--lithologic discontinuity; free carbonates only in lower part of soil profile
Eklutna--dry in some parts of soil moisture control section more than 45 consecutive days in June through October
Ekuk--dry in some parts of soil moisture control section more than 45 consecutive days in June through October; pH of 6.1 to 7.3 in particle-size control section
Fossil--derived from outwash; on pitted outwash plains
Lituya--O horizon consisting of herbaceous litter; no free carbonates
Muirpoint--derived from glaciofluvial sediment; more than 60 percent gravel in lower part
Nataga--dry in some parts of soil moisture control section more than 45 consecutive days in June through October; pH of 6.1 to 7.3 in particle-size control section
Nizina--dry in some parts of soil moisture control section more than 45 consecutive days in June through October; subject to flooding
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--20 to 350 m
Climate--cool, moist summers; mild, wet winters
Mean annual precipitation--850 to 1820 mm
Mean annual air temperature--0 to 9 degrees C
Frost-free period--90 to 154 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Enigma--50 to 100 cm (moderately deep) to a lithic contact; in avalanche chutes of similar landforms
Escures--50 to 100 cm (moderately deep) to a lithic contact; in steeper areas of similar landforms
Kadachan--stones and boulders between depths of 11 and 150 cm; in drainageways of similar landforms
Nunatak--100 to 150 cm (deep) to a lithic contact; on adjacent landforms
Polkapenn--25 to 50 cm (shallow) to a lithic contact; on adjacent bedrock-controlled landforms
Seclusion--25 to 50 cm (shallow) to a lithic contact; in steeper areas of similar landforms
Skarn--50 to 100 cm (somewhat poorly drained) to redoximorphic concentrations; on similar landforms
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--well drained
Depth to saturation in normal years--more than 150 cm year round
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--very high throughout
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--wildlife habitat, recreation, subsistence
Potential natural vegetation--dwarf fireweed, Drummond's mountain-avens, Sitka spruce, balsam poplar, liverleaf wintergreen, feltleaf willow, undergreen willow, Sitka willow, russet buffaloberry
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Alexander Archipelago-Gulf of Alaska Coast, Alaska; MLRA 220; moderate extent
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: WASILLA, ALASKA
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve-Gustavus Area, Alaska; 2020; name from Bear Island in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and other features in this pedon
*Ochric epipedon
*Free carbonates--zone from 2 to 150 cm
*Particle-size control section--zone from 27 to 102 cm
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.