LOCATION BELMEZOK                AK

Established Series
Rev. MHC/DLM
02/2022

BELMEZOK SERIES

Depth class: very deep
Drainage class: somewhat poorly drained
Landforms: flood plains
Parent material: loamy alluvium over sandy and gravelly alluvium
Elevation: 377 to 617 feet
Slope: 0 to 1 percent
Annual precipitation: 21 to 29 inches
Annual temperature: 23 to 25 degrees F
Frost-free period: 60 to 90 days

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed, subgelic Oxyaquic Gelorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Belmezok sandy loam - on a slope of 1 percent under willow/ericaceous shrub scrub. (All colors are for moist soil)

A--0 to 2 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) sandy loam; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine and common medium roots; 2 percent gravel, 2 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.9); abrupt wavy boundary.

2C1--2 to 13 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) extremely gravelly coarse sand; friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; 45 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.1); clear wavy boundary.

2C2--13 to 60 inches; variegated extremely gravelly coarse sand; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; 45 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.1).

TYPE LOCATION: Steward River Training Site, Alaska; UTM north 7188126 and UTM east 480048, zone 3.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture regime: oxyaquic
Mean annual soil temperature: about 31 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature: about 35 degrees F.
Depth to strongly contrasting textural stratification: 1 to 2 inches

A horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 2 to 3
Chroma: 1 t0 3
Clay content: 0 to 10 percent
Silt content: 15 to 35 percent
Sand content: 60 to 85 percent
Organic matter content: 0 to 2 percent
Coarse fragments: 0 to 5 percent rounded indurated gravel, 0 to 5 percent rounded indurated cobbles
Reaction: strongly acid to slightly alkaline

2C horizon:
Hue: variegated, 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 3 or 4
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: extremely cobbly coarse sand, very gravelly loamy sand, extremely gravelly coarse sand
Clay content: 0 to 5 percent
Silt content: 0 to 15 percent
Sand content: 80 to 95 percent
Rock fragments: 30 to 60 percent rounded indurated gravel, 5 to 30 percent rounded indurated cobbles
Reaction: moderately acid to slightly alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Broxson series. Broxson soils have a mean summer soils temperature greater than 35 degrees F.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landforms: flood plains
Parent material: loamy alluvium over sandy and gravelly alluvium
Elevation: 377 to 617 feet
Slope: 0 to 1 percent
Annual precipitation: 21 to 29 inches
Annual temperature: 23 to 25 degrees F
Frost-free period: 60 to 90 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include Cassiterite, Mukacharni, and Nuluk soils. Cassiterite soils are somewhat poorly drained and occur on flood plains. Mukacharni soils are very poorly drained and occur on flood plains. Nuluk soils are somewhat poorly drained and occur on flood plains on alluvial fans.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained, low runoff. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to high in the solum and high to very high in the substratum.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for military use and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is willow/ericaceous shrub scrub.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 240, Nulato Hills-Southern Seward Peninsula Highlands, Alaska. The series is of small extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Steward River Training Site, Alaska, 2005

REMARKS: Diagnostic features and horizons recognized in this profile include:
No diagnostic horizon: 0 to 60 inches. (A and 2C horizons)
Sandy-skeletal particle size control section: 10 to 40 inches
Temperature regime: cryic
Moisture regime: oxyaquic.

ADDITIONAL DATA:

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.