LOCATION BOUSSOLE AK
Established Series
IRD. NDP/SCD
12/2022
BOUSSOLE SERIES
Landscape--mountains
Landform--mountain valleys
Slope--10 to 60 percent
Parent material--organic material over colluvium over residuum
Mean annual precipitation--about 2510 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about 5 degrees C
Depth class--shallow
Drainage class--somewhat poorly drained
Soil moisture regime--udic
Soil temperature regime--cryic
Soil moisture subclass--aquic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive Lithic Humicryepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Boussole silt loam in a mountain valley, on a slope of 35 percent at an elevation of 150 m (When described on June 18, 2014, the soil was moist throughout.)
Oe--0 to 10 cm; moderately decomposed plant material; extremely acid (pH 3.9); clear smooth boundary
Oa--10 to 28 cm; highly decomposed plant material; extremely acid (pH 4.1); clear wavy boundary
A1--28 to 41 cm; silt loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry, black (10YR 2/1) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine, fine, medium, coarse, and very coarse roots throughout; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; very strongly acid (pH 4.7); gradual wavy boundary
A2--41 to 51 cm; gravelly sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots throughout; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 15 percent coarse masses of reduced iron, dark gray (10YR 4/1) moist; 4 percent medium gravel and 14 percent fine gravel; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); abrupt wavy boundary
2R--51 cm; bedrock
TYPE LOCATION: Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve-Gustavus Area, Alaska; Hoonah-Angoon Census Area latitude 58.3500120, longitude -136.3758250, 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)
Depth to redoximorphic iron depletions--25 to 50 cm
Depth to bedrock--25 to 50 cm (shallow)
Particle-size control section
*Clay content--4 to 8 percent
*Total rock fragment content--0 to 20 percent
Oi or Oe horizon
Thickness--7 to 15 cm
Oa horizon
Thickness--5 to 15 cm
A1 horizon
Value--2 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry
Chroma--1 to 3 moist or dry
Fine-earth texture--silt loam, sandy loam
Clay content--4 to 8 percent
Reaction (pH)--4.6 to 5.1
Thickness--7 to 13 cm
A2 horizon
Value--2 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry
Chroma--1 to 4 moist or dry
Fine-earth texture--silt loam, sandy loam
Clay content--4 to 8 percent
Gravel content--0 to 20 percent
Reaction (pH)--4.8 to 5.4
Thickness--7 to 15 cm
COMPETING SERIES: None
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--20 to 250 m
Climate--cool, moist summers; mild, wet winters
Mean annual precipitation--1780 to 3350 mm
Mean annual air temperature--3 to 8 degrees C
Frost-free period--90 to 154 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Abdallah--extremely cobbly throughout particle-size control section; in avalanche chutes of similar landforms
Bergbay--lithological discontinuity; 50 to 100 cm (moderately deep) to a lithic contact; on similar landforms
Charpentier--organic; in muskegs of similar landforms
Fingers--more than 35 percent rock fragments throughout particle size control section; on adjacent landforms
Passage--spodic horizon; on adjacent landforms
Kashoto--organic; in muskegs of similar landforms
Kustkloh--aquic conditions within 25 cm of soil surface; histic epipedon; on similar landforms
Maquinna--lithological discontinuity; 50 to 100 cm (moderately deep) to a lithic contact; on similar landforms
Toyatte--25 to 50 cm (somewhat poorly drained) to aquic conditions; in muskegs of similar landforms
Wachusset--50 to 100 cm (moderately well drained) to aquic conditions; albic horizon; on similar landforms
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--somewhat poorly drained
Depth to saturation in normal years--more than 25 cm year round
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--moderately high in A1 horizon, high in A2 horizon
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--wildlife habitat, recreation
Potential natural vegetation--Sitka alder, Alaska cedar, bunchberry dogwood, American skunk cabbage, sidebells wintergreen, licorice fern, sphagnum, mountain hemlock, oval-leaf blueberry, strawberryleaf raspberry, Sitka spruce, rusty menziesia
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.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and other features in this pedon
*Folistic epipedon--zone from the surface to a depth of 28 cm
*Depth to lithic contact--51 cm
*Depth to lithologic discontinuity--51 cm
*Umbric epipedon--zone from 28 to 51 cm
*Aquic conditions--zone 41 to 51 cm
*Redoximorphic depletions that have chroma of 2 or less--zone from 41 to 51 cm
*Particle-size control section--zone from 28 to 51 cm
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.