LOCATION CHINIAK                 AK

Established Series
Rev. CAP
05/2024

CHINIAK SERIES

Depth class: Very deep
Drainage class: Moderately well drained
Parent material: volcanic silty and loamy alluvium over sandy and gravelly marine deposits
Landscape: Islands
Landform: Beaches, beach plains, berms
Slopes: 0 to 12 percent
Mean annual precipitation: about 2250 mm, 88.5 inches
Mean annual air temperature: about 2 degrees C., 34 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed Oxyaquic Cryorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Chiniak silt loam on grass herbaceous beach plains or berms at elevation of 1 meter (3 feet). (All colors are for moist soil)

A1--0 to 8 centimeters (0 to 3 inches); very dark gray (10YR 3/1), dark gray (10YR 4/1), dry; silt loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine, common fine and medium roots throughout; 5 percent fragments; neutral (pH 6.7); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 25 cm, 1 to 10 in thick)

A2--8 to 20 centimeters (3 to 8 inches); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) very gravelly sandy loam; weak medium granular structure; very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine, fine, and few medium roots throughout; 45 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.7); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 20 cm, 1 to 8 in thick)

2C--20 to 200 centimeters (8 to 79 inches); very dark gray (2.5Y 3/1) very gravelly loamy coarse sand; single grain; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots throughout; 50 percent gravel and 5 percent cobble fragments throughout; slightly acid (pH 6.4).

TYPE LOCATION: Kodiak Island Area, Alaska. Latitude 57 degrees 10 minutes 7.00 seconds and Longitude 153 degrees 4 minutes 17.00 seconds west, UTM north 6336157.50 and UTM east 495682.91, zone 5, Datum WGS84.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture regime: Udic
Mean annual soil temperature: 1.6 to 3.3 degrees C. (34.8 to 37.9 degrees F.)
Thickness of organic material: 0 to 15 cm (1 to 6 in)
Thickness of 1912 Ash: 3 to 30 cm (2 to 12 in)
Depth to gravelly marine sediments: 6 to 45 cm (2 to 18 in) or more
Depth to aquic features: 41 to 100 cm (16 to 40 in)
Some pedons have an organic surface horizon: 0 to 15 cm (0 to 6 in)

A1 horizon:
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR
Value: 2 to 5
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: (medial) silt loam, silt, loam, very fine sandy loam, or fine sandy loam and sandy loam
Sand: 20 to 70 percent
Silt: 40 to 90 percent
Clay: 2 to 10 percent
Rock Fragments: 0 to 14 percent
Reaction Class: very strongly acid to slightly acid (pH 3.5 to 6.5)

A2 horizon:
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR
Value: 2 to 6
Chroma: 1 to 4
Texture: fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loamy sand, loamy coarse sand, or loam and their very or extremely gravelly analogues
Sand: 40 to 90 percent
Clay: 2 to 10 percent
Rock Fragments: 25 to 75 percent
Reaction Class: very strongly acid to slightly acid (pH 3.5 to 6.5)

2C horizon (where present):
Hue: 7.5YR to 10 YR
Value: 2 to 5
Chroma: 1 to 4
Texture: (ashy and glassy) sand, loamy sand, loamy fine sand, very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or silt loam
Sand: 30 to 90 percent
Clay: 2 to 8 percent
Silt: 10 to 55 percent
Reaction class: extremely acid to moderately acid (pH 3.5 to 6.0)

C horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 3 to 6
Chroma: 1 to 4
Texture: sand, coarse sand, loamy sand, or loamy coarse sand and their gravelly analogues
Reaction Class: extremely acid to moderately acid (pH 3.5 to 6.0)

Some pedons have skeletal beach marine sediments.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Fingers (AK), Kocacho (AK), Pasagshak (AK), Puffin (AK), and Tangoe (AK) series.
Fingers soils lack andic soil material in the surface horizon, have mean annual air temperatures greater than 6 degrees C. (43 degrees F.), have frost-free periods greater than 50 days, and occur on drainageways of glacial plains.
Kocacho soils lack andic soil material in the surface horizon, have mean annual air temperatures less than 0 degrees C. (32 degrees F.), have frost-free periods greater than 50 days, and occur on stream terraces.
Pasagshak soils lack marine sediments in the substratum and occur on drainageways and flood plains derived from glacial till and outwash.
Puffin soils lack glassy volcanic ash surface horizons, have mean annual air temperatures greater than 6 degrees C. (43 degrees F.), have frost-free periods greater than 50 days, and occur on flood plains.
Tangoe soils lack andic soil material in the surface horizon, have stratified alluvium substratum, have mean annual air temperatures less than 0 degrees C. (32 degrees F.), and occur on flood plains.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation: 0.5 to 8 meters (2 to 25 feet)
Parent material: volcanic silty and loamy alluvium over sandy and gravelly marine deposits
Landform: beaches, beach plains, beach berms
Slope: 0 to 12 percent
Mean annual temperature: 2 to 6 degrees C. (34 to 43 degrees F.)
Mean annual precipitation: 1500 to 3000 mm (59 to 118 in)
Frost free period: 20 to 50 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include Aleneva, Kizhuyak, Missak, Olds, Pasagshak, Sa, Salonie, and Yukuk.
Aleneva soils have andic properties, cambic horizons, and occur on flood plains associated with the beach plains.
Kizhuyak soils have thick 1912 volcanic ash horizons, are poorly drained, and occur on flood plains associated with beach plains.
Missak soils have thick organic deposits, are very poorly drained, and occur in depressions associated with the beach plains.
Olds soils have histic epipedons, andic properties, are poorly drained, and occur on flood plains associated with the beach plains.
Pasagshak soils lack marine sediments in the substratum and occur on drainageways and flood plains derived from glacial till and outwash.
Sa soils have thick organic deposits, are very poorly drained, and occur in depressions associated with the beach plains.
Salonie soils have outwash parent material, are poorly drained, and occur on flood plains associated with beach plains.
Yukuk soils have andic properties, are poorly drained, and occur on flood plains associated with beach plains.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Drainage class: moderately well drained
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: moderately high to high in the A1 horizon, high in the A2, and very high in the C horizons.
Permeability: moderately in the C1 horizon and moderately rapid to rapid in the A2 horizon, and rapid to very rapid in the C horizons.
Runoff: low.

USE AND VEGETATION:
Used mostly for grazing. Native grass is occasionally cut for hay or silage. Vegetation is tall grass, dominated by beach wild-rye and bluejoint reedgrass, and associated plants including fireweed and lupine.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 220 Alexander Archipelago-
Gulf of Alaska Coast and MLRA 225 Southern Alaska Peninsula Mountains.
Extent: moderate

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Wasilla, Alaska

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kodiak Archipelago Soil Survey, Alaska, 1959.

REMARKS: Diagnostic features and horizons recognized in this profile include:

Ochric epipedon: 0 to 8 cm (0 to 3 in) (A1, A2 horizons)

Lithologic discontinuity: 8 to 200 cm (3 to 79 in) (A2, C horizons)

Aquic conditions: 50 to 100 cm (20 to 40 in)

ADDITIONAL DATA:

User pedon Id: 10MM 06603

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.