LOCATION CYTEX CREEK             AK

Established Series
Rev. DLM
02/2022

CYTEX CREEK SERIES

Depth class: very deep
Drainage class: well drained
Parent material: ash influenced loess over sandy and gravelly till
Landform: moraines on till plains
Slopes: 4 to 15 percent
Mean annual precipitation: about 22 inches
Mean annual temperature: about 33 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial over sandy or sandy-skeletal, amorphic over mixed Aquandic Haplocryods

TYPICAL PEDON: Cytex Creek silt loam - on a slope of 6 percent under willow and grassy vegetation at 1,480 feet elevation. (All colors are for moist soil unless noted)

Oi--0 to 2 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2); slightly decomposed plant material; many very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; extremely acid (pH 4.3); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)

E--2 to 3 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) silt loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; slightly smeary; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 2 inches thick)

Bs--3 to 4 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) very fine sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; smeary; strongly acid (pH 5.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 5 inches thick)

Eb--4 to 5 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) very fine sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; smeary; strongly acid (pH 5.2); gradual smooth boundary. (1 to 2 inches thick)

Bhsb--5 to 7 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) fine sandy loam; weak fine structure; friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; smeary; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)

Bw1--7 to 20 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) fine sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; friable nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and very fine roots, few medium roots; smeary; strongly acid (pH 5.3); abrupt smooth boundary.

Bw2--20 to 31 inches; olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) gravelly fine sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; slightly smeary; 15 percent gravel; strongly acid (pH 5.3); abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizons is 10 to 20 inches)

2Cg--31 to 60 inches; gray (2.5Y 5/1) very cobbly loamy sand; single grained; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; non-smeary; 25 percent gravel, 25 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.6).

TYPE LOCATION: Western Kenai Area, Alaska; about 2.5 miles east of the confluence of Cytex Creek and Deep Creek; in the SE 1/4 of the NW 1/4, section 3, T. 3 S., R. 11 W; Seldovia D4 NE 1:25,00 quad; UTM north 6646979 and UTM east 602955, zone 5.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture regime: oxyaquic
Mean annual soil temperature: about 40 degrees F
Thickness of ash influenced loess mantle: 20 to 30 inches
Thickness of solum: 20 to 35 inches
Depth to sandy or sandy-skeletal material: 20 to 30 inches

O horizon:
Matrix color: hue of 7.5YR to 10YR; value of 2 to 4; chroma of 1 to 3
Reaction class: extremely acid or strongly acid

E or Eb horizons:
Matrix color: hue of 7.5YR to 10YR; value of 4 or 5; chroma of 1 to 2
Reaction class: very strongly acid or strongly acid

Bs or Bhsb horizons:
Matrix color: value of 3 to 5; chroma of 2 to 4
Texture: very fine sandy loam, silt loam, fine sandy loam
Reaction class: very strongly acid or strongly acid

Bw horizon:
Matrix color: hue of 10YR or 2.5Y; value of 3 to 5; chroma of 3 to 6
Texture: fine sandy loam, silt loam, sandy loam modified by 0 to 20 percent total coarse fragments; 0 to 15 percent gravel, 0 to 5 percent cobbles
Reaction class: very strongly acid to moderately acid

2Cg horizon:
Matrix color: hue of 2.5Y or 5Y; value of 3 to 3; chroma of 1 or 2
Texture: loamy sand, loamy fine sand modified by 35 to 75 percent total coarse fragments; 15 to 30 percent gravel, 15 to 35 percent cobbles, 0 to 10 percent stones
Reaction class: strongly acid to slightly acid

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in this classification.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Depth class: very deep
Drainage class: well drained
Parent material: ash influenced loess over sandy and gravelly till
Landform: moraines on till plains
Slopes: 4 to 15 percent
Mean annual temperature: about 33 degrees F.
Mean annual precipitation: about 22 inches

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include Chunilna, Nikolaevsk, Spenard, and Truuli soils. Chunilna soils are well drained soils on similar landforms. Nikolaevsk soils are poorly drained and occur on similar landscapes. Spenard and Truuli soils are very poorly drained and occur on depressions.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is willow, bluejoint grass, and fireweed.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 224 Cook Inlet Lowland, South-central Alaska, The series is of small extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Western Kenai Peninsula Area, Alaska, 2005

REMARKS: Diagnostic features and horizons recognized in this profile include:
Albic horizons: 2 to 3 inches and 4 to 5 inches
Spodic horizons: 3 to 4 inches and 5 to 7 inches
Andic properties; medial material, and amorphic mineralogy: 2 to 31 inches
Sandy or sandy-skeletal particle-size control section: 31 to 40 inches
Temperature regime: cryic
Moisture regime: oxyaquic

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.