LOCATION DELYNDIA AK
Established Series
Rev. MHC-JPM
02/2022
DELYNDIA SERIES
The Delyndia series consists of very deep, well drained soils formed in a thin mantle of silty loess overlying loose, sandy glacial outwash. Delyndia soils are on outwash plains and hillslopes. Slopes range from 0 to 20 percent. The mean annual temperature is about 35 degrees F. and the mean annual precipitation is about 21 inches.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed Typic Haplocryods
TYPICAL PEDON: Delyndia silt loam - on a north-facing slope of 12 percent at 150 feet elevation under white spruce and paper birch. (All colors are for moist soil)
Oi--3 inches to 0; dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) undecomposed moss and forest litter; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
E--0 to 2 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) and dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam; weak medium granular structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, fine and few medium roots; strongly acid (pH 5.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
Bs--2 to 3 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) silt loam; weak medium granular structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; moderately acid (pH 5.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 6 inches thick)
Eb--3 to 4 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silt loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; moderately acid (pH 5.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 2 inches thick) 2Bsb--4 to 7 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) loamy sand; weak fine granular structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; moderately acid (pH 5.8); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
2BC--7 to 9 inches; strong brown (10YR 4/6) loamy sand; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to single grain; loose, nonsticky
and nonplastic; 5 percent well rounded gravel; few fine roots; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 9 inches thick)
2C1--9 to 33 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) and (10YR 4/4) sand with discontinuous strata of fine sandy loam; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; 5 percent well rounded gravel; few fine roots; neutral (pH 6.6); gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 45 inches thick)
2C2--33 to 60 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) gravelly coarse sand; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; 15 percent well rounded gravel; few fine roots; neutral (pH 6.8).
TYPE LOCATION: Matanuska Valley Area, Alaska: about 6 miles SW of Knik; about 1200 feet E. and 600 feet S. of the NW corner of section 1, T.15N., R.4W., Seward Meridian.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the ash influenced silty loess mantle ranges from 2 to 12 inches. The solum ranges in thickness from 3 to 11 inches and may be bisequal. Average particle size of the control section is sandy with the average coarse fragment content ranging from 0 to 20 percent. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to moderately acid in the solum and moderately acid to neutral in the substratum.
The E and Eb horizons have moist value from 4 through 7 and moist chroma from 1 through 4. In some pedons, tonguing of the E into the underlying spodic horizon is common. Texture is silt loam or very fine sandy loam.
The Bs horizon has moist hue from 5YR through 7.5YR, moist value from 3 through 5 and moist chroma from 3 through 6. Texture is silt loam, very fine sandy loam or fine sandy loam. In some pedons a few weakly cemented fragments with hue of 2.5YR or 5YR occur immediately below the albic horizon.
The 2Bsb horizon has moist hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, moist value from 3 through 5, and moist chroma from 4 through 6. Texture is fine sand, loamy sand or sandy loam. Coarse fragment content ranges from 0 to 5 percent gravel. This horizon is absent in many pedons.
The 2C horizon has moist hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, moist value of 3 or 4 and moist chroma from 2 through 4. Texture is fine sand, sand or coarse sand. Discontinuous strata with textures of fine sandy loam through silt are present. Coarse fragment content ranges from 0 to 5 percent cobble and 0 to 20 percent gravel with occasional pockets and strata with up to 50 percent gravel.
COMPETING SERIES: These is the
Tawah (T) series in the same family. Tawah soils lack gravelly or silty strata.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Delyndia soils are on outwash plains and hillslopes. Slopes range from 0 to 20 percent. The soils formed in a loess mantle consisting of an admixture of amorphous material of volcanic origin and airborne sediments from broad nonvegetated floodplains. he loess mantle is underlain by loose, sandy glacial outwash material. Climate is transitional maritime - continental. Mean annual temperature ranges from 32 to 36 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 16 to 27 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Slow to medium runoff. Moderate permeability in the loess mantle, moderately rapid below.
USE AND VEGETATION: Wildlife habitat and urban uses. Native vegetation includes paper birch, white spruce, quaking aspen, bluejoint grass and low shrubs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southcentral Alaska. The series is of moderate extent.
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: WASILLA, ALASKA
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Susitna Valley Area, Alaska; 1979.
REMARKS: Diagnostic features and horizons recognized in this profile include: albic horizons at depths of 0 to 2 and 3 to 4 inches; spodic horizons at depths of 2 to 3 and 4 to 7 inches; weighted average of sandy particle size from 4 to 60 inches; cryic temperature regime.
The type location has been moved as part of the recorrelation of the Susitna Valley Area into the Matanuska-Susitna Area.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.