LOCATION ELTING                  AK

Established Series
Rev. MHC/JPM/DLM
02/2022

ELTING SERIES

Depth class: very deep
Drainage class: well drained
Landforms: mountains
Parent material: silty eolian deposits over gravelly outwash
Elevation: 2,244 to 3,294 feet (684 to 1,004 m)
Slope: 2 to 48 percent
Annual precipitation: 28 to 35 inches (700 to 894 mm)
Annual temperature: 25 degree F (-4 degrees C)
Frost-free period: 60 to 80 days

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed Typic Dystrocryepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Elting silt loam - on a slope of 19 percent under white spruce/green alder forest. (All colors are for moist soil)

Oi--0 to 4 inches (0 to 10 cm); very dark brown (10YR 2/2) slightly decomposed plant material; many very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; ultra acid (pH 3.4); clear smooth boundary.

A--4 to 11 inches (10 to 28 cm); dark gray (7.5YR 4/1) silt loam; weak medium granular structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine, medium, many coarse roots; extremely acid (pH 4.0); abrupt smooth boundary.

2Bw--11 to 16 inches (28 to 41 cm); dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) extremely cobbly coarse sand; weak medium subangular blocky structure; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; 35 percent gravel, 25 percent cobbles; very strongly acid (pH 4.6); gradual smooth boundary.

2C--16 to 60 inches (41 to 152 cm); very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) extremely cobbly coarse sand; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; 35 percent gravel, 25 percent cobbles; strongly acid (pH 5.2).

TYPE LOCATION: Delta River Area, Alaska; along the lower Delta River about 2 miles below the confluence of Eureka Creek; UTM coordinates: Zone 6, Easting 559966, Northing 7017869.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture class: udic
Mean annual soil temperature: 33 to 36 degrees F (0.5 to 2 degrees C)
Mean summer soil temperature: greater than 36 degrees F. (2 degrees C.)
Depth to strongly contrasting textural stratification: 11 to 16 inches (28 to 41 cm)

Oi horizon:
Colorhue of 7.5YR or 10YR; value of 2 to 4; chroma of 2 or 3
Organic matter content65 to 90 percent
Reactionultra acid to extremely acid

A horizon:
Colorhue of 7.5YR or 10YR; value of 2 to 4; chroma of 1 to 3
Clay content0 to 10 percent
Silt content55 to 75 percent
Sand content15 to 35 percent
Organic matter content2 to 4 percent
Rock fragments0 to 5 percent rounded gravel; 0 to 2 percent rounded cobbles
Reactionextremely acid to very strongly acid

2Bw horizon:
Colorvalue of 3 to 5; chroma of 4 to 6
Textureextremely cobbly coarse sand, very gravelly loamy coarse sand, or extremely gravelly coarse sand
Clay content0 to 5 percent
Silt content0 to 15 percent
Sand content80 to 95 percent
Organic matter content0 to 1 percent
Rock fragments25 to 50 percent rounded very strongly cemented gravel; 10 to 35 percent rounded very strongly cemented cobbles
Reactionvery strongly acid to strongly acid

2C horizon:
Colorvalue of 3 to 6; chroma of 2 to 6
Textureextremely cobbly coarse sand, very gravelly loamy coarse sand, or extremely gravelly coarse sand
Clay content0 to 5 percent
Silt content0 to 15 percent
Sand content80 to 95 percent
Rock fragments25 to 50 percent rounded very strongly cemented gravel; 10 to 35 percent rounded very strongly cemented cobbles
Reactionvery strongly acid to moderately acid

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Mirror Lake, Priestlake, and Tolby soils. Mirror Lake, Priestlake, and Tolby soils have a presumed mean annual soil temperature greater than 36 degrees F (2 degrees C.).

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landforms: mountains
Parent material: silty eolian deposits over gravelly outwash
Elevation: 2,244 to 3,294 feet (684 to 1,004 m)
Slope: 2 to 48 percent
Annual precipitation: 28 to 35 inches (700 to 894 mm)
Annual temperature: 25 degree F (-4 degrees C)
Frost-free period: 60 to 80 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include Basaltlake and Sonderna soils. Basaltlake soils are well drained, very deep and occur on mountains. Sonderna soils are well drained, very deep, and occur on fan terraces.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, medium runoff. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to high in the loamy part of the solum and high to very high in the sandy-skeletal part of the profile.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for wildlife habitat and recreation. Native vegetation is white spruce/green alder forest.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 228, Interior Alaska Mountains, Alaska. The series is of small extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Delta River Area, Alaska, 2005

REMARKS: Diagnostic features and horizons recognized in this profile include:
Cambic horizon: 11 to 16 inches. (2Bw horizon)
Lithologic discontinuity: At the upper boundary of A horizon
Sandy-skeletal particle size control section: 10 to 40 inches below the mineral soil surface
Temperature regime: cryic

ADDITIONAL DATA:

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.