LOCATION ESCURES AK
Established Series
IRD. NDP/SCD
02/2022
ESCURES SERIES
Landscape--mountains
Landform--escarpments
Slope--35 to 90 percent
Parent material--colluvium over residuum
Mean annual precipitation--about 2600 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about 6 degrees C
Depth class--moderately deep
Drainage class--well drained
Soil moisture regime--udic
Soil temperature regime--cryic
Soil moisture subclass--typic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, nonacid Lithic Cryorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Escures sandy loam on a mountain escarpment, on a slope of 80 percent at an elevation of 115 m (When described on September 1, 2013, the soil was moist throughout.)
Oe--0 to 3 cm; moderately decomposed plant material; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt wavy boundary
A--3 to 10 cm; gravelly coarse sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, fine, and coarse and many medium roots throughout; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 5 percent cobbles, 10 percent medium gravel, and 10 percent fine gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary
CA--10 to 25 cm; very cobbly coarse sandy loam, brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) dry, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots throughout; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 5 percent cobbles, 10 percent fine gravel, and 25 percent medium gravel; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary
C--25 to 54 cm; very cobbly coarse sandy loam, light gray (2.5Y 7/1) dry, gray (2.5Y 5/1) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine, medium, and coarse roots throughout; few very fine and fine interstitial pores; 5 percent cobbles, 15 percent fine gravel, and 25 percent medium gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt irregular boundary
2R--54 cm; bedrock
TYPE LOCATION: Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve-Gustavus Area, Alaska; Hoonah-Angoon Census Area; latitude 58.6055116, longitude -136.4561523, 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 lithic contact--50 to 100 cm
Particle-size control section
*Clay content--4 to 10 percent
*Total rock fragment content--40 to 70 percent
Oe horizon
Thickness--0 to 5 cm
A horizon
Value--3 or 4 moist, 5 or 6 dry
Chroma--2 to 4 moist or dry
Fine-earth texture--coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, silt loam
Clay content--4 to 10 percent
Reaction (pH)--6.4 to 6.6
Rock fragment content--13 to 32 percent
Thickness--5 to 15 cm
CA horizon
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y moist or dry
Value--4 or 5 moist, 6 or 7 dry
Chroma--4 or 6 moist or dry
Fine-earth texture--coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, silt loam
Clay content--4 to 10 percent
Reaction (pH)--6.6 to 7.2
Rock fragment content--25 to 55 percent
Thickness--10 to 35 cm
C horizon
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y moist or dry
Value--4 or 5 moist, 6 or 7 dry
Chroma--1 to 4 moist or dry
Fine-earth texture--coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, silt loam
Clay content--4 to 10 percent
Reaction (pH)--7.2 to 7.8
Total rock fragment content--35 to 77 percent
Thickness--20 to 45 cm
COMPETING SERIES:
Polkapenn--25 to 50 cm (shallow) to a lithic contact
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--20 to 350 m
Climate--cool, moist summers; mild, wet winters
Mean annual precipitation--1990 to 3240 mm
Mean annual air temperature--3 to 9 degrees C
Frost-free period--90 to 154 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Bearisland--free carbonates throughout particle-size control section; on similar landforms
Kadachan--no lithic contact within a depth of more than 150 cm (very deep); in drainageways of similar landforms
Nunatak--100 to 150 cm (deep) to a lithic contact; on adjacent hills
Seclusion--25 to 50 cm (shallow) to a lithic contact; on similar landforms
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--well drained
Saturation in normal years--none within a depth of 54 cm
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--high throughout
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--wildlife habitat, recreation
Potential natural vegetation--Sitka alder, common ladyfern, spreading woodfern, devilsclub, balsam poplar, salmonberry, red elderberry, red baneberry
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Alexander Archipelago-Gulf of Alaska Coast, Alaska; MLRA 220; small extent
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: WASILLA, ALASKA
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve-Gustavus Area, Alaska.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and other features in this pedon
*Ochric epipedon
*Depth to lithic contact--54 cm
*Depth to lithologic discontinuity--54 cm
*Particle-size control section--zone from 25 to 54 cm
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.