LOCATION ESHAMY AK
Inactive Series
Rev. TJS/SR
02/2022
ESHAMY SERIES
The soils have organic accumulations less than 16 inches thick over very gravelly glacial till.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, acid Typic Cryaquepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Eshamy very gravelly silt loam - maritime tundra. (Colors are for moist conditions unless otherwise noted.)
01--12 1/2 to 10 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 2/2 broken face, and 5YR 3/3, rubbed and pressed) hemic sedge peat; 30 percent fibers, 20 percent rubbed; medium subangular blocky structure; many fine roots; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary.
021--10 to 7 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2 broken face, and 5YR 3/3 rubbed and pressed) sapric peat; 20 percent fibers, 5 percent rubbed; medium subangular blocky structure; many fine roots; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary.
C1--7 to 6 1/2 inches; Volcanic ash. Brown (7.5YR 5/4) silt loam; massive; friable; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary, but ash in places is up to 1 1/2 inches thick.
022--6 1/2 to 0 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3 broken face, 5YR 3/4 rubbed) to dark brown (7.5YR 3/2 pressed) sapric peat; 20 percent fibers, none rubbed; coarse platy structure; few fine roots; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary.
IIC2--0 to 20 inches; greenish gray (5GY 5/1) cobbly silt loam; massive; firm; no roots; strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Upper Prince William Sound Area, Alaska. South of Herring Bay of Knight Island, SW1/4 SE1/4, Sec. 17, T4N, R10E, Seward Meridian.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the organic layers on the surface ranges from 8 to 16 inches. Thickness of the volcanic ash layer ranges from 1/2 inch to 5 inches, depending on slope position.
COMPETING SERIES: These include the
Beluga and
Moose River series of the same family, and the
Maybeso,
Nikolai, and
Sunnyhay series. The Beluga soils are formed in strongly mottled stratified sandy, silty, and clayey materials on colluvial slopes. The Moose River soils are formed in stratified sandy and silty alluvial materials. The Maybeso soils have more than 16 inches of sapric peat over glacial till. The Nikolai soils have more than 16 inches of sapric peat over a loamy substratum. The Sunnyhay soils consist of shallow sapric peat over bedrock.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Eshamy soils occupy gently sloping to moderately steep moraines at elevations ranging from sea level to more than 1000 feet in areas above tree line. The topography is irregular and contains many rock outcrops. The climate is cool maritime, with mean annual precipitation of more than 80 inches. The mean annual air temperature is about 41 degrees F. The mean annual soil temperature is about 36 degrees F. and the mean summer soil temperature is about 38 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Guguak,
Kupreanof, McGilvery, Tebenkof, and
Tolstoi series. The Guguak and McGilvery soils consist of well-drained organic material over bedrock. The Kupreanof soils are formed in glacial till and have spodic horizons. The Tebenkof soils consist of well-drained forest litter over fragmental material. The Tolstoi soils are formed in thin gravelly material over bedrock, and have spodic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained. Permeability is moderate to moderately slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: The Eshamy soils are useful for watershed protection, recreation, and wildlife habitat. The vegetation consists of low-growing plants dominated by sedges, crowfoot, and clubmoss.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: WASILLA, ALASKA
OSED scanned by SSQA. Last reviewed by state 10/74.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.