LOCATION FAIRWEATHER AK
Established Series
IRD. DKM/NDP/SCD
05/2022
FAIRWEATHER SERIES
Landscape--mountain valleys
Landform--pitted outwash plains
Slope--0 to 5 percent
Parent material--glaciolacustrine deposits over outwash
Mean annual precipitation--about 1400 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about 5 degrees C
Depth class--very deep
Drainage class--very poorly drained
Soil moisture regime--aquic
Soil temperature regime--cryic
Soil moisture subclass--typic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, calcareous Typic Cryaquents
TYPICAL PEDON: Fairweather silt loam in an area of woodland, on an outwash plain, on a slope of 0 percent at an elevation of 1 m (When described on August 2, 2014, the soil was moist from the surface to a depth of 5 cm and wet from a depth of 5 to 150 cm.)
Oi--0 to 2 cm; peat; neutral (pH 6.7); abrupt smooth boundary
A--2 to 5 cm; silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine and common medium and coarse roots throughout; common very fine and fine irregular pores; noneffervescent; slightly acid (pH 6.3); clear smooth boundary
Cg--5 to 38 cm; silt loam, light greenish gray (10Y 7/1) dry, greenish gray (10Y 6/1) moist; massive; moderately hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and medium roots throughout; common very fine and fine irregular pores; 2 percent fine masses of oxidized iron, reddish brown (5YR 5/4) moist, and 10 percent medium masses of oxidized iron, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); clear smooth boundary
2Cg--38 to 150 cm; variegated sand; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine irregular pores; 5 percent rounded gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1)
TYPE LOCATION: Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve-Gustavus Area, Alaska; Hoonah-Angoon Census Area; latitude 58.4111322, longitude -135.7490280, datum WGS84 (coordinates determined by a GPS unit)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--1 to 7 degrees C
Soil moisture control section--saturated at or near the soil surface year round
Depth to redoximorphic features--at the surface to a depth of 25 cm below the surface
Particle-size control section
*Clay content--3 to 15 percent in upper part, 1 to 3 percent in lower part
*Total rock fragment content--0 to 10 percent
Oi horizon
Thickness--0 to 10 cm
A horizon
Value--2 to 4 moist, 4 to 6 dry
Chroma--2 to 4 moist or dry
Fine-earth texture--silt, silt loam
Clay content--3 to 15 percent
Sand content--8 to 14 percent
Reaction (pH)--6.0 to 7.1
Thickness--2 to 10 cm
Cg horizon
Hue--10YR to 5G moist or dry
Value--4 to 6 moist, 6 to 8 dry
Chroma--1 or 2 moist or dry
Fine-earth texture--silt, silt loam
Clay content--3 to 15 percent
Sand content--8 to 14 percent
Reaction (pH)--6.7 to 7.9
Effervescence--very slightly effervescent, slightly effervescent
Thickness--25 to 50 cm
2Cg horizon
Hue--10YR to 5G moist or dry, variegated
Value--2 to 5 moist, 4 to 7 dry
Chroma--0 to 2 moist or dry
Clay content--1 to 3 percent
Sand content--94 to 98 percent
Total rock fragment content--0 to 10 percent
Gravel content--0 to 10 percent
Reaction (pH)--7.3 to 8.5
Effervescence--slightly effervescent, strongly effervescent
Thickness--90 to 120 cm
COMPETING SERIES: None
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--0 to 5 m
Climate--cool, moist summers; mild, wet winters
Mean annual precipitation--850 to 1850 mm
Mean annual air temperature--0 to 9 degrees C
Frost-free period--90 to 154 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Icy--histic epipedon; on adjacent landforms
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--very poorly drained
Saturation in normal years--at or near the soil surface year round
Flooding--none
Ponding--frequent, long periods
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--moderately high in A horizon, moderately high or high in Cg horizon, very high in 2Cg horizon
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--wildlife habitat, recreation, subsistence
Potential native vegetation--Sitka alder, kinnikinnick, bunchberry dogwood, black crowberry, splendid feather moss, heartleaf twayblade, sidebells wintergreen, lodgepole pine, Sitka spruce, Schreber's big red stem moss, oval-leaf blueberry
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; 2020.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon
*Ochric epipedon
*Redoximorphic concentrations--zone from 5 to 38 cm
*Reduced matrix--zone from 5 to 150 cm
*Aquic conditions--zone from 5 to 150 cm
*Free carbonates--zone from 5 to 150 cm
*Strongly contrasting particle-size class--zone from 27 to 102 cm
*Depth to lithologic discontinuity--38 cm
*Particle-size control section--zone from 27 to 102 cm
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.