LOCATION FLUFFLE AK
Tentative Series
MJS/CBB
10/2024
FLUFFLE SERIES
Depth class: very deep
Drainage class: poorly drained
Parent material: loamy alluvium derived from metamorphic and sedimentary rock
Landscape: river valleys
Landform: flood plains
Slopes: 0 to 12 percent
Mean annual precipitation: about 420 mm (16 in)
Mean annual air temperature: about -4 degrees C. (25 degrees F.)
Frost-free period: 70 to 90 days
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, nonacid Fluvaquentic Cryaquepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Fluffle silt loam in a willow and forb community on a linear, linear flood plain talf on a slope of 0 percent at an elevation of 310 m (1017 ft)
Oe--0 to 8 cm (0 to 3 in); moderately decomposed plant material, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; many very fine and common fine roots throughout; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 14 cm, 1 to 6 in thick)
A--8 to 11 cm (3 to 4 in); silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; weak fine granular structure; friable, slightly hard, slightly sticky, nonplastic; nonsmeary; few fine roots throughout; very fine irregular pores; 5 percent gravel; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 7.1); clear wavy boundary. (1 to 16 cm, 0.5 to 6 in thick)
Bg1--11 to 32 cm (4 to 13 in); gravelly silt loam, dark gray (N 4/), moist, gray (N 6/), dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly hard, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; nonsmeary; few fine roots throughout; very fine irregular pores; 5 percent prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) masses of oxidized iron; 20 percent gravel; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 7.1); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 25 cm, 2 to 20 in thick)
Bg2--32 to 200 cm (13 to 80 in); gravelly loam, dark gray (N 4/), moist, gray (N 6/), dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm, moderately hard, nonsticky, nonplastic; nonsmeary; very fine irregular pores; 20 percent gravel; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 6.9). (145 to 191 cm, 57 to 75 in thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Nulato Hills - Continental Divide and Blackburn Hills Soil Survey Area, Alaska; latitude 64 degrees 30 minutes 10.56 seconds north, longitude 160 degrees 18 minutes 18.03 seconds west, datum WGS84, UTM north 7153703.64 and UTM east 437322.36, zone 4W, datum WGS84.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture regime: aquic
Soil temperature regime: cryic
Mean annual soil temperature: 0 to 3 degrees C. (32 to 37 degrees F.)
Thickness of organic material: 3 to 14 cm (1 to 6 in)
Thickness of ochric epipedon: 4 to 18 cm (2 to 7 in)
Thickness of cambic horizon: 186 to 197 cm (73 to 78 in)
Depth to redoximorphic concentrations: 11 to 32 cm (4 to 13 in)
Depth to reduced matrix: 11 to 200 cm (4 to 80 in)
Depth to aquic conditions: 11 to 200 cm (4 to 80 in)
Oe horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 2 to 2.5 moist, 4 to 5 dry
Chroma: 1 to 2
Texture: moderately decomposed plant material
Organic matter: 60 to 90 percent
Reaction class: moderately acid to neutral (pH 5.6 to 7.3)
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y or 7.5YR
Value: 2 to 4 moist, 4 to 6 dry
Chroma: 1 to 2
Texture: silt loam or loam or their gravelly analogues
Sand: 10 to 50 percent
Silt: 34 to 80 percent
Clay: 2 to 16 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 30 percent
Gravels: 0 to 30 percent
Organic matter: 2 to 8 percent
Reaction class: moderately acid to neutral (pH 5.6 to 7.3)
Bg1 horizon:
Hue: N or 2.5Y or 5Y
Value: 3 to 4 moist, 5 to 6 dry
Chroma: 0 to 2
Texture: silt loam, loam, fine sandy loam or their gravelly analogues
Sand: 20 to 50 percent
Silt: 38 to 78 percent
Clay: 2 to 16 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 30 percent
Gravels: 0 to 30 percent
Organic matter: 0.5 to 3 percent
Reaction class: moderately acid to neutral (pH 5.6 to 7.3)
Bg2 horizon:
Hue: N or 2.5Y or 5Y
Value: 3 to 4 moist, 5 to 6 dry
Chroma: 0 to 2
Texture: loam, silt loam, fine sandy loam or their gravelly analogues
Sand: 20 to 50 percent
Silt: 33 to 70 percent
Clay: 3 to 17 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 30 percent
Gravels: 0 to 30 percent
Organic matter: 0.5 to 3 percent
Reaction class: moderately acid to neutral (pH 5.6 to 7.3)
Some pedons have aquic conditions at the soil surface and/or buried genetic horizons at depths greater than 50 cm (20 in).
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Kawuneeche (CO),
Rabbit, and
Willowcreek (AK) series.
Kawuneeche soils have textures ranging to clay loam in the upper part of the profile and have a lithologic discontinuity to glaciofluvial deposits between 61 to 109 cm (24 to 43 in).
Rabbit soils have surface textures of gravelly mucky peat and are saturated to the soil surface during much of the growing season.
Willowcreek soils have surface textures of peat and stratified textures below 85 cm (33 in).
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation: 30 to 550 meters (100 to 1805 feet)
Parent material: loamy alluvium derived from metamorphic and sedimentary rock
Landform: flood plains
Slopes: 0 to 12 percent
Mean annual precipitation: 300 to 500 mm (12 to 20 in)
Mean annual air temperature: -6 to -1 degrees C. (21 to 30 degrees F.)
Frost free period: 70 to 90 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Napaaktuk,
Nunapik,
Apun, Muskox, Tagluk, Tuttu, Aagiak, and Siku soils.
Napaaktuk soils have a mollic epipedon and occur on moderately well drained floodplains.
Nunapik soils have a histic epipedon and permafrost within 50 cm (x in) and occur on poorly drained hillslopes and saddles of hills.
Apun soils have a histic epipedon and permafrost within 50 cm (x in) and occur on poorly drained hillslopes.
Muskox soils have an umbric epipedon and occur on well drained swales of mountain slopes.
Tagluk soils have a mollic epipedon and occur on well drained mountain slopes.
Tuttu soils have an umbric epipedon and andic soil properties and occur on well drained mountain slopes.
Aagiak soils have an umbric epipedon and occur on somewhat poorly drained mountain slopes.
Siku soils have a folistic epipedon and occur on poorly drained mountain slopes.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class: poorly drained
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: very high in the Oe horizon and moderately high to high in the A and Bg horizons
Permeability: rapid to very rapid in the Oe horizon and moderate to moderately rapid in the A and Bg horizons
Runoff: high or very high
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use: wildlife habitat, recreation, and subsistence
Native vegetation: Sphagnum, field horsetail, tealeaf willow, bluejoint, bog blueberry, dwarf birch, Schreber's big red stem moss, white spruce, lingonberry, Bigelow's sedge, arctic sweet coltsfoot, black crowberry, dwarf raspberry, shrubby cinquefoil, and sedge
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 240, Nulato Hills-Southern Seward Peninsula Highlands. The series is of moderate extent.
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Wasilla, Alaska
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Nulato Hills - Continental Divide and Blackburn Hills Soil Survey, Alaska, 2024.
REMARKS: Diagnostic features and horizons recognized in this profile include:
Particle-size control section: 33 to 108 cm (13 to 42 in)
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 11 cm (0 to 4 in) (Oe and A horizons)
Cambic horizon: 11 to 200 cm (4 to 80 in) (A and Bg horizons)
Redoximorphic concentrations: 11 to 32 cm (4 to 13 in) (Bg1 horizon)
Reduced matrix: 11 to 200 cm (4 to 80 in) (A and Bg horizons)
Aquic conditions: 11 to 200 cm (4 to 80 in) (A and Bg horizons)
ADDITIONAL DATA:
User pedon ID: 2021AK180795
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.