LOCATION FOSSIL                  AK

Established Series
IRD. TDM/NDP/SCD
05/2022

FOSSIL SERIES

Landscape--outwash plains
Landform--pitted outwash plains
Slope--0 to 25 percent
Parent material--outwash
Mean annual precipitation--about 1400 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about 5 degrees C
Depth class--very deep
Drainage class--well drained
Soil moisture regime--udic
Soil temperature regime--cryic
Soil moisture subclass--typic

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed Typic Cryorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Fossil sand on a pitted outwash plain, on a slope of 1 percent at an elevation of 4 m (When described on June 09, 2013, the soil was moist throughout.)

Oe--0 to 10 cm; moderately decomposed plant material; moderately acid (pH 5.9); clear smooth boundary

A--10 to 27 cm; gravelly coarse sand, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) dry, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and medium roots throughout; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 5 percent cobbles and 15 percent gravel; very slightly effervescent (HCL, 1N); slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); clear smooth boundary

C1--27 to 50 cm; variegated very gravelly coarse sand; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 10 percent cobbles and 40 percent gravel; strongly effervescent (HCL, 1N); strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); clear smooth boundary

C2--50 to 95 cm; variegated coarse sand; massive; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine interstitial pores; 10 percent medium gravel; strongly effervescent (HCL, 1N); moderately alkaline (pH 7.9), clear smooth boundary

C3--95 to 150 cm; variegated extremely gravelly coarse sand; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine interstitial pores; 5 percent cobbles and 70 percent medium gravel; strongly effervescent (HCL, 1N); strongly alkaline (pH 8.5)

TYPE LOCATION: Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve-Gustavus Area, Alaska; Hoonah-Angoon Census Area; latitude 58.4674386, longitude -135.9816388 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)

Particle-size control section
*Clay content--0 to 1 percent
*Total rock fragment content--35 to 85 percent

Oe horizon
Thickness--5 to 13 cm

A horizon
Hue--10YR to 2.5Y moist or dry
Value--4 or 5 moist, 6 or 7 dry
Chroma--3 to 6 moist or dry
Fine-earth texture--coarse sand, sand, fine sand
Clay content--0 to 1 percent
Total rock fragment content--15 to 35 percent
Gravel content--10 to 20 percent
Cobble content--5 to 10 percent
Reaction (pH)--6.8 to 7.7
Thickness--10 to 20 cm

C1 horizon
Hue--10YR to 2.5Y moist or dry, variegated
Value--4 or 5 moist, 6 or 7 dry
Chroma--3 to 6 moist or dry
Fine-earth texture--coarse sand, sand, fine sand
Clay content--0 to 1 percent
Total rock fragment content--35 to 65 percent
Gravel content--30 to 50 percent
Cobble content--5 to 15 percent
Reaction (pH)--7.3 to 8.7
Thickness--15 to 50 cm

C2 horizon
Hue--10YR to 2.5Y moist or dry; variegated
Value--4 or 5 moist, 6 or 7 dry
Chroma--3 to 6 moist or dry
Fine-earth texture--coarse sand, sand, fine sand
Clay content--0 to 1 percent
Total rock fragment content--5 to 12 percent
Gravel content--5 to 12 percent
Cobble content--0 to 3 percent
Reaction (pH)--7.1 to 8.2
Thickness--30 to 55 cm

C3 horizon
Hue--10YR to 2.5Y moist or dry, variegated
Value--4 or 5 moist, 6 or 7 dry
Chroma--3 to 6 moist or dry
Fine-earth texture--coarse sand, sand, fine sand
Clay content--0 to 1 percent
Total rock fragment content--65 to 85 percent
Gravel content--65 to 75 percent
Cobble content--0 to 10 percent
Reaction (pH)--7.1 to 8.7
Thickness--35 to 60 cm

COMPETING SERIES:
None

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--8 to 70 m
Climate--cool, moist summers; mild, wet winters
Mean annual precipitation--800 to 1850 mm
Mean annual air temperature--1 to 9 degrees C
Frost-free period--90 to 154 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Fingers--25 to 50 cm (somewhat poorly drained) to saturation and aquic conditions; in drainageways of similar landforms
Tyeen--loamy-skeletal particle-size class; free carbonates throughout particle-size control section; on adjacent landforms
Vivid--saturation and aquic conditions within 25 cm of soil surface; on adjacent landforms

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--well drained
Depth to saturation in normal years--more than 150 cm year round
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--very high throughout

USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--wildlife habitat, recreation
Potential natural vegetation--oval-leaf blueberry, heartleaf twayblade, Alaska huckleberry, five-leaf bramble, rattlesnake plantain, Sitka alder, goose neck moss, sidebells wintergreen

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Alexander Archipelago-Gulf of Alaska Coast, Alaska; MLRA 220; moderate 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
*Free carbonates--zone from 10 to 150 cm
*Particle-size control section--zone from 35 to 110 cm

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.