LOCATION GEIST                   AK

Established Series
Rev. MHC/DLM
05/2022

GEIST SERIES

Depth class: very deep
Drainage class: somewhat excessively drained
Landforms: hills and outwash plains
Parent material: silty eolian deposits over sandy outwash
Elevation: 2,789 to 3,107 feet (850 to 947 m)
Slope: 0 to 30 percent
Annual precipitation: 22 to 28 inches (564 to 715 mm)
Annual temperature: 25 degrees F (-4 degrees C)
Frost-free period: 50 to 70 days

TAXONOMIC CLASS:

TYPICAL PEDON: Geist silt loam - on a slope of 15 percent under shrub birch-dwarf ericaceous scrub mosaic. (All colors are for moist soil)

Oi--0 to 2 inches (0 to 5 cm); black (10YR 2/1) slightly decomposed plant material; many very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; extremely acid (pH 3.9); clear wavy boundary.

A--2 to 5 inches (5 to 13 cm); dark brown (10YR 3/3) and very dark brown (10YR 2/2) silt loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine, and medium roots; extremely acid (pH 4.4); abrupt wavy boundary.

2Bs--5 to 16 inches (13 to 41 cm); dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; 2 percent gravel, 2 percent cobbles; strongly acid (pH 5.4); gradual irregular boundary.

2BC--16 to 28 inches (41 to 71 cm); dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) sand; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; 5 percent gravel, 2 percent cobbles; strongly acid (pH 5.4); gradual smooth boundary.

2C--28 to 60 inches (71 to 152 cm); very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) sand; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; 5 percent gravel; moderately acid (pH 5.9).

TYPE LOCATION: Delta River Area, Alaska; in the Tangle Lakes area about 1 mile west of Upper Tangle Lake; UTM coordinates: Zone 6, Easting 546264, Northing 6986882.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture class: udic
Average annual soil temperature: 32 to 30 degrees F (-0.1 to -1 degrees C)
Mean summer soil temperature: 36 to 39 degrees F. (2 to 4 degrees C)
Depth to strongly contrasting textural stratification: 3 to 5 inches (7 to 13 cm)

Oi horizon:
Organic matter content65 to 90 percent
Reactionultra acid to very strongly acid

A horizon:
Colorhue of 7.5YR or 10YR; value of 2 or 3; chroma of 1 to 3
Clay content0 to 10 percent
Silt content55 to 75 percent
Sand content15 to 35 percent
Organic matter content3 to 5 percent
Rock fragments0 to 5 percent rounded very strongly cemented gravel; 0 to 2 percent rounded very strongly cemented cobbles
Reactionextremely acid to strongly acid

2Bs horizon:
Colorhue of 5YR or 7.5YR; value of 3 or 4; chroma of 3 or 4
Texturefine sandy loam or sandy loam
Clay content0 to 10 percent
Silt content15 to 35 percent
Sand content60 to 80 percent
Organic matter content0 to 2 percent
Rock fragments0 to 10 percent rounded very strongly cemented gravel; 0 to 10 percent rounded very strongly cemented cobbles
Reactionvery strongly acid to moderately acid

2BC or 2C horizons:
Colorhue of 10YR to 5Y; value of 2 to 4; chroma of 1 to 3
Textureloamy fine sand, sand, coarse sand, loamy coarse sand
Clay content0 to 5 percent
Silt content0 to 15 percent
Sand content80 to 95 percent
Rock fragments0 to 10 percent rounded very strongly cemented gravel, 0 to 10 percent cobbles
Reactionstrongly acid to slightly acid

COMPETING SERIES: There are the no competing series in this classification.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landforms: hills and outwash plains
Parent material: silty eolian deposits over sandy outwash
Elevation: 2,789 to 3,107 feet (850 to 947 m)
Slope: 0 to 30 percent
Annual precipitation: 22 to 28 inches (564 to 715 mm)
Annual temperature: 25 degrees F (-4 degrees C)
Frost-free period: 50 to 70 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include Schleyer and Slana soils. Schleyer soils are well drained, very deep, and occur on hills, mountains, outwash plains, and terraces. Slana soils are well drained, very deep and occur on hills.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained, medium runoff. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to high in the solum and high to very high in the substratum.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for wildlife habitat and recreation. Native vegetation is shrub birch-dwarf ericaceous scrub mosaic.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 228, Interior Alaska Mountains, Alaska. The series is of small extent.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: WASILLA, ALASKA

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Delta River Area, Alaska, 2005

REMARKS: Diagnostic features and horizons recognized in this profile include:
Spodic horizon: 5 to 16 inches. (2Bs horizon)
Lithologic discontinuity: At the upper boundary of A horizon
Weighted average sandy particle size control section: 10 to 40 inches below the mineral soil surface
Transition between coarse-loamy part of particle size control section and sandy part of particle size control section: greater than 5 inches
Temperature regime: cryic

ADDITIONAL DATA:

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.