LOCATION GOLDEN AK
Established Series
Rev. RCH/DJL/JPM
05/2022
GOLDEN SERIES
The Golden series consists of very poorly drained soils that are shallow to bedrock. They formed in glacial outwash on toeslopes, shoulders of structural benches and mid elevation ridges. Slopes range from 0 to 60 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 100 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 47 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed Lithic Cryaquods
TYPICAL PEDON: Golden very fine sandy loam - on a 28 percent ESE-facing slope under forest vegetation at an elevation of 700 feet. (All colors are for moist soil)
Oa--5 to 0 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 2.5/2) muck; few very fine, common fine and medium, few coarse roots; abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 6 inches thick)
E--0 to 5 inches; dark gray (5Y 4/1) very fine sandy loam; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; nonsticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; 5 percent gravel; very strongly acid (pH 4.8); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
Bhs--5 to 9 inches; very dark gray (N 3/0) very gravelly very fine sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine faint gray (N 5/0) mottles; few medium roots; 40 percent gravel; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
Cg--9 to 18 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) gravelly loamy fine sand stratified with black (10YR 2/1) gravelly very fine sandy loam, olive gray (5Y 5/2) gravelly loamy fine sand, and strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) gravelly loamy sand; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; 30 percent gravel; strongly acid (pH 5.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
2R--18 inches; phyllitic schist bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Ketchikan Area, Alaska, Cleveland Peninsula, in the SW 1/4, SW 1/4, section 22, T.71 S., R.88 E., Copper River Meridian.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mean annual soil temperature ranges from 38 to 42 degrees F. Depth to bedrock ranges from 14 to 20 inches. Texture of the control section is dominantly fine sandy loam but includes loamy fine sand and strata of very fine sandy loam and loamy sand. The fine earth fraction contains less than 50 percent very fine sand. Weighted average coarse fragment content ranges from 5 to 35 percent gravel. Reaction of the profile ranges from extremely acid to strongly acid.
An Oi or Oe horizon is present in some pedons.
The Oa horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 or 2.
The E horizon has hue of 5Y or neutral, value from 3 to 5, and chroma from 0 to 2. Mottles when present have hue ranging from 10YR to neutral, value of 3 or 4, and chroma from 0 to 2. Texture is silt loam or very fine sandy loam. Coarse fragment content ranges from 5 to 10 percent.
The Bhs horizon has hue of 10YR or neutral, value of 3 or 4, and chroma from 0 to 4. Mottles have hue of 7.5YR or neutral, value of 4 or 5, and chroma from 0 to 4. Texture is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or very fine sand loam. Gravel content ranges from 20 to 40 percent.
The C horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value from 3 to 5, and chroma from 2 to 6. Texture is loamy fine sand with stratas of very fine sandy loam and loamy sand. Gravel content ranges from 10 to 30 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the
St. Nicholas series in an adjacent family. St. Nicholas soils have greater than 50 percent very fine sand and 35 percent coarse fragments in the control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Golden soils are on toeslopes and shoulders of structural benches and low elevation ridges. The parent material is localized glacio-fluvial sediments underlain by phyllitic schist at 14 to 20 inches. Slopes range from 0 to 60 percent. The climate is humid maritime with mean annual precipitation of 100 inches. The mean annual temperature is 47 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the McGilvery soils. McGilvery soils are well drained organic soils on mountain sideslopes.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Very poorly drained. Moderate permeability. Runoff is slow to medium.
USE AND VEGETATION: The Golden soils are covered with an open canopy of noncommercial forest vegetation. The Golden soils are used for wildlife habitat, watershed protection, and recreation. The climax overstory vegetation includes Alaska cedar, mountain hemlock, and western hemlock. The understory vegetation includes alpine azalea, blueberry, bunchberry, burnet, copperbush, crowberry, deer cabbage, fernleaf goldthread, five leaf bramble, and stiff clubmoss.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeast Alaska. The series is of minor extent.
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: WASILLA, ALASKA
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Ketchikan Area, Alaska, 1994.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this soil are: A spodic horizon from 5 to 9 inches, cryic temperature regime, mottles in the upper spodic; a lithic contact at 18 inches; and sandy particle size from 10 to 18 inches.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.