LOCATION GOOBERLAKE              AK

Established Series
SDB/MJS
08/2025

GOOBERLAKE SERIES


Depth class: very deep
Drainage class: well drained
Parent material: organic material over silty loess
Landscape: Mountains
Landform: peat mounds in depressions and till plains
Slope: 0 to 5 percent
Mean annual precipitation: about 10 mm (4 in)
Mean annual air temperature: about -3.5 degrees C (26 degrees F)
Frost-free period: 45 to 75 days

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Euic Typic Cryofolists

TYPICAL PEDON: Gooberlake moderately decomposed plant material in a water sedge and mixed ericaceous community on a peat mound in a depression with slope of 0 percent at an elevation of 911m (2990 ft)

Oe--0 to 22 cm (0 to 9 in); moderately decomposed plant material, black (7.5YR 2.5/1) moist; many very fine and fine, and few medium roots throughout; very strongly acid (pH 4.7); clear wavy boundary (15 to 26 cm, 6 to 10 in)

Oi--22 to 80 cm (9 to 32 in); slightly decomposed plant material, 60 percent dark gray (7.5YR 4/1), and 40 percent dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; many very fine and fine roots throughout; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear wavy boundary (30 to 65 cm, 12 to 26 in)

Oa--80 to 135 cm (32 to 53 in); highly decomposed plant material, very dark brown (7.5YR 2.5/2) moist; few very fine and fine roots throughout; moderately acid (pH 5.7); clear wavy boundary (30 to 65 cm, 12 to 26 in)

C--135 to 150 cm (53 to 59 in); highly organic silt loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) broken face moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, slightly plastic; nonsmeary; very few very fine roots top of horizon; very fine irregular pores; moderately acid (pH 5.8). (6 to 44 cm, 2 to 17 in)

TYPE LOCATION: North Copper River Soil Survey Area, Alaska; latitude 61.83857, longitude -147.34082, UTM 6856244.07 north and UTM 482054.29 east, zone 6, Datum WGS84.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture regime: udic
Soil temperature regime: cryic
Mean annual soil temperature: -1 to 4 degrees C (30 to 39 degrees F)
Thickness of organic material: 75 to 156 cm (30 to 61 in)

Oe horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 2 to 3
Chroma: 1 to 2
Texture: moderately decomposed organic material.
Organic matter: 60 to 90 percent
Reaction class: very strongly acid (pH 4.5 to 5.0)

Oi horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 2 to 3
Chroma: 1 to 4
Texture: slightly decomposed organic material
Organic matter: 60 to 90 percent
Reaction class: strongly acid (pH 5.1 to 5.5)

Oa horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 2 to 3
Chroma: 1 to 2
Texture: highly decomposed organic material
Organic matter: 60 to 90 percent
Reaction class: moderately acid (pH 5.6 to 6.0)

C horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: Highly organic silt loam
Sand: 10 to 30 percent
Silt: 55 to 80 percent
Clay: 10 to 20 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent gravels
Organic matter: 0.1 to 10 percent
Reaction class: moderately acid (pH 5.6 to 6.0)

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation: 500 to 1200 meters (1640 to 3935 ft)
Parent material: organic material over silty loess
Landform: peat mounds in depressions and till plains
Slopes: 0 to 6 percent
Mean annual precipitation: 300 to 500 mm (12 to 20 in)
Mean annual air temperature: -4 to -2 degrees C (25 to 28 degrees F)
Frost-free period: 45 to 75 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ahtell, Chelina, and Mire series.
Ahtell soils have folistic and umbric epipedons, and occur on hill tops, and hillside positions.
Chelina soils have a cambic horizon and occur on lacustrine terraces.
Mire soils are very poorly drained, have a thick sapric horizon, and occur on string bogs, interdrumlins, hillslopes, and glacial valley floors.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class: well drained
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: very high in the Oi, Oe, and Oa horizons, moderately high in the C horizon.
Permeability: very rapid in the Oi, Oe, and Oa horizons, moderate in the C horizon.
Runoff: negligible

USE AND VEGETATION:
Use: wildlife habitat, recreation, and subsistence
Native vegetation: water sedge, marsh labrador tea, bog blueberry, white cottongrass

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 228 Interior Alaska mountains.
Extent: limited

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Wasilla, Alaska

SERIES ESTABLISHED: North Copper River Soil Survey, Alaska, 2024.

REMARKS: Diagnostic features and horizons recognized in this profile include:

Hemic material: 0 to 15 cm (0 to 6 in) (Oe horizon)

Folistic material: 22 to 80 cm (9 to 31 in) (Oi horizon)

Sapric soil materials: 80 to 135 cm (31 to 53 in) (Oa horizon)

ADDITIONAL DATA:

User pedon Id: 2023AK170912


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.