LOCATION GRASSYLAKE AK
Established Series
SAS/MPS
05/2022
GRASSYLAKE SERIES
Landscape--coastal plain
Landform--berms
Slope--0 to 12 percent
Parent material--gravelly beach sand
Mean annual precipitation--about 300 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about -3 degrees C
Depth class--very deep
Drainage class--somewhat excessively drained
Soil moisture regime--udic
Soil temperature regime--cryic
Soil moisture subclass--typic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed Typic Cryorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Grassylake stratified channery loamy sand on an east facing linear, convex berm on a slope of 2 percent at an elevation of 41 m (The soil was moist throughout when described on July 12, 2015.)
Oe--0 to 2 cm; moderately decomposed plant material, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; many very fine and coarse, common medium, and few fine roots; 3 percent channers; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear smooth boundary
AC--2 to 12 cm; stratified channery loamy sand, 75 percent dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) and 25 percent brown (7.5YR 4/2) dry, 75 percent very dark brown (10YR 2/2) and 25 percent very dark brown (7.5YR 2.5/2) moist; weak medium granular structure; very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; common fine irregular pores; 20 percent channers; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear smooth boundary
C1--12 to 30 cm; extremely channery sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine and fine, and common medium roots; 68 percent channers; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear smooth boundary
C2--30 to 60 cm; very channery sand, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; 53 percent channers; slightly acid (pH 6.2); gradual smooth boundary
C3--60 to 150 cm; very channery sand, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; few very fine roots; 53 percent channers; slightly acid (pH 6.2)
TYPE LOCATION: Nome Census Area County, Alaska, latitude 63.9026230 longitude -160.8091930 degrees, datum WGS84 (Coordinates determined with a GPS unit)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--2 to 4 degrees C
Soil moisture control section--dry less than 45 consecutive days in June through October
Ochric epipedon--5 to 27 cm
Particle Size Control Section:
*Clay--0 to 5 percent
*Total fragments--65 to 85 percent channers
Oe horizon
Total rock fragment content--0 to 5 percent channers
Thickness--2 to 8 cm
AC horizon
Hue--7.5YR or 10YR
Value--2 to 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry
Chroma--1 or 2
Fine-earth texture--sandy loam, loamy sand
Clay--0 to 10 percent
Sand--55 to 85 percent
Organic carbon--1 to 2 percent
Total rock fragment content--20 to 50 percent channers
Reaction--5.4 to 6.5
Thickness-- 5 to 15 cm
C1 horizon
Value--2 to 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry
Chroma--2 or 3
Fine-earth texture--sand, loamy sand, loamy coarse sand
Clay--0 to 5 percent
Sand--80 to 100 percent
Organic carbon--0.5 to 2 percent
Total rock fragment content--65 to 75 percent channers
Reaction--5.6 to 6.6
Thickness-- 15 to 35 cm
C2 horizon
Value--2 to 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry
Chroma--1 to 3
Fine-earth texture--sand, coarse sand
Clay--0 to 2 percent
Sand--88 to 100 percent
Organic carbon--0.5 to 2 percent
Total rock fragment content--50 to 85 percent channers
Reaction--6.2 to 6.7
Thickness--20 to 40 cm
C3 horizon
Value--2 to 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry
Chroma--1 to 3
Fine-earth texture--sand, coarse sand
Clay--0 to 2 percent
Sand--88 to 100 percent
Organic carbon--0.2 to 0.5 percent
Total rock fragment content--50 to 85 percent channers
Reaction--5.6 to 6.7
Thickness--80 to 100 cm
COMPETING SERIES:
*
Chena--pH ranges to 7.8, excessively drained, loamy and sandy alluvium over sand and gravel; stream terraces and outwash plains
*
Nizina--pH ranges to 7.8, somewhat excessively or excessively drained, thin layer of loess and/or sandy alluvium overlying stratified sand and gravel; floodplains and low stream terraces
*
Nataga--pH ranges to 5.1, very cobbly alluvium and colluvium; alluvial fans and toeslopes
*
Eklutna--coarse fragments do not range above 65 percent, excessively drained, gravelly alluvium, terraces and alluvial fans
*
Ekuk--pH ranges to 7.4, no surface organic layer, loess over fluviomarine deposits, rises on coastal plains
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
*Elevation--0 to 8 m
*Climate--warm, moist summers; cold, dry winters
*Mean annual precipitation--295 to 300 mm
*Mean annual air temperature-- -5 to -1 degrees C
*Frost-free period--55 to 90 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
*
Marysslough--organic layer ranges to 14 cm, loamy mantle present; coastal plains
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
*Drainage class--somewhat excessively drained
*Flooding--rare, extremely brief
*Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--very high throughout the profile
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--wildlife habitat, recreation, subsistence
Potential native vegetation--fireweed, moss, beach pea, balsam poplar, tealeaf willow, Richardson's willow, seacoast angelica, bluejoint, Gmelin's sedge, American dunegrass, alpine milkvetch, beachhead iris, marsh pea, ledge stonecrop, Lapland cornel, tall Jacob's ladder, dwarf raspberry
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Nulato Hills-Southern Seward Peninsula Highlands, Alaska; MLRA 240; small extent
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: WASILLA, ALASKA
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Nulato Hills BLM area, Nome Census Area, Alaska; 2021
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon
*Particle-size control section--zone from 27 to 102 cm
*Ochric epipedon--zone from 0 to 12 cm
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.