LOCATION HALEYCREEK              AK

Established Series
SDB/MJS
08/2025

HALEYCREEK SERIES

Depth class: very deep
Drainage class: well drained
Parent material: organic material over sandy and silty loess over sandy and gravelly colluvium
Landscape: foothills and mountains
Landform: mountain valleys, hills, hillslopes, and river valleys
Slope: 5 to 35 percent
Mean annual precipitation: about 600 mm (24 in)
Mean annual air temperature: about -3 degrees C (27 degrees F)
Frost-free period: 32 to 90 days

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed Typic Haplocryolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Haleycreek cobbly sandy loam in a resin birch community, in a west facing convex, convex mountain valley on a slope of 26 percent at an elevation of 1107m (3630 ft).

Oe--0 to 11 cm (0 to 4 in); moderately decomposed plant material, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; many very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots throughout; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary (10 to 17 cm, 4 to 7 in)

A--11 to 22 cm (4 to 9 in); cobbly sandy loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; weak medium granular structure; very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine, fine, and few medium roots throughout; many very fine and fine irregular pores;10 percent gravel by volume, 10 percent cobbles by volume; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 7.3); clear wavy boundary (10 to 21 cm, 4 to 8 in)

Bw--22 to 42 cm (9 to 17 in); very cobbly sand, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine and common fine roots throughout; many very fine and fine irregular pores; 20 percent gravel by volume, 35 percent cobbles by volume; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt wavy boundary (15 to 22 cm, 6 to 9 in)

C--42 to 150 cm (17 to 59 in); extremely gravelly sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine and common fine roots throughout; many very fine and common fine irregular pores; 50 percent gravel by volume, 20 percent cobbles by volume; neutral (pH 6.9). (90 to 115 cm, 35 to 45 in)

TYPE LOCATION: North Copper River Soil Survey Area, Alaska; latitude 61.65198, longitude -145.31104, UTM 6836571.95 north, and UTM 589463.50 east, zone 6, Datum WGS84.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture regime: udic
Soil temperature regime: cryic
Mean annual soil temperature: 0 to 4 degrees C. ( 32 to 40 degrees F)
Thickness of organic material: 10 to 17 cm (4 to 7 in)
Thickness of mollic epipedon: 25 to 43 cm (10 to 17 in)

Oi and Oe or Oa horizons:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 2 to 3
Chroma: 1 to 2
Texture: slightly decomposed organic material, moderately decomposed organic material, and highly decomposed organic material.
Organic matter: 60 to 90 percent
Reaction class: slightly acid to neutral (pH 6.1 to 7.3)

A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 2 to 3
Chroma: 1 to 2
Texture: cobbly sandy loam, very cobbly silt loam, silt loam
Sand: 15 to 68 percent
Silt: 22 to 75 percent
Clay: 3 to 10 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 58 percent
Gravels: 0 to 12 percent
Cobbles: 0 to 46 percent
Organic matter: 2 to 6 percent
Reaction class: Neutral to slightly alkaline (pH 6.6 to 7.6)

Bw horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 2 to 4
Chroma: 2 to 3
Texture: very cobbly sand, very cobbly sandy loam, cobbly loamy sand
Sand: 55 to 95 percent
Silt: 0 to 37 percent
Clay: 4 to 8 percent
Rock fragments: 24 to 73 percent
Gravels: 4 to 28 percent
Cobbles: 20 to 45 percent
Organic matter: 5 to 8 percent
Reaction class: slightly acid to neutral (pH 6.1 to 7.3)

C horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 3 to 5
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: loamy sand, sand, or their gravelly analogues
Sand: 76 to 98 percent
Silt: 0 to 18 percent
Clay: 1 to 10 percent
Rock fragments: 34 to 80 percent
Gravels: 34 to 55 percent
Cobbles: 0 to 25 percent
Organic matter: 0.3 to 0.7 percent
Reaction class: slightly acid to neutral (pH 6.1 to 7.3)

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation: 600 to 2000 meters (1970 to 6560 ft)
Parent material: organic material over sandy and silty loess over sandy and gravelly colluvium
Landform: mountain valleys, hills, hillslopes river valleys
Slopes: 5 to 35 percent
Mean annual precipitation: 400 to 1000 mm (16 to 39 in)
Mean annual air temperature: -5 to -1 degrees C. (23 to 30 degrees F)
Frost-free period: 32 to 90 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ahtell, Fourthofjuly, Greylingcreek, and Haggardcreek, Hundell, and Swamplylakes series.
Ahtell soils have folistic and umbric epipedons and occur on hill tops and hillside positions.
Fourthofjuly soils lack a mollic epipedon and occur on mountain valleys and stream terraces.
Greylingcreek soils are excessively drained, lacks a mollic epipedon, and occurs in mountain valleys and moraines.
Haggardcreek soils lack a mollic epipedon, have bedrock within 200cm (79 cm), and occur on hillslopes and mountain slopes.
Hundell soils lack a mollic epipedon, are moderately well drained, and occur on flats and bluffs in till plains and outwash plains.
Swampylakes soils are somewhat poorly drained, have aquic conditions starting between 34 and 40 cm (13 and 16in), and occur on mountain slopes and hillslopes.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class: well
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: very high in the Oi, Bw, and C horizons, high in the A horizon.
Permeability: Very rapid in the Oi, Bw, and C horizons, and moderately rapid in the A horizon.
Runoff: medium

USE AND VEGETATION:
Use: wildlife habitat, recreation, and subsistence
Native vegetation: resin birch, black crowberry, lichen

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

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:

Particle-size control section: 36 to 111 cm (14 to 44 in)

Mollic epipedon: 11 to 42 cm (4.3 to 17in) (A and B horizons)

ADDITIONAL DATA:

User pedon Id: 2022AK261654

---

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.