LOCATION HIGHLAKE                AK

Established Series
SAS/NDP/MPR
05/2022

HIGHLAKE SERIES

Landscape--mountains
Landform--mountain slopes
Slope--30 to 90 percent
Parent material--colluvium or drift over residuum
Mean annual precipitation--about 1600 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about -2 degrees C
Depth class--shallow
Drainage class--well drained
Soil moisture regime--udic
Soil temperature regime--gelic
Soil moisture subclass--typic

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, acid, subgelic, shallow Typic Gelorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Highlake very gravelly coarse sandy loam on a west-northwest facing, convex, linear backslope of the upper third of a mountain, on a slope of 73 percent at an elevation of 752 m (The soil was moist throughout when described on July 24, 2012.)

A--0 to 10 cm; very gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, many fine, and common medium to coarse roots; 50 percent gravel and 5 percent channers; very strongly acid (pH 4.9); gradual wavy boundary

C--10 to 50 cm; extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, many fine, and common medium to coarse roots; 65 percent gravel, 5 percent channers, and 5 percent cobbles; strongly acid (pH 5.2); abrupt wavy boundary

R--50 cm; bedrock

TYPE LOCATION: Dillingham Census Area, Alaska, about 110 km north-northwest of the city of Dillingham; latitude 59.9101557 degrees north, longitude 159.4630687 degrees west, datum WGS 84 (coordinates determined with a GPS)

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature-- -1 to 0 degrees C
Soil moisture control section--dry less than 45 consecutive days in June through October (udic moisture regime)
Depth to lithic contact--25 to 50 cm
Lithology of rock fragments--sedimentary, volcanic
Other features--ochric epipedon

Particle-size control section
*Clay content--2 to 12 percent
*Sand content--30 to 70 percent
*Total rock fragment content--35 to 89 percent

A horizon
Hue--10YR, 2.5Y
Value--2 to 4 moist, 4 to 6 dry
Chroma--1 to 3 moist
Fine-earth texture--coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, silt loam
Clay content--4 to 12 percent
Reaction--4.5 to 5.5
Total rock fragment content--35 to 85 percent
Gravel content--35 to 85 percent
Channer content--0 to 15 percent
Cobble content--0 to 15 percent
Stone content--0 to 15 percent
Thickness--2 to 18 cm
Organic carbon content--1 to 4 percent
Base saturation--0 to 20 percent

C horizon
Hue--7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y
Value--3 to 5 moist, 5 to 7 dry
Chroma--1 to 3 moist
Fine-earth texture--coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, silt loam
Clay content--2 to 12 percent
Reaction--5.0 to 5.5
Total rock fragment content--40 to 89 percent
Gravel content--40 to 89 percent
Channer content--0 to 30 percent
Cobble content--0 to 30 percent
Thickness--2 to 48 cm
Organic matter content-0.25 to 0.75 percent

COMPETING SERIES: None

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--200 to 1400 m
Climate--cool, moist summers; cold, moist winters
Mean annual precipitation--1000 to 2300 mm
Mean annual air temperature-- -3.8 to 0.9 degrees C
Frost-free period--60 to 115 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Kashaiak--umbric epipedon; slope of 4 to 40 percent; convex landscape positions
Buchia--more than 150 cm (very deep) to lithic bedrock; similar landscape positions

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--somewhat excessively drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--moderately high or high throughout

USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--wildlife habitat, recreation, subsistence
Potential natural vegetation--narcissus anemone, hairgrass, eightpetal mountain-avens, black crowberry, heartleaf saxifrage

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Ahklun Mountains, Alaska; MLRA 237; moderate extent

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Togiak National Wildlife Refuge, Dillingham Census Area, Alaska; 2019

REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and other features in this pedon
*Particle-size control section--zone from 25 to 50 cm
*Ochric epipedon
*Depth to lithic bedrock--50 cm

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.