LOCATION HOMESTEAD AK
Established Series
Rev. KMO-JPM
05/2022
HOMESTEAD SERIES
The Homestead series consists of very deep well drained soils that are very shallow to sand and gravel. They formed in a thin layer of loess over glaciofluvial sediments. Homestead soils are on glacial outwash plains and moraines. Slopes range from 0 to 75 percent. Mean annual and moraines. Slopes range from 0 to 75 percent. Mean annual temperature is about 34 degrees F., and the average annual precipitation is about 20 inches.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive Typic Haplocryods
TYPICAL PEDON: Homestead silt loam - on a north-facing slope of 2 percent, under forest vegetation. (All colors are for moist soil)
Oi -- 3 to 2 inches; forest litter consisting of leaves and twigs.
Oe -- 2 inches to 0; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moderately decomposed organic matter; many fine roots; extremely acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
E -- 0 to 3 inches; dark gray (10YR 5/1) silt loam; weak very fine granular structure; friable; many fine roots; extremely acid; abrupt irregular boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
Bs -- 3 to 7 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) silt loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; many streaks and patches of brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) and reddish yellow (5YR 6/8); few fine roots; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)
BC -- 7 to 10 inches; mixed brown (10YR 5/3) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silt loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few patches and streaks of dark brown (10YR 3/3); few fine roots; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
2C1 -- 10 to 40 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) very gravelly sandy loam; single grain; loose; few fine roots in upper part; 45 percent gravel; strongly acid.
2C2 -- 40 to 60 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) very gravelly sand stratified with sandy loam; single grain; loose; 55 percent gravel; strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Matanuska Valley Area, Alaska; about 7 miles west of Wasilla; SW1/4, Section 9, T.17N., R.2W., Seward Meridian.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The silty loess mantle ranges from 6 to 10 inches thick, with the solum developed in the loess mantle. The mantle is often stratified with thin layers of volcanic ash. Mean annual soil temperature ranges from 33 to 37 degrees F. The 10 to 40 inch control section occurs in the glacial sediments. The control section, after mixing, is loamy-skeletal, with the fine earth fraction ranging from silt loam to sand. Coarse fragment content ranges from 35 to 60 percent. Below the control section, sandy skeletal textures are dominant.
An A horizon is present in some pedons.
The E horizon has hue from 10YR through 5Y, value moist of 4 or 5, and chroma moist of 1 or 2. Texture is silt loam or very fine sandy loam. Reaction is extremely acid or very strongly acid.
The Bs horizon has, value moist of 4 or 5, and chroma moist of 3 or 4. Texture is silt loam, loam, or sandy loam. Stratas of ash are common. Reaction is strongly acid or very strongly acid.
The BC horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value moist from 4 to 6, and chroma moist from 3 to 6. Texture is silt loam, loam, or sandy loam. Stratas of ash are common. Reaction is strongly acid or very strongly acid.
The 2C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value and chroma moist from 3 through 8. Consistence is loose or very friable.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Conto,
Dinzer,
Evaro,
Lastance,
Mitkof,
Mt. Hood,
Remedios, and Tennex series in the same family, and the
Bernice,
Kashwitna,
Lucile,
Nikishka, and Nondalton series. Conto soils have a mean annual soil temperature greater than 38 degrees F. Dinzer, Evaro, Lastance, Mt.Hood, and Tennex soils lack a loess mantle. Bernice and Nikishka soils are sandy-skeletal. Kashwitna soils are medial over sandy or sandy-skeletal. Lucile soils are bisequal and have mottled, convoluted A2 and B horizons. Nondalton soils have a spodic horizon high in organic carbon. Mitkof and Remedios soils do not contain layers of volcanic ash.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Homestead soils are on glaciofluvial outwash plains and moraines. The soils formed in a thin silty loess mantle over gravelly glacial deposits. The climate is transitional between maritime and continental with the average annual precipitation ranging from 17 to 24 inches. Mean annual temperature ranges from 32 to 34 degrees F. Slopes range from 0 to 75 percent.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Slow to very rapid runoff. Permeability is moderate in the loess mantle and rapid in the underlying material.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southcentral Alaska. The series is extensive.
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: WASILLA, ALASKA
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Physical Land Survey 41, Matanuska Valley Area, Alaska, 1941.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this soil include: a spodic horizon from 3 to 7 inches; loamy-skeletal material from 10 to 40 inches.
Previous concepts of the Homestead series included soils with loess mantles from 10 to 20 inches thick. These soils are now included in the concept of the Kashwitna series.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Available lab data includes NSSL samples 5144-5153 and Alaska Department of Highways samples 64F1012-1014, and 64F1023-1028.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.