LOCATION KALAMBACH AK
Established Series
Rev. MHC/JPM/DLM
12/2022
KALAMBACH SERIES
The Kalambach series consists of very deep, well drained soils formed in a mantle of silty loess over friable to firm very gravelly glacial till material. Kalambach soils are on till plains and hills. Slopes range from 0 to 60 percent. The mean annual temperature is about 35 degrees F. and the mean annual precipitation is about 17 inches.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive Typic Haplocryepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Kalambach silt loam - on a south facing slope of 6 percent at 500 feet elevation under paper birch and quaking aspen. (All colors are for moist soil)
Oi--2 inches to 0; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) undecomposed fibrous moss, roots, leaves and twigs. (2 to 4 inches thick)
AE--0 to 6 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) and dark brown (10YR 3/3) silt loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common large distinct dark brown and dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) mottles; common very fine, fine and few medium roots; slightly acid (pH 6.1); abrupt irregular boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
Bw1--6 to 9 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/6) silt loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many medium distinct dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) and weak red (2.5YR 4/2) mottles; few roots of all sizes; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 15 inches thick)
Bw2--9 to 14 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) silt loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; slightly acid (pH 6.2). (0 to 10 inches thick)
BC--14 to 21 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) silt loam; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common large faint very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) mottles; slightly acid (pH 6.4). (4 to 9 inches thick)
2C1--21 to 34 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) very gravelly loam; friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 35 percent subangular gravel and 5 percent subangular cobble; neutral (pH 6.6). (10 to 28 inches thick)
2C2--34 to 60 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2 and 10YR 4/2) very gravelly loam; firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 30 percent subangular gravel and 5 percent subangular cobble; neutral (pH 6.8).
TYPE LOCATION: Matanuska Valley Area, Alaska; about 2 miles NE of Wasilla; about 800 feet S. and 100 feet E. of the NW corner of section 36, T18N., R1W. Seward Meridian.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to very gravelly glacial till ranges from 12 to 22 inches. Texture of the loess mantle is silt loam or very fine sandy loam with less than 10 percent clay and less than 15 percent fine sand or coarser. The solum is 13 to 25 inches thick. The glacial till substratum has greater than 15 percent fine sand or coarser and 30 to 60 percent coarse fragments. The control section has a weighted average of less than 35 percent coarse fragments. Reaction is moderately acid or slightly acid in the solum and slightly acid or neutral in the substratum. MAST ranges from 33 to 37 degrees F.
The AE, and A horizon if present, have moist value of 3 or 4; moist chroma of 2 or 3.
The Bw horizons have moist hue of 7.5YR or 10YR; moist value of 3 or 4; moist chroma from 4 through 6.
The BC horizon has moist value of 3 or 4; moist chroma from 2 through 4.
The 2C horizons have moist hue of 10YR or 2.5Y; moist value of 3 or 4; moist chroma of 2 or 3. Texture is loam or sandy loam. Coarse fragment content includes 30 to 45 percent subangular gravel and 5 to 20 percent subangular cobble.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Progress,
Eska,
Ganhona,
Mine,
Sambrito,
Southpaw,
Steese,
Tebay, and
Tsana series. Progress soils have stratified textures. Eska soils have solums thicker than 22 inches. Mine and Sambrito soils are presumed to have a mean annual soil temperature warmer than 37F. Southpaw soils have a mean annual soil temperature less than 33 F. Steese soils have bedrock within 20 to 40 inches of the surface. Tebay and Tsana soils have solums thinner than 9 inches and less than 35 percent coarse fragments in the substratum.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Kalambach soils are on glacial till plains and hillslopes. Slopes range from 0 to 60 percent. These soils formed in a loess mantle overlying very gravelly glacial till deposits. The climate is transitional maritime - continental. Mean annual temperature is about 35 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation is about 17 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Slow to rapid runoff. Moderate permeability in the silty loess mantle; moderately slow in the glacial till substratum.
USE AND VEGETATION: Wildlife habitat, agriculture and urban uses. Native vegetation includes paper birch, white spruce, quaking aspen, bluejoint reedgrass and low shrubs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southcentral Alaska. The series is of moderate extent.
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: WASILLA, ALASKA
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Matanuska-Susitna Soil Survey, Alaska, 1996.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this profile include: cambic horizons from 6 to 14 inches; coarse-silty material from 0 to 14 inches, loamy-skeletal material from 14 to 60 inches, and a weighted average of coarse-loamy from 10 to 40 inches; a cryic temperature regime.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.