LOCATION KALASIK CREEK           AK

Established Series
SAS/CBB
11/2024

KALASIK CREEK SERIES

Depth class: moderately deep to bedrock, paralithic
Drainage class: well drained
Parent material: gravelly loamy colluvium over gravelly loamy residuum weathered from calcareous sandstone
Landscape: mountains
Landform: mountain slopes
Slopes: 2 to 25 percent
Mean annual precipitation: about 450 mm (18 in)
Mean annual air temperature: about -4 degrees C. (25 degrees F.)
Frost-free period: 70 to 85 days

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, nonacid, subgelic Typic Haplogelepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Kalasik Creek channery highly organic silt loam in a dryas, moss, and lichen community on a north facing convex, linear summit on a slope of 7 percent at an elevation of 877 m (2877 ft)

A--0 to 7 cm (0 to 3 in); channery highly organic silt loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; weak fine granular structure; very friable, soft, nonsticky, nonplastic; nonsmeary; many very fine, common fine, and few medium roots throughout; very fine tubular pores; 30 percent gravel; 15 percent of VFS; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 12 cm, 2 to 5 in thick)

Bw--7 to 15 cm (3 to 6 in); very channery silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; weak medium granular structure; very friable, soft, nonsticky, nonplastic; nonsmeary; common very fine and fine roots throughout; very fine tubular pores; 40 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.1); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 30 cm, 2 to 12 in thick)

2BC--15 to 50 cm (6 to 20 in); extremely channery sandy loam, dark gray (2.5Y 4/1) moist, gray (2.5Y 6/1) dry; weak medium granular structure; very friable, soft, slightly sticky, nonplastic; nonsmeary; few very fine and fine roots throughout; fine interstitial pores; 65 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.7); gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 45 cm, 4 to 18 in thick)

2C--50 to 68 cm (20 to 27 in); extremely channery sandy loam, very dark gray (2.5Y 3/1) moist gray (2.5Y 5/1) dry; massive; friable, slightly hard, nonsticky, nonplastic; nonsmeary; fine interstitial pores; 75 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.7); abrupt irregular boundary. (15 to 25 cm, 6 to 10 in thick)

2Cr--68 to 93 cm (27 to 37 in); extremely weakly to moderately coherent calcareous sandstone bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Nulato Hills - Continental Divide and Blackburn Hills Soil Survey Area, Alaska; latitude 64 degrees 29 minutes 37.12 seconds north, longitude 159 degrees 33 minutes 59.80 seconds west, datum WGS84, UTM north 7152145.75 and UTM east 472776.13, zone 4W, datum WGS84

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture regime: udic
Soil temperature regime: gelic
Mean annual soil temperature: -1 to 0 degrees C. (30 to 32 degrees F.)
Thickness of ochric epipedon: 10 to 18 cm (4 to 7 in)
Thickness of cambic horizon: 15 to 82 cm (6 to 32 in)
Depth to lithologic discontinuity: 10 to 42 cm (4 to 16 in)
Depth to paralithic contact: 35 to 112 cm (14 to 44 in)

A horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 2 to 3 moist, 4 to 5 dry
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: channery silt loam
Sand: 20 to 49 percent
Silt: 50 to 79 percent
Clay: 1 to 8 percent
Rock fragments: 15 to 34 percent
Channers: 15 to 34 percent
Organic matter: 10 to 19 percent
Reaction class: strongly acid to slightly acid (pH 5.1 to 6.5)

Bw horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 3 to 4 moist, 5 to 6 dry
Chroma: 2 to 3
Texture: silt loam, fine sandy loam or their channery analogues
Sand: 20 to 70 percent
Silt: 18 to 78 percent
Clay: 2 to 12 percent
Rock fragments: 15 to 50 percent
Channers: 15 to 50 percent
Organic matter: 1 to 6 percent
Reaction class: moderately acid to slightly acid (pH 5.6 to 6.5)

2BC horizon:
Hue: 2.5Y or 5Y
Value: 3 to 4 moist, 5 to 6 dry
Chroma: 1 to 2
Texture: sandy loam, silt loam or their channery analogues
Sand: 20 to 80 percent
Silt: 6 to 77 percent
Clay: 3 to 14 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 75 percent
Channers: 35 to 75 percent
Organic matter: 0.4 to 3 percent
Reaction class: moderately acid to neutral (pH 5.6 to 7.3)

2C horizon:
Hue: 2.5Y or 5Y
Value: 4 to 5 moist, 6 to 7 dry
Chroma: 1 to 2
Texture: sandy loam, silt loam or their channery analogues
Sand: 20 to 84 percent
Silt: 2 to 77 percent
Clay: 3 to 14 percent
Rock fragments: 40 to 85 percent
Channers: 40 to 85 percent
Organic matter: 0.4 to 3 percent
Reaction class: moderately acid to neutral (pH 5.6 to 7.3)

2Cr horizon
Extremely weakly to moderately coherent calcareous sandstone bedrock.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Isimnjaatuk, Cirquecreek, and Reindeerhills (AK) series.
Isimnjaatuk soils have hemic soil materials at depths between 0 to 10 centimeters and have flagstones at depths between 5 and 166 centimeters.
Cirquecreek soils have low runoff, fibric soil materials at depths between 0 and 10 centimeters, occur between an elevation of 800 to 1600 meters (2625 to 5250 feet), and a mean annual precipitation of 300 to 1400 mm (12 to 55 in).
Reindeerhills soils are very deep, occur on 8 to 90 percent slopes at elevations of 1000 to 1500 meters (3280 to 4290 feet), and have a frost-free period of 5 to 50 days.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation: 250 to 900 meters (820 to 2950 feet)
Parent material: gravelly loamy colluvium over gravelly loamy residuum weathered from calcareous sandstone
Landform: mountain slopes
Slopes: 2 to 25 percent
Mean annual precipitation: 300 to 600 mm (12 to 24 in)
Mean annual air temperature: -6 to -2 degrees C. (21 to 28 degrees F.)
Frost free period: 70 to 85 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Akiuk, Talikridge, Tui, Nagruk, and Kikku soils.
Akiuk soils have an extremely to strongly acid reaction class (pH 4.2-5.4) throughout the profile, a cryic soil temperature regime, and occur on ridges of mountains.
Talikridge soils have a mollic epipedon, a cryic soil temperature regime, and occur on ridges of mountains.
Tui soils have a cryic soil temperature regime, buried genetic horizons, and occur on similar landforms on nose slopes of backslopes.
Nagruk soils have a fine-loamy particle size class, a cryic soil temperature regime, and occur on similar landforms on summit positions and on saddles of mountains.
Kikku soils have a fine-loamy particle size class, aquic conditions throughout the profile, and occur on similar landforms on shoulder positions and on saddles of mountains.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class: well drained
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: moderately high to high in the A and Bw horizons and moderately low to moderately high in the 2BC and 2C horizons
Permeability: moderate to moderately rapid in the A horizon, moderate to rapid in the Bw horizon, and very slow to moderate in the 2BC and 2C horizons
Runoff: medium

USE AND VEGETATION:
Use: wildlife habitat, recreation, and subsistence
Native vegetation: eightpetal mountain-avens, bryocaulon lichen, blackish oxytrope, rhytidium moss, polytrichum moss, witch's hair lichen, cup lichens, Flavocetraria culcullata , Fries' pussytoes, and smallawned sedge.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 240, Nulato Hills-Southern Seward Peninsula Highlands. The series is of moderate extent.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Wasilla, Alaska

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Nulato Hills - Continental Divide and Blackburn Hills Soil Survey, Alaska, 2024.

REMARKS: Diagnostic features and horizons recognized in this profile include:

Particle-size control section: 25 to 68 cm (10 to 27 in)

Ochric epipedon: 0 to 15 cm (0 to 6 in) (A and Bw horizons)

Cambic horizon: 7 to 50 cm (3 to 20 in) (Bw and 2BC horizons)

Lithologic discontinuity: 15 to 93 cm (6 to 37 in) (2BC, 2C, and 2Cr horizons)

Paralithic contact: 68 cm (27 in) (2Cr horizon)

ADDITIONAL DATA:

User pedon ID: 2021AK290610

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.