LOCATION KANIK AK

Established Series
MPS
11/2024

KANIK SERIES

Depth class: deep to lithic bedrock
Drainage class: well drained
Parent material: gravelly loamy colluvium over residuum weathered from volcanic rock or graywacke
Landscape: mountains
Landform: mountain slopes
Slope: 15 to 75 percent
Mean annual precipitation: about 500 mm (20 in)
Mean annual air temperature: about -4 degrees C. (25 degrees F.)
Frost-free period: 70 to 90 days

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

TYPICAL PEDON: Kanik gravelly silt loam in a dwarf scrub alpine community on a northeast facing concave, linear backslope on a slope of 43 percent at an elevation of 658m (2159 ft)

Oi--0 to 9 cm (0 to 4 in); slightly decomposed plant material; black (10YR 2/1) broken face moist, dark gray (10YR 4/1) broken face dry; many very fine, fine, and common medium roots throughout; slightly acid (pH 6.3); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 10 cm, 1 to 4 in thick)

A--9 to 22 cm (4 to 9 in); gravelly silt loam; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) broken face moist, gray (10YR 5/1) broken face dry; weak medium subangular blocky parts to weak fine granular structure; friable, slightly hard, nonsticky, nonplastic; nonsmeary; many very fine and fine roots throughout; common very fine dendritic tubular pores; 20 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 15 cm, 1 to 6 in thick)

C1--22 to 90 cm (9 to 35 in); extremely stony silt loam; dark gray (10YR 4/1) broken face moist, gray (10YR 6/1) broken face dry; massive; friable, slightly hard, nonsticky, nonplastic; nonsmeary; many fine and common very fine roots throughout; few very fine irregular pores; 15 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, and 45 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.7); clear wavy boundary. (60 to 75 cm, 24 to 30 in thick)

C2--90 to 120 cm (35 to 47 in); stones; many very coarse and coarse interstitial pores; 25 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles, and 55 percent stones; clear wavy boundary. (5 to 35 cm, 2 to 14 in thick)

2R--120 to 145 cm (47 to 57 in); indurated graywacke bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Nulato Hills - Continental Divide and Blackburn Hills Soil Survey Area, Alaska; latitude 64.5297200, longitude -159.6107000, datum WGS84, UTM north 7156185.47 and UTM east 470696.47, zone 4, 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 organic material: 3 to 10 cm (1 to 4 in)
Thickness of ochric epipedon: 6 to 25 cm (2 to 10 in)
Depth to lithic contact: 100 to 150 cm (40 to 60 in)

Oi horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 2 to 4 moist, 4 to 6 dry
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: slightly decomposed material
Organic matter: 60 to 90 percent
Reaction class: strongly acid to slightly acid (pH 5.1 to 6.5)

A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 2 to 3 moist, 4 to 5 dry
Chroma: 1 to 4
Texture: silt loam or their gravelly or cobbly analogues
Sand: 15 to 45 percent
Silt: 50 to 80 percent
Clay: 3 to 18 percent
Rock fragments: 15 to 40 percent
Gravels: 15 to 25 percent
Cobbles: 0 to 15 percent
Organic matter: 2 to 8 percent
Reaction class: moderately acid to neutral (pH 5.6 to 7.3)

C1 horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 2 to 4 moist, 4 to 6 dry
Chroma: 1 to 4
Texture: silt loam, fine sandy loam or their gravelly analogues
Sand: 25 to 80 percent
Silt: 4 to 72 percent
Clay: 3 to 16 percent
Rock fragments: 60 to 80 percent
Gravels: 0 to 20 percent
Cobbles: 0 to 15 percent
Stones: 0 to 50 percent
Organic matter: 0.4 to 3 percent
Reaction class: moderately acid to neutral (pH 5.6 to 7.3)

C2 horizon:
In lieu of texture: stones, gravel
Rock fragments: 90 to 100 percent
Gravels: 0 to 95 percent
Cobbles: 0 to 25 percent
Stones: 0 to 90 percent

R horizon:
Strongly coherent to indurated graywacke or volcanic bedrock.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation: 225 to 875 meters (740 to 3200 feet)
Parent material: gravelly loamy colluvium over residuum weathered from volcanic rock or graywacke
Landform: mountain slopes
Slope: 15 to 75 percent
Mean annual precipitation: 300 to 600 mm (12 to 24 in)
Mean annual air temperature: -6 to -1 degrees C. (21 to 30 degrees F.)
Frost free period: 70 to 90 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Debauch, Ingik, Iyyagrik, Kimialuk, Kulik, Kunjik, Managaarak, Nautchiak, Tui, and Urgiilik soils.
Debauch soils have a paralithic contact at depths between 20 to 50 cm (8 to 20 in), lack a fragmental layer, and occur on ridges
Ingik soils have a paralithic contact at depths between 50 to 100 cm (20 to 40 in), lack a fragmental layer, have a cryic soil temperature regime, and occur on mountainflanks, upper third
Iyyagrik soils lack a fragmental layer, have a mollic epipedon, have a cryic soil temperature regime, and occur on mountainflanks, upper third
Kimialuk soils lack a fragmental layer, have a cambic horizon, have cryoturbation, have free carbonates below 40 cm (16 in), and occur on mountainflanks, upper third
Kulik soils have a lithic contact at depths between 50 to 100 cm (20 to 40 in), lack a fragmental layer, have a mollic epipedon, have a cambic horizon, and occur on similar landforms on mountainflank, upper and center thirds
Kunjik soils have a lithic contact at depths between 50 to 100 cm (20 to 40 in), have a fragmental layer starting at depths between 27 to 104 cm (11 to 41 in), have a cambic horizon, have a loamy-skeletal over fragmental particle size class, have a cryic soil temperature regime, and occur on ridges
Managaarak soils have a fragmental layer starting at depths between 41 to 93 cm (16 to 37 in), have an acid reaction class, and occur on mountainflanks, upper third
Nautchiak soils lack a lithic contact within 200 cm (79 in), lack a fragmental layer, have a cambic horizon, have an isotic mineralogy class, have a cryic soil temperature regime, and occur on swales and drainageways
Tui soils lack a lithic contact within 200 cm (79 in), lack a fragmental layer, have a cambic horizon, have a cryic soil temperature regime, and occur on nose slopes and mountainflanks
Urgiilik soils have a lithic contact at depths between 50 to 100 cm (20 to 40 in), have a fragmental layer starting at depths between 25 to 91 cm (10 to 36 in), have a cambic horizon, have a cryic soil temperature regime, and occur on side slopes and mountainflanks, center third

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class: well drained
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: very high in the Oi horizon, moderately high in the A horizon, moderately high to high in the C1 horizon, and very high in the C2 horizon
Permeability: rapid to very rapid in the Oi horizon, moderate in the A horizon, moderate to rapid in the C1 horizon, and very rapid in the C2 horizon
Runoff: high

USE AND VEGETATION:
Use: wildlife habitat, recreation, and subsistence
Native vegetation: Alaskan mountain-avens, white arctic mountain heather, splendid feather moss, rhytidium moss, arctic willow, turgid aulacomnium moss, netleaf willow, racomitrium moss, black crowberry, bog blueberry, Flavocetraria cucullata, widleaf polargrass, Richardson's brookfoam, cup lichen, smallawned sedge, alpine sweetvetch, arctic sweet coltsfoot, tundra milkvetch, dwarf scouringrush

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: 34 to 109 cm (13 to 43 in)

Ochric epipedon: 0 to 22 cm (0 to 9 in) (Oi and A horizons)

Lithologic discontinuity: 120 to 145 cm (47 to 57 in) (2R horizon)

Lithic contact: 120 to 145 cm (47 to 57 in) (2R horizon)

ADDITIONAL DATA:

User pedon ID: 2021AK290724

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.