LOCATION KENNY LAKE AK
Established Series
Rev. MHC/JPM
05/2022
KENNY LAKE SERIES
The Kenny Lake series consists of well drained soils formed in silty loess over lacustrine deposits. Kenny Lake soils are on broad high lacustrine terraces. Slopes range from 0 to 20 percent. Mean annual temperature is about 26 degrees F. and the average annual precipitation is about 12 inches.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-silty over clayey, mixed, semiactive Cumulic Haplocryolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Kenny Lake silt loam - on a 1 percent slope under white spruce forest at 1300 feet elevation.
Oi--3 inches to 0; undecomposed moss, roots, and forest litter; some silty dust; clear wavy boundary. (1 to 5 inches thick)
A--0 to 5 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) and very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist streaks; many very fine and medium roots; hydrophobic due to abundant fungal hyphae; mildly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 12 inches thick)
A/B--5 to 17 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist and rubbed; moderate thin platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; very dark gray (10YR 3/1), dark brown (10YR 3/3), dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4), dark gray (10YR 4/1), dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2), and brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist streaks and patches all less than 1 inch thick with no orientation; many very fine, common fine, and few medium roots; mildly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt irregular boundary. (7 to 20 inches thick)
C1--17 to 24 inches; olive gray (5Y 5/2) very fine sandy loam, olive gray (5Y 4/2) moist; strong thin platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; mildly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
2C2--24 to 30 inches; olive gray (5Y 5/2) moist silty clay loam; strong very fine subangular blocky structure; friable, sticky and plastic; no roots; 10 to 15 percent gravel and cobbles; strongly effervescent with disseminated lime; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2). (6 to 46 inches thick)
2C3--30 to 60 inches; olive gray (5Y 4/2) moist silty clay; strong very fine subangular blocky structure; friable, sticky and plastic; no roots; 10 percent gravel and cobble; strongly effervescent with disseminated lime; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Copper River Area, Alaska; 7 miles southeast of the village of Kenny Lake; about 1100 feet east and 500 feet south of the NW corner of section 19, T.2S., R.4E., Copper River Meridian.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 32 to 35 degrees F. Thickness of the loess mantle ranges from 16 to 27 inches. The particle size of the upper part of the control section commonly is silt loam but includes silt and very fine sandy loam with less than 15 percent fine sand or coarser. The lower part of the control section is clay, silty clay or silty clay loam with greater than 35 percent clay. Reaction is neutral or mildly alkaline in the upper horizons, ranging to moderately alkaline in the contrasting substratum.
The A horizon matrix has moist hue of 7.5YR or 10 YR; moist value of 2 or 3; moist chroma of 1 or 2. This horizon contains streaks and strata of varying thickness. Texture is silt, silt loam, or very fine sandy loam. Reaction is neutral or mildly alkaline.
The A/B horizon has dominant moist hue of 7.5YR, 10YR, or 2.5Y; moist value of 2 or 3; moist chroma of 1 or 2. The horizon contains many streaks and patches of varying color and thickness. Texture is silt, silt loam, or very fine sandy loam. Reaction is neutral or mildly alkaline.
The 2C horizons have moist hue of 2.5Y or 5Y; moist value of 4 or 5; and moist chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is silty clay loam, silty clay, or clay. Rock fragments control ranges from 0-15 percent. Effervescence is none to slightly in the upper layers and increases to strongly with depth. Free carbonates are disseminated throughout.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in the same family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Kenny Lake soils formed in a silty loess mantle overlying clayey lacustrine deposits on broad lacustrine terraces. Slopes range from 0 to 20 percent.
The climate is subarctic continental with long, cold winters and short, warm summers. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 8 to 17 inches and the mean annual snowfall is 39 to 68 inches. Mean January temperature is minus 10 degrees F., mean July temperature is 56 degrees F., and the mean annual temperature varies from 23 degrees to 27 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the
Copper River series on the same landform. Copper River soils are the permafrost counterpart of the Kenny Lake series. The organic mat of the Copper River soils is undisturbed, resulting in better insulation, lower soil temperature, and permafrost within the control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; runoff is slow to rapid; permeability is moderate.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Kenny Lake soils have native vegetation of white spruce, quaking aspen, paper birch, and willows. Most areas have been burned, resulting in the transition from Copper River to Kenny Lake soils. The successional state of vegetation in a given area is closely related to the fire history. Small areas are cleared and used for small grains, grass, and vegetables.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Copper River Basin. The series is of moderate extent.
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: WASILLA, ALASKA
SERIES PROPOSED: Copper-Chitina Area, Alaska, 1962.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include: a mollic epipedon from 0 to 17 inches; epipedon stratified with irregular carbon decrease; cryic temperature regime; coarse-silty particle size class from 10 to 24 inches and clayey from 24 to 40 inches.
The Kenny Lake series is a thawed counterpart of the permafrost Copper River series.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Laboratory data is available for this soils: NSSL numbers 81P4082-4090, 82P797.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.