LOCATION KIKKU AK

Tentative Series
SAS/MPS
10/2024

KIKKU SERIES

Depth class: very deep
Drainage class: very poorly drained
Parent material: organic material over loamy slope alluvium derived from limestone and sandstone
Landscape: mountains
Landform: mountain slopes
Slopes: 0 to 18 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 85 days

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, semiactive, nonacid, subgelic Histic Gelaquepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Kikku mucky peat in a mossy forb and sedge subalpine community on a southeast facing convex, linear shoulder on a slope of 15 percent at an elevation of 755m (2477 ft)

Oe--0 to 29 cm (0 to 11 in); mucky peat; black (10YR 2/1) broken face moist, dark gray (10YR 4/1) broken face dry; many very fine and fine roots throughout; neutral (pH 7.3); abrupt smooth boundary. (20 to 35 cm, 8 to 14 in thick)

Bg--29 to 80 cm (11 to 32 in); loam; dark greenish gray (10Y 4/1) oxidized and greenish gray (5GY 5/1) broken face moist, greenish gray (10Y 6/1) oxidized and light greenish gray (5GY 7/1) broken face dry; weak very coarse subangular blocky structure; firm, moderately hard, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; nonsmeary; many very fine and few fine roots throughout; common very fine tubular pores; 5 percent fine prominent irregular dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6), moist, masses of oxidized iron in matrix; 3 percent gravel; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 7.3); clear smooth boundary. (20 to 70 cm, 8 to 28 in thick)

Bkg--80 to 200 cm (32 to 79 in); sandy loam; very dark gray (5Y 3/1) broken face moist, gray (5Y 5/1) broken face dry; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; firm, moderately hard, slightly sticky, nonplastic; nonsmeary; common very fine irregular pores; 2 percent fine prominent irregular dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4), moist, masses of oxidized iron in matrix; finely disseminated carbonate in matrix; 10 percent gravel; strong effervescence; neutral (pH 7.0).

TYPE LOCATION: Nulato Hills - Continental Divide and Blackburn Hills Soil Survey Area, Alaska; latitude 64.4875147, longitude -159.5890710, datum WGS84, UTM north 7151472.47 and UTM east 471690.63, zone 4, datum WGS84.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture regime: aquic
Soil temperature regime: gelic
Mean annual soil temperature: -1 to 0 degrees C. (30 to 32 degrees F.)
Thickness of histic epipedon: 20 to 35 cm (8 to 14 in)
Depth to redoximorphic concentrations: 20 to 35 cm (8 to 14 in)
Depth to reduced matrix: 20 to 35 cm (8 to 14 in)
Depth to free carbonates: 40 to 105 cm (16 to 41 in)

Oe horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 2 to 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: mucky peat
Organic matter: 60 to 90 percent
Reaction class: slightly acid to slightly alkaline (pH 6.1 to 7.8)

Bg horizon:
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y, 5Y,5GY, 10Y
Value: 3 to 6 moist, 5 to 8 dry
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: silt loam, loam or their gravelly analogues
Sand: 15 to 52 percent
Silt: 28 to 69 percent
Clay: 18 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 30 percent
Organic matter: 1 to 4 percent
Reaction class: neutral to slightly alkaline (pH 6.6 to 7.3)

Bkg horizon:
Hue: 2.5Y, 5Y, 10Y
Value: 3 to 6 moist, 5 to 8 dry
Chroma: 1 to 2
Texture: loam, sandy loam or their gravelly analogues
Sand: 25 to 70 percent
Silt: 10 to 50 percent
Clay: 18 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 30 percent
Organic matter: 1 to 4 percent
Calcium carbonate: 5 to 45 percent
Reaction class: neutral to slightly alkaline (pH 6.6 to 7.3)

Some pedons have a paralithic contact at depths between 50 to 100 cm (20 to 40 in).

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation: 300 to 750 meters (985 to 2460 feet)
Parent material: organic material over loamy slope alluvium derived from limestone and sandstone
Landform: mountain slopes
Slopes: 0 to 18 percent
Mean annual precipitation: 400 to 600 mm (16 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 Aklak, Apkun, Continentaldivide, Egoosikcreek, Imnak, Iyagak, Kalasikcreek, Kulik, Myoukchuk, Nagruk, Niakuk, Piksrun, Sikuruk, Silagiksaak, and Tui soils.
Aklak soils have a lithic contact at depths between 100 to 150 cm (40 to 60 in), have a fragmental layer starting at depths between 22 to 78 cm (9 to 31 in), lack aquic conditions, have a mollic epipedon, lack free carbonates, have a fragmental particle size class, and occur on mountainflanks, upper and center thirds
Apkun soils have a lithic contact at depths between 50 to 100 cm (20 to 40 in), have a fragmental layer starting at depths between 35 to 84 cm (14 to 33 in), lack aquic conditions, have an umbric epipedon, lack free carbonates, have a loamy-skeletal particle size class, have an acid reaction class, have a clay range of 3 to 12 percent, and occur on mountainflanks, upper and center thirds
Continentaldivide soils have a lithic contact at depths between 25 to 50 cm (10 to 20 in), lack aquic conditions, have an mollic epipedon, lack free carbonates, have a loamy-skeletal particle size class, have a clay range of 3 to 15 percent, and occur on ridges
Egoosikcreek soils have a mollic epipedon, have a cambic horizon, and occur on swales
Imnak soils have a lithic contact at depths between 50 to 100 cm (20 to 40 in), have a fragmental layer starting at depths between 22 to 49 cm (9 to 19 in), lack aquic conditions, have an mollic epipedon, lack free carbonates, have a fragmental particle size class, have a cryic soil temperature regime, and occur on mountainflanks, upper and center thirds
Iyagak soils have a fragmental layer starting at depths between 25 to 59 cm (10 to 23 in), lack aquic conditions, have an ochric epipedon, have a cambic horizon, lack free carbonates, have a fragmental particle size class, have a cryic soil temperature regime, and occur on swales
Kalasikcreek soils have a paralithic contact at depths between 50 to 100 cm (20 to 40 in), lack aquic conditions, have an ochric epipedon, have a cambic horizon, lack free carbonates, have a loamy-skeletal particle size class, have a clay range of 1 to 14 percent, and occur on mountaintops and mountainflanks, upper third
Kulik soils have a lithic contact at depths between 50 to 100 cm (20 to 40 in), lack aquic conditions, have an mollic epipedon, have a cambic horizon, lack free carbonates, have a loamy-skeletal particle size class, have a clay range of 3 to 12 percent, and occur on mountainflanks, upper and center thirds
Myoukchuk soils have a lithic contact at depths between 100 to 150 cm (40 to 60 in), have a fragmental layer starting at depths between 4 to 16 cm (2 to 6 in), lack aquic conditions, have an ochric epipedon, lack free carbonates, have a fragmental particle size class, have a cryic soil temperature regime, and occur on mountainflanks, lower third on valley sides and mountainflanks, upper third
Nagruk soils have a lithic contact at depths between 50 to 100 cm (20 to 40 in), have a cambic horizon, have cryoturbation, lack free carbonates, have a cryic soil temperature class, and occur on saddles and mountainflanks, upper third
Niakuk soils have a lithic contact at depths between 100 to 150 cm (40 to 60 in), have a fragmental layer starting at depths between 20 to 73 cm (8 to 29 in), lack aquic conditions, have an ochric epipedon, have a cambic horizon, lack free carbonates, have a coarse-loamy over fragmental particle size class, have a cryic soil temperature regime, and occur on mountainflanks, upper and center thirds
Piksrun soils lack aquic conditions, have an umbric epipedon, have a loamy-skeletal particle size class, have an acid reaction class, lack free carbonates, have a clay range of 2 to 17 percent, and occur on mountainflanks, upper and center thirds
Sikuruk soils have permafrost, have an organic surface thicker than 40 cm (16 in), lack free carbonates, and occur on saddles, shoulders, summits, and mountainflanks, center third
Silagiksaak soils have aquic conditions starting between 25 to 50 cm (10 to 20 in), have an ochric epipedon, have a cambic horizon, lack free carbonates, have a cryic soil temperature regime, and occur on mountainflanks, upper, center, and lower thirds
Tui soils lack aquic conditions, have an ochric epipedon, have a cambic horizon, lack free carbonates, have a loamy-skeletal particle size class, have a cryic soil temperature regime, have a clay range of 3 to 17 percent, and occur on nose slopes and mountainflanks

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class: very poorly drained
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: moderately high to high in the Oe, Bg, and Bkg horizons
Permeability: moderate to moderately rapid in the Oe and Bg horizons, and moderate to rapid in the Bkg horizon
Runoff: negligible
Ponding: occasional, brief

USE AND VEGETATION:
Use: wildlife habitat, recreation, and subsistence
Native vegetation: field horsetail, splendid feather moss, tomentypnum moss, Bigelow's sedge, entireleaf mountain-avens, moss, netleaf willow, fragile sedge, racomitrium moss, Flavocetraria cucullate, arctic willow, greygreen reindeer lichen, rhytidium moss, rock sedge, cetraria lichen, turgid aulacomnium moss, white arctic mountain heather, Merten's oxytrope, alpine bistort, stiffstem saxifrage, cup lichen

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: 54 to 129 cm (21 to 51 in)

Histic epipedon: 0 to 29 cm (0 to 11 in) (Oe horizon)

Redoximorphic concentrations: 29 to 200 cm (11 to 79 in) (Bg and Bkg horizons)

Reduced matrix: 29 to 200 cm (11 to 79 in) (Bg and Bkg horizons)

Free carbonates: 80 to 200 cm (32 to 79 in) (Bkg horizon)

Aquic conditions: 0 to 200 cm (0 to 79 in) (Oe, Bg, and Bkg horizons)

ADDITIONAL DATA:

User pedon ID: 2021AK290612

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.