LOCATION KIMIALUK                AK

Tentative Series
BMC/CBB
10/2024

KIMIALUK SERIES

Depth class: deep to bedrock, lithic
Drainage class: well drained
Parent material: gravelly loamy colluvium over residuum weathered from calcareous sandstone
Landscape: mountains
Landform: mountain slopes
Slopes: 5 to 25 percent
Mean annual precipitation: about 400 mm (15.75 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 Turbic Haplogelepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Kimialuk gravelly silt loam in a dwarf shrub tundra community on a southeast facing convex, linear summit interfluve on a slope of 2 percent at an elevation of 318 m (1045 ft)

Oe--0 to 10 cm (0 to 4 in); moderately decomposed plant material, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) broken face moist, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; common very fine, fine, and medium roots throughout; 10 percent gravel; very strongly acid (pH 4.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 12 cm, 1 to 5 in thick)

Ajj--10 to 25 cm (4 to 10 in); gravelly silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) broken face moist, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; 3 percent very coarse, prominent, irregular bluish gray (5B 5/1) mottles; weak medium granular structure; very friable, soft, nonsticky, nonplastic; nonsmeary; many very fine and common fine roots throughout; fine interstitial and irregular pores; 2 percent very coarse, prominent, irregular, noncoherent, cemented strong brown (7.5YR 4/6), moist, masses of oxidized iron; 20 percent gravel; noneffervescent by HCl; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear irregular boundary. (6 to 17 cm, 2 to 7 in thick)

Cjj--25 to 40 cm (10 to 16 in); extremely gravelly silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) broken face moist, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; 3 percent very coarse, prominent, irregular bluish gray (5B 5/1) mottles; massive; friable, slightly hard, nonsticky, nonplastic; nonsmeary; many very fine and common fine roots throughout; medium interstitial and fine irregular pores; 2 percent very coarse, prominent, irregular, noncoherent, cemented strong brown (7.5YR 4/6), moist, masses of oxidized iron; 5 percent cobbles, 75 percent gravel; noneffervescent by HCl; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear irregular boundary. (8 to 25 cm, 3 to 10 in thick)

C--40 to 80 cm (16 to 32 in); gravelly silt loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) broken face moist, pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) dry; massive; friable, slightly hard, nonsticky, slightly plastic; nonsmeary; common very fine roots throughout; fine interstitial pores; 1 percent fine, prominent, irregular, noncoherent, cemented strong brown (7.5YR 5/6), moist, masses of oxidized iron; 10 percent cobbles, 20 percent gravel; noneffervescent by HCl; moderately acid (pH 6.0); gradual smooth boundary. (25 to 50 cm, 10 to 20 in thick)

Ck--80 to 125 cm (32 to 49 in); very gravelly loam, olive gray (5Y 4/2) broken face moist, light olive gray (5Y 6/2) dry; massive; very friable, soft, nonsticky, slightly plastic; nonsmeary; fine interstitial pores; finely disseminated carbonates in matrix; 20 percent cobbles, 35 percent gravel; slight effervescence by HCl; neutral (pH 6.8). (25 to 70 cm, 10to 28 in thick)

2R--125 to 150 cm (49 to 59 in); strongly coherent to indurated calcareous sandstone bedrock. (25 cm, 10 in thick)

TYPE LOCATION: Nulato Hills - Continental Divide and Blackburn Hills Soil Survey Area, Alaska; latitude 64 degrees 35 minutes 35.50 seconds north, longitude 160 degrees 24 minutes 20.40 seconds west, datum WGS84, UTM north 7163863.75 and UTM east 432711.33, 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 organic material: 3 to 12 cm (1 to 5 in)
Thickness of ochric epipedon: 3 to 12 cm (1 to 5 in)
Thickness of cambic horizon: 15 to 17 cm (6 to 7 in)
Depth to redoximorphic concentrations: 3 to 12 cm (1 to 5 in)
Depth to free carbonates: 42 to 104 cm (16 to 41 in)
Depth to cryoturbation: 3 to 12 cm (1 to 5 in)
Depth to lithic contact: 100 to 150 cm (40 to 60 in)

Oe horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 2 to 3 moist, 4 to 5 dry
Chroma: 1 to 2
Texture: moderately decomposed plant material
Organic matter: 60 to 90 percent
Reaction class: very strongly acid to moderately acid (pH 4.5 to 6.0)

Ajj horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 2 to 4 moist, 4 to 6 dry
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: silt loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam or their gravelly analogues
Sand: 10 to 65 percent
Silt: 21 to 80 percent
Clay: 2 to 14 percent
Rock fragments: 15 to 34 percent
Gravels: 15 to 34 percent
Organic matter: 2 to 8 percent
Reaction class: moderately acid to slightly alkaline (pH 5.6 to 7.8)

Cjj horizon:
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y
Value: 4 to 5 moist, 6 to 7 dry
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: silt loam or its gravelly analogues
Sand: 10 to 45 percent
Silt: 50 to 80 percent
Clay: 2 to 12 percent
Rock fragments: 50 to 89 percent
Gravels: 50 to 80 percent
Cobbles: 0 to 20 percent
Organic matter: 0.4 to 3.0 percent
Reaction class: moderately acid to slightly alkaline (pH 5.6 to 7.8)

C horizon:
Hue: 2.5Y, 5Y, or 10YR
Value: 4 to 5 moist, 6 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: or their gravelly analogues
Sand: 15 to 50 percent
Silt: 33 to 79 percent
Clay: 6 to 17 percent
Rock fragments: 15 to 45 percent
Gravels: 15 to 30 percent
Cobbles: 0 to 15 percent
Organic matter: 0.4 to 3.0 percent
Reaction class: moderately acid to slightly alkaline (pH 5.6 to 7.8)

Ck horizon:
Hue: 5Y or 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 5 moist, 6 to 7 dry
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: loam, silt loam or their gravelly analogues
Sand: 15 to 52 percent
Silt: 31 to 79 percent
Clay: 6 to 17 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 59 percent
Gravels: 15 to 40 percent
Cobbles: 5 to 40 percent
Organic matter: 0.4 to 3.0 percent
Reaction class: slightly acid to slightly alkaline (pH 5.6 to 7.8)

2R horizon
Strongly coherent to indurated calcareous sandstone bedrock.

Some pedons have a lithic contact at depths greater than 200 cm (79 in).

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation: 150 to 500 meters (490 to 1640 feet)
Parent material: gravelly loamy colluvium over residuum weathered from calcareous sandstone
Landform: mountain slopes
Slopes: 5 to 25 percent
Mean annual precipitation: 400 to 500 mm (16 to 20 in)
Mean annual air temperature: -6 to -2 degrees C. (21 to 28 degrees F.)
Frost free period: 75 to 85 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Kunjik, Kanik, and Continentaldivide soils.
Kunjik soils have a strongly contrasting particle size class to fragmental, a cryic soil temperature regime, and occur on ridges of mountains.
Kanik soils do not have a cambic horizon, have a high local runoff class, and occur on similar landforms on backslopes.
Continentaldivide soils have a mollic epipedon, lithic contact at depths between 45 to 70 cm (18 to 28 in), and occur on ridges of mountains.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class: well drained
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: very high in the Oe horizon; moderately high to high in the Ajj, C, and Ck horizons; and moderately high in the Cjj horizon
Permeability: very rapid in the Oe horizon, moderate to rapid in the Ajj horizon, moderate in the Cjj horizon, and moderate to moderately rapid in the C and Ck horizons
Runoff: low to medium

USE AND VEGETATION:
Use: wildlife habitat, recreation, and subsistence
Native vegetation: marsh Labrador tea, dwarf birch, black crowberry, Flavocetraria culcullata, reindeer lichen, Bigelow's sedge, island cetraria lichen, star reindeer lichen, shortstalk sedge, bog blueberry, arctic willow, tealeaf willow, alpine azalea, lingonberry, Flavocetraria nivalis, grayleaf willow, smallawned sedge, and eightpetal mountain-avens.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 240, Nulato Hills-Southern Seward Peninsula Highlands. The series is of small 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: 35 to 110 cm (14 to 43 in)

Ochric epipedon: 0 to 10 cm (0 to 4 in) (Oe horizon)

Cambic horizon: 10 to 25 cm (4 to 10 in) (Ajj horizon)

Redoximorphic concentrations: 10 to 80 cm (4 to 31 in) (Ajj, and Cjj horizons)

Cryoturbation: 10 to 40 cm (4 to 16 in) (Ajj and Cjj horizons)

Free carbonates: 80 to 125 cm (31 to 49 in) (Ck horizon)

Lithologic discontinuity: 125 to 150 cm (49 to 59 in) (2R horizon)

Lithic contact: 125 cm (49 in)

ADDITIONAL DATA:

User pedon ID: 2021AK180663

---

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.