LOCATION KOUWEGOK AK
Established Series
SAS
05/2022
KOUWEGOK SERIES
Landscape--coastal plain
Landform--floodplains, leeward side of coastal berms
Slope--0 to 5 percent
Parent material--loamy alluvium over sandy and gravelly alluvium
Mean annual precipitation--about 300 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about -3 degrees C
Depth class--very deep
Drainage class--well drained
Soil moisture regime--udic
Soil temperature regime--cryic
Soil moisture subclass--typic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, isotic over mixed Cumulic Haplocryolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Kouwegok stratified sandy loam on a linear, linear floodplain, on the leeward side of a coastal berm, on a slope of 0 percent at an elevation of 3 m (The soil was moist throughout the profile when described on July 12, 2015.)
Oe--0 to 5 cm; moderately decomposed plant material, brown (7.5YR 5/2) dry, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; many very fine roots and few medium roots and common fine roots; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary
A1--5 to 12 cm; stratified sandy loam, 70 percent grayish brown (10YR 5/2) and 30 percent dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry, 70 percent very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) and 30 percent black (10YR 2/1) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine and few fine roots; few fine irregular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear smooth boundary
A2--12 to 22 cm; stratified silt loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak thin platy structure; friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine roots; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear smooth boundary
A3--22 to 49 cm; stratified silt loam, 40 percent brown (7.5YR 4/3) and 40 percent brown (7.5YR 4/4) and 20 percent gray (7.5YR 5/1) dry, 40 percent black (7.5YR 2.5/1) and 40 percent very dark brown (7.5YR 2.5/2) and 20 percent very dark gray (7.5YR 3/1) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine roots; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear smooth boundary
AB--49 to 80 cm; stratified silt loam, brown (7.5YR 5/3) dry, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few very fine roots; strongly acid (pH 5.4); gradual smooth boundary
2CA--80 to 150 cm; extremely channery loamy sand, brown (7.5YR 5/3) dry, very dark brown (7.5YR 2.5/3) moist; massive; very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; 65 percent channers; moderately acid (pH 5.6)
TYPE LOCATION: Nome Census Area, Alaska, latitude 63.9050870 longitude -160.8098770 degrees, datum WGS84 (Coordinates determined with a GPS unit)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--0 to 3 degrees C
Soil moisture control section--saturated from a depth of 0 to 25 cm to 50 to 75 cm during June
Thickness of mollic epipedon--60 to 85 cm
Particle Size Control Section:
*Clay--0 to 12 percent
*Total fragments--0 percent in the upper part of the control section, 60 to 85 percent channers in the lower part of the control section
Oe horizon
Thickness--2 to 5 cm
A1 horizon
Value--2 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry
Chroma-1 or 2
Fine-earth texture--silt loam, sandy loam
Clay--3 to 10 percent
Sand--20 to 60 percent
Organic carbon--10 to 15 percent
Reaction--6.4 to 7.0
Thickness--2 to 8 cm
A2 horizon
Hue--7.5YR or 10YR
Chroma-1 or 2
Clay--3 to 10 percent
Sand--15 to 25 percent
Organic carbon--10 to 15 percent
Reaction--5.4 to 6.4
Thickness--2 to 10 cm
A3 horizon
Value--2 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry
Chroma--1 or 2
Fine-earth texture--silt loam, sandy loam
Clay--3 to 10 percent
Sand--20 to 60 percent
Organic carbon--5 to 10 percent
Reaction--5.0 to 5.4
Thickness--10 to 00 cm
AB horizon
Value--2.5 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry
Clay--3 to 10 percent
Sand--15 to 35 percent
Organic carbon--2 to 5 percent
Reaction--4.8 to 5.4
Thickness--15 to 30 cm
2CA horizon
Value--2.5 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry
Clay--2 to 10 percent
Sand--72 to 88 percent
Organic carbon--1 to 2 percent
Total rock fragment content--60 to 85 percent channers
Reaction--5.4 to 5.8
COMPETING SERIES: none
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
*Elevation--0 to 5 m
*Climate--warm, moist summers; cold, dry winters
*Mean annual precipitation--295 to 300 mm
*Mean annual air temperature-- -5 to -1 degrees C
*Frost-free period--55 to 90 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
*
Eiderduck--thick organic layer, peraquic soil moisture regime; depressions on coastal plains
*
Marysslough--thin coarse loamy mantle, no aquic conditions, well drained; similar landscape position
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
*Drainage class--well drained
*Flooding--frequent, brief
*Saturation during normal years--saturated from a depth of 0 to 25 cm to 50 to 75 cm during June
*Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--very high in the surface organic layer and the substratum, high to moderately high throughout the rest of the profile
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--wildlife habitat, recreation, subsistence
Potential native vegetation--moss, smallawned sedge, American dunegrass, bluejoint, seacoast angelica, Scottish licorice-root, willow, quinineweed, red fescue, Port clarence Indian paintbrush, Pacific hemlockparsley, ledge stonecrop, beachhead iris, beach pea, narrowleaf saw-wort, arctic starflower, whorled lousewort, arctic daisy
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Nulato Hills-Southern Seward Peninsula Highlands, Alaska; MLRA 240; small extent
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: WASILLA, ALASKA
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Nulato Hills BLM area, Nome Census Area, Alaska; 2021
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon
*Particle-size control section--zone from 30 to 105 cm
*Mollic epipedon--zone from 5 to 80 cm
*Lithological discontinuity--zone from 80 to 150 cm
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.