LOCATION LITEN                   AK

Established Series
Rev. MHC/JPM/DLM
05/2022

LITEN SERIES

Depth class: very deep
Drainage class: somewhat excessively drained
Parent material: thin mantle of loess overlying loose, sandy eolian material
Landform: sand dunes and hills
Slopes: 0 to 35 percent
Mean annual precipitation: about 20 inches.
Mean annual temperature: about 35 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed Typic Haplocryods

TYPICAL PEDON: Liten silt loam - on a west facing slope of 11 percent at 200 feet elevation under paper birch, aspen and white spruce. (All colors are for moist soil)

Oi--0 to 2 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) slightly decomposed plant material; many very fine, fine, few medium and coarse roots; extremely acid (pH 4.3) clear smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)

E--2 to 4 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) silt loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine, few coarse and medium roots; strongly acid (pH 5.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)

Bs1--4 to 6 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) very fine sandy loam; weak medium granular structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; moderately acid (pH 5.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)

2Bs2--6 to 8 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) sandy loam; weak medium granular structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine, fine and medium roots; moderately acid (pH 5.8); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)

2BC--8 to 17 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) sand; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to single grain; very friable to loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; moderately acid (pH 5.8); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)

2C--17 to 60 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) sand; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; moderately acid (pH 5.8).

TYPE LOCATION: Matanuska Valley Area, Alaska: about 6 miles SW of Knik; about 900 feet N. and 700 feet W. of the SW corner of section 1, T.15N., R.4W., Seward Meridian.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Thickness of loess mantle: from 3 to 7 inches
Particle-size control section is sandy

O horizon:
Matrix color: hue of 5YR to 10YR; value of 2 to 4; chroma of 2 to 4
Reaction class: Extremely acid to strongly acid

E horizon:
Matrix color: value of 4 or 5; chroma from 1 to 3
Reaction class: very strongly acid to moderately acid

Bs horizon:
Matrix color: hue of 5YR or 7.5YR; value of 4 or 5; chroma from 4 to 6
Texture: silt loam, very fine sandy loam
Reaction class: very strongly acid to moderately acid

2Bs horizon: (where present)
Matrix color: hue of 5YR or 7.5YR; value of 4 or 5; chroma from 4 to 6
Texture: sandy loam, fine sandy loam, fine sand, loamy fine sand
Reaction class: very strongly acid to moderately acid

2BC horizon: (where present)
Matrix color: hue of 10YR or 2.5Y; value of 4 or 5; chroma of 3 to 6
Texture: sand, loamy sand, fine sand, loamy fine sand
Reaction class: very strongly acid to moderately acid

2C horizon:
Matrix color: hue of 10YR or 2.5Y; value of 2 to 5; chroma of 2 to 4
Texture: fine sand, sand, loamy sand
Reaction class: moderately acid or slightly acid

3C horizon: (where present)
Matrix color: hue of 10YR or 2.5Y; value of 3 to 5; chroma of 2 to 4
Texture: sandy loam, loam modified by 0 to 15 percent cobbles; 25 to 40 percent gravel
Moist consistence: friable or firm.
Reaction class: slightly acid or neutral

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Delyndia and (T) Tawah series. Delyndia soils have a few thin strata of silty and gravelly material in the substratum. Tawah soils lack a silty loess mantle.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Drainage class: somewhat excessively drained
Parent material: thin mantle of loess overlying loose, sandy eolian material
Landform: sand dunes and hills
Slopes: 0 to 35 percent
Climate: transitional maritime - continental
Mean annual temperature: about 35 degrees F.
Mean annual precipitation: about 20 inches.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Benka, Delyndia, and Yohn soils. Benka soils have loamy material above sandy material and occur on outwash plains, moraines, and hills. Delyndia soils have this strata of silty and gravelly material in the substratum and occur on hillslopes. Yohn soils have loamy textures through the profile and occur on hillslopes.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained, low to medium runoff. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is high or moderately high in the loess mantle, high to very high in the substratum.

USE AND VEGETATION: Wildlife habitat and urban uses. Native vegetation includes paper birch, white spruce, quaking aspen, and low shrubs.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 224 Cook Inlet Lowlands, South-central Alaska. The series is of moderate extent.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: WASILLA, ALASKA

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Matanuska-Susitna Area, Alaska, 1996.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this profile include:
Albic horizon: 2 to 4 inches
Spodic horizons: 4 to 8 inches
Sandy particle size: 8 to 60 inches
Temperature regime: cryic

The Liten series now incorporates the concept of Anchorage series.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.