LOCATION MINTO                   AK

Established Series
DKM/DKS/DLM
05/2022

MINTO SERIES

Depth class: very deep
Drainage class: moderately well drained
Parent material: loess that commonly contains large ice masses below a depth of six feet
Landform: lower slopes of ridges and hills
Slope: 0 to 25 percent
Mean annual temperature: about 26 degrees F., -3.3 C.
Mean annual precipitation: about 12 inches. 305 mm

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-silty, mixed, superactive Aquic Haplocryepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Minto silt loam on a 6 percent slope in mixed white spruce, aspen forest. (All colors are for moist soil)

Oi--0 to 5 inches (0 to 12 cm); dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) fibric material; slightly decomposed leaves, twigs, and moss; few fine and medium roots; strongly to very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches (5 to 15 cm) thick)

A--5 to 9 inches (12 to 22 cm); very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) silt loam; moderate medium platy structure; friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and medium roots; moderately to slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (1 to 13 inches (2 to 34 cm) thick

Bw--9 to 16 inches (22 to 40 cm); light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) silt loam; moderate medium platy structure; friable; nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; common medium faint grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) redoximorphic depletions; moderately acid; diffuse wavy boundary. (5 to 27 inches (12 to 69 cm) thick

C--16 to 72 inches (40 to 180 cm); grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silt loam; massive; friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common medium prominent brown (7.5YR 4/4) redoximorphic concentrations; slightly acid to neutral.

TYPE LOCATION: Fairbanks Area, Alaska; UTM zone 6, 496800E 7196300N.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Thickness of the organic mat: 2 to 6 inches (5 to 15 cm)
Particle size control section: less than 15 percent fine sand or coarser and less than 18 percent clay (weighted average)
Total mica: significant amounts but less than 25 percent

O horizon:
Matrix color: hue of 7.5YR or 10YR; value of 2 to 3; chroma of 1 to 2
Reaction class: very strongly to strongly acid.

A horizon:
Matrix color: value of 2 to 3, chroma of 1 to 2
Texture: silt loam or very fine sandy loam
Reaction Class: moderately acid to slightly acid.

Bw horizon has:
Matrix color: hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 3 to 5, chroma of 2 to 4
Texture: silt loam or very fine sandy loam
Reaction class: slightly acid to slightly alkaline.

C horizon:
Matrix color: hue of 2.5Y or 5Y; value of 3 to 6; chroma 2 or 3
Texture: silt loam or very fine sandy loam
Reaction class: slightly acid to neutral.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Kenspur and Richardson series. Kenspur soils are calcareous within the control section and do not contain substantial amounts of mica. Richardson soils have coarse fragments in the substratum.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: loess that commonly contains large ice masses below a depth of six feet
Landform: lower slopes of ridges and hills
Slope: 0 to 25 percent
Climate: subarctic continental with long, cold winters and short warm summers Mean annual temperature: 25 to 28 degrees F., -3.8 to 2.2 C.
Mean annual precipitation: 10 to 14 inches. 254 to 356 mm

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Saulich, Chatanika, Ester, Fairbanks, Steese, and Gilmore soils. Saulich, Chatanika, and Ester soils have permafrost within 40 inches of the soil surface. Ester and Gilmore soils have weathered bedrock within 20 inches of the soil surface. Steese soils have weathered bedrock within 40 inches of the soil surface. Fairbanks soils occur over wider slope ranges, lack scattered thermokarst depressions, and do not have low chroma redoximorphic depletions within 30 inches (75 cm) of the surface.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained, runoff is slow, saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to high in the mineral soil.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are in native forest consisting of paper birch, white spruce, and quaking aspen with an understory of alder, willow and rose shrubs. These soils are used for homesites, timber production, recreation, water supply and wildlife habitat. Use is limited by the risk of thermokarst subsidence.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 231 Interior Alaska Highland, Alaska. The series is of moderate extent

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Fairbanks area, Alaska 1973

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon include:
Ochric epipedon: 5 to 9 inches, 12 to 22 cm
Cambic horizon: 9 to 29 inches, 22 to 40 cm
Redoximorphic depletions (low chroma): 9 to 16 inches, 22 to 40 cm
Particle size control section: coarse-silt from 25 to 45 inches, 65 to 114 cm


Series has been revised to eliminate map unit concepts and deep massive ice below the control section as diagnostic criteria. Classification revised based on morphology.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.