LOCATION MUIRPOINT AK
Established Series
IRD. NDP/SCD
05/2022
MUIRPOINT SERIES
Landscape--glaciated mountain valleys
Landform--valley trains
Slope--5 to 25 percent
Parent material--glaciofluvial deposits
Mean annual precipitation--about 1600 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about 5 degrees C
Depth class--very deep
Drainage class--well drained
Soil moisture regime--udic
Soil temperature regime--cryic
Soil moisture subclass--typic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed Typic Cryorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Muirpoint gravelly coarse sandy loam, forested, on a valley train, on a slope of 7 percent at an elevation of 60 m (When described on July 7, 2013, the soil was moist throughout.)
Oe--0 to 4 cm; moderately decomposed plant material; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt wavy boundary
A--4 to 11 cm; gravelly coarse sandy loam, gray (10YR 5/1) dry, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and very coarse and many fine, medium, and coarse roots throughout; common very fine and fine irregular pores ; 3 percent cobbles and 25 percent gravel; noneffervescent (HCL, 1N); neutral (pH 7.1); clear smooth boundary
AC--11 to 30 cm; very gravelly loamy coarse sand, brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) dry, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine, medium, and coarse roots throughout; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 5 percent cobbles and 50 percent gravel; very slightly effervescent (HCL, 1N); neutral (pH 7.3); clear smooth boundary
C--30 to 150 cm; variegated extremely gravelly coarse sand; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and medium roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 10 percent cobbles and 60 percent gravel; very slightly effervescent (HCL, 1N); slightly alkaline (pH 7.7)
TYPE LOCATION: Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve-Gustavus Area, Alaska; Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, Alaska; latitude 58.8228723, longitude -136.0692796, datum WGS84 (coordinates determined by a GPS unit)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--1 to 7 degrees C
Soil moisture control section--dry less than 45 consecutive days in June through October (udic)
Particle-size control section
*Clay content--1 to 10 percent
*Total rock fragment content--35 to 89 percent
Oi or Oe horizon
Thickness--0 to 10 cm
A horizon
Value--2 to 4 moist, 4 to 6 dry
Chroma--2 to 4 moist or dry
Fine-earth texture--sandy loam, coarse sandy loam
Clay content--5 to 10 percent
Total rock fragment content--10 to 30 percent
Gravel content--8 to 25 percent
Cobble content--2 to 5 percent
Reaction (pH)--6.7 to 7.4
Thickness--2 to 15 cm
AC horizon
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y moist or dry
Value--4 or 5 moist, 6 or 7 dry
Chroma--3 to 6 moist or dry
Fine-earth texture--loamy sand, loamy coarse sand
Clay content--4 to 10 percent
Sand content--80 to 85 percent
Total rock fragment content--35 to 60 percent
Gravel content--15 to 50 percent
Cobble content--3 to 10 percent
Reaction (pH)--6.7 to 7.8
Effervescence--noneffervescent, very slightly effervescent
Thickness--10 to 30 cm
C horizon
Hue--10YR, 2.5Y, or variegated moist or dry
Value--4 or 5 moist, 6 or 7 dry
Chroma--4 or 6 moist or dry
Fine-earth texture--sand, coarse sand
Clay content--1 to 5 percent
Sand content--90 to 98 percent
Total rock fragment content--35 to 89 percent
Gravel content--15 to 75 percent
Cobble content--8 to 13 percent
Reaction (pH)--7.3 to 8.4
Effervescence--very slightly effervescent to strongly effervescent
Thickness--80 to 130 cm
COMPETING SERIES:
Bearisland--free carbonates; derived from drift material; on moraines
Chena--substantial amount of mica throughout
Drybay--lithologic discontinuity
Eklutna,
Ekuk--dry in some parts of soil moisture control section more than 45 consecutive days in June through October; pH of 6.1 to 7.3
Fossil--derived from outwash material
Lituya--O horizon consisting of herbaceous litter; derived from marine deposits; no free carbonates
Nataga--dry in some parts of soil moisture control section more than 45 consecutive days in June through October; pH of 6.1 to 7.3
Nizina--dry in some parts of soil moisture control section more than 45 consecutive days in June through October
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--0 to 60 m
Climate--cool, moist summers; mild, wet winters
Mean annual precipitation--1500 to 2000 mm
Mean annual air temperature--0 to 8 degrees C
Frost-free period--90 to 154 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Kadachan--fragmental; derived from colluvium; in drainageways of similar landforms
Puffin--subject to frequent, long periods of flooding; on adjacent outwash deltas
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--well drained
Depth to saturation in normal years--more than 150 cm year round
Flooding--none
Ponding--none
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--high in A horizon, very high in AC and C horizons
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--wildlife habitat, recreation, subsistence
Potential native vegetation--Sitka alder, ceratodon moss, dicranum moss, Drummond's mountain-avens, balsam poplar, Sitka willow, russet buffaloberry
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Alexander Archipelago-Gulf of Alaska Coast, Alaska; MLRA 220; small extent
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: WASILLA, ALASKA
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve-Gustavus Area, Alaska; 2020.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon
*Ochric epipedon
*Free carbonates--zone from 11 to 150 cm
*Particle-size control section--zone from 29 to 104 cm
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.