LOCATION NIKOLAEVSK              AK

Established Series
Rev. DVP/DLM
05/2022

NIKOLAEVSK SERIES

Depth class: very deep
Drainage class: poorly drained
Parent material: ash influence loess over sandy and gravelly till
Landform: moraines on till plains
Slopes: 0 to 15 percent
Mean annual precipitation: about 30 inches
Mean annual temperature: about 35 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial over sandy or sandy-skeletal, amorphic over mixed Andic Cryaquods

TYPICAL PEDON: Nikolaevsk silt loam - on a northwest-facing slope of 6 percent under Lutz spruce forest 1.319 feet elevation. (All colors are for moist soil unless noted)

Oi--0 to 2 inches; black (10YR 2/1) slightly decomposed plant material; common very fine, fine, and medium roots; extremely acid (pH 4.3); abrupt smoot boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)

E--2 to 3 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, fine, and medium roots; smeary; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); abrupt broken boundary. (1 to 2 inches thick)

Bhs--3 to 4 inches; very dark brown (7.5YR 2.5/3) mucky silt loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, fine and few medium roots; smeary; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); abrupt broken boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)

Eb--4 to 6 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) silt loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, fine, and few medium roots; smeary; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 2 inches thick)

Bhsb--6 to 13 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 2.5/2) mucky silt loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, fine, few medium roots; very smeary; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)

Bw--13 to 21 inches; olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) silt loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; very smeary; 5 percent 2 mm prominent brown (7.5YR 4/4) redoximorphic concentrations and 5 percent 3 mm faint dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) redoximorphic depletions; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 14 inches thick)

2Cg--21 to 60 inches; very dark gray (5Y 3/1) and dark gray (5Y4/1); very cobbly loamy sand; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; slightly smeary; 20 percent gravel, 30 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; moderately acid (pH 5.6).

TYPE LOCATION: Western Kenai Peninsula Area, Alaska; about 1/2 mile from Caribou Lake; 2,400 feet west and 500 feet north of the SE 1/4, section 13, T. 3 S., R. 11 W; Seldovia D-3 1:25,00 quad; Steward Meridian; UTM north 6642903 and UTM east 606589, zone 5.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture regime: aquic
Mean annual soil temperature: 33 to 37 degrees F.
Bulk density of the ash influenced loess mantel: less than 0.9 grams per cubic centimeter
Phosphorous retention of ash influenced loess mantle: greater than 85 percent
Thickness of ash influence loess mantle: 14 to 30 inches
Depth to glacial till: 14 to 30 inches

O horizon:
Matrix color: value of 2 to 4; chroma of 1 to 4
Reaction class: extremely acid or very strongly acid

E or Eb horizons:
Matrix color: chroma of 1 or 2
Texture: silt loam, very fine sandy loam
Reaction class: very strongly acid to moderately acid

Bhs or Bshb horizons:
Matrix color: value of 2 to 3
Texture: mucky silt loam, mucky very fine sandy loam
Total organic carbon: 6 to 12 percent
Reaction class: very strongly acid to moderately acid

Bw horizon:
Matrix color: hue of 10YR or 2.5Y; value of 3 or 5; chroma of 2 to 4
Texture: silt loam, very fine sandy loam
Reaction class: very strongly acid to moderately acid

2Cg horizon:
Matrix color: hue of 2.5Y or 5Y; value of 3 or 4; chroma of 1 or 2
Texture: sand, loamy sand, loamy fine sand modified by 25 to 50 percent total coarse fragments; 15 to 40 percent gravel, 10 to 35 percent cobbles, 0 to 10 percent stones
Reaction class: moderately acid or slightly acid

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in this classification.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Drainage class: poorly drained
Parent material: ash influence loess over sandy and gravelly till
Landform: moraines on till plains
Slopes: 0 to 15 percent
Climate: transitional maritime-continental
Mean annual temperature: about 35 degrees F.
Mean annual precipitation: about 30 inches

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Puntilla and Tuxedni soils. Puntilla soils are well drained and occur on nunataks. Tuxedni soils are somewhat poorly drained and occur on similar landforms.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained, very high runoff, saturated hydraulic conductivity is high in the solum and high or very high in the substratum.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is Lutz spruce, shrubs, forbs, and grass.

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

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Western Kenai Peninsula Area, Alaska, 2005

REMARKS: Diagnostic features and horizons recognized in this profile include:
Andic material: 2 to 21 inches.
Redoximorphic features: 21 to 60 inches.
Temperature regime: cryic
Moisture regime: aquic

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.