LOCATION NISHLIK AK
Established Series
SAS/NDP/MPR
05/2022
NISHLIK SERIES
Landscape--plains, hills
Landform--rises, hillslopes
Slope--3 to 40 percent
Parent material--loess influenced by volcanic ash over glacial drift
Mean annual precipitation--about 1000 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about -1 degrees C
Depth class--very deep
Drainage class--well drained
Soil moisture regime--udic
Soil temperature regime--cryic
Soil moisture subclass--typic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, isotic Typic Humicryods
TYPICAL PEDON: Nishlik silt loam on a west-facing, linear rise of a glaciated plain, on a slope of 5 percent at an elevation of 389 m (The soil was moist throughout when described on July 28, 2008.)
Oi--0 to 9 cm; slightly decomposed plant material; many very fine and fine and common medium and coarse roots; very strongly acid (pH 4.6); clear smooth boundary
E--9 to 14 cm; silt loam, gray (10YR 6/1) dry, dark gray (10YR 4/1) moist; weak medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine to coarse roots; 5 percent gravel; very strongly acid (pH 4.9); clear smooth boundary
Bhs--14 to 27 cm; medial silt loam, gray (5YR 5/1) dry, very dark gray (5YR 3/1) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine to medium roots; 5 percent gravel; strongly acid (pH 5.5); clear wavy boundary
2Bw--27 to 32 cm; sandy loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; 10 percent gravel; moderately acid (pH 5.8); clear wavy boundary
2C--32 to 180 cm; very gravelly sandy loam, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) dry, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 3 percent cobbles and 35 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.1)
TYPE LOCATION: Dillingham Census Area, Alaska, about 125 km north of the city of Dillingham; latitude 60.1905556 degrees north, longitude 158.7313889 degrees west, datum WGS 84 (coordinates determined with a GPS)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--0 to 2 degrees C
Soil moisture control section--dry less than 45 consecutive days in June through October (udic moisture regime)
Particle-size control section
*Clay content--0 to 15 percent
*Sand content--35 to 75 percent
*Total rock fragment content--35 to 60 percent
*Sodium fluoride pH--8.4 to 11.6
*Ratio of 1500 kPa water to measured clay--0.6 to 6.0
Oi horizon
Thickness--2 to 15 cm
E horizon
Hue--7.5YR, 10YR
Value--4 or 5 moist, 5 or 7 dry
Chroma--1 or 2 moist
Fine-earth texture--silt loam, silt
Clay content--2 to 12 percent
Reaction--3.7 to 5.6
Gravel content--0 to 15 percent
Thickness--2 to 15 cm
Bulk density--0.5 to 0.9 g/cm3
Phosphorous retention--20 to 30 percent
Volcanic glass content--15 to 27 percent
Ammonium oxalate Al plus 1/2 Fe--0.3 to 0.6 percent
Bhs horizon
Hue--5YR, 7.5YR
Value--2.5 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry
Chroma--1 to 3 moist
Fine-earth texture--medial silt loam, medial sandy loam
Clay content--2 to 12 percent
Reaction--5.0 to 6.0
Total rock fragment content--0 to 35 percent
Gravel content--0 to 35 percent
Cobble content--0 to 5 percent
Thickness--10 to 24 cm
Bulk density--0.45 to 0.90 g/cm3
Phosphorous retention--85 to 100 percent
Organic carbon content--6 to 15 percent
Volcanic glass content--10 to 50 percent
Ammonium oxalate Al plus 1/2 Fe--2.0 to 4.0 percent
2Bw horizon
Value--3 to 5 moist, 5 to 7 dry
Chroma--3 or 4 moist
Fine-earth texture--find sandy loam, sandy loam
Clay content--2 to 15 percent
Reaction--5.0 to 6.3
Total rock fragment content--5 to 30 percent
Gravel content--5 to 30 percent
Cobble content--0 to 4 percent
Thickness--5 to 75 cm
Sodium fluoride pH--8.4 to 11.6
Ratio of 1500 kPa water to measured clay--0.6 to 6.0
2C horizon
Hue--10YR, 2.5Y
Value--4 or 5 moist, 6 or 7 dry
Chroma--1 to 4 moist
Fine-earth texture--sandy loam, silt loam, loam
Clay content--0 to 15 percent
Reaction--5.3 to 6.4
Total rock fragment content--35 to 60 percent
Gravel content--15 to 60 percent
Cobble content--0 to 30 percent
COMPETING SERIES:
Enchanted--50 to 150 cm (moderately deep or deep) to lithic bedrock, no andic soil properties
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--80 to 600 m
Climate--warm, moist summers; cold, moist winters
Mean annual precipitation--625 to 1650 mm
Mean annual air temperature-- -3.4 to 1.1 degrees C
Frost-free period--80 to 140 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Tikchik--no andic soil properties; no albic horizon; no spodic horizon; hillslopes
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--well drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--moderately high in the E horizon and moderately high or high throughout the rest of the profile
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--wildlife habitat, recreation, subsistence
Potential natural vegetation--dwarf birch, black crowberry, marsh Labrador tea, bog blueberry, lingonberry, beauverd spirea, tealeaf willow, bluejoint grass
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Bristol Bay Lowlands, Alaska; MLRA 236; small extent
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: WASILLA, ALASKA
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Togiak National Wildlife Refuge-Ahklun Mountains Area, Alaska; 2019
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and other features in this pedon
*Particle-size control section--zone from 34 to 109 cm
*Andic soil properties--Bhs horizon
*Albic horizon--E horizon
*Spodic horizon--Bhs horizon
*Ochric epipedon
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.