LOCATION NUNTRAGUT AK
Established Series
JDP/NR/TJR
05/2022
NUNTRAGUT SERIES
Landscape--alluvial plains
Landform--stream terraces
Slope--0 to 3 percent
Parent material--alluvium
Mean annual precipitation--about 255 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about -6 degrees C
Depth class--very deep
Drainage class--somewhat poorly drained
Soil moisture regime--udic
Soil temperature regime--gelic
Soil moisture subclass--typic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, nonacid, subgelic Aquic Haploturbels
TYPICAL PEDON: Nuntragut silt loam on a forested terrace with a slope of 2 percent and an elevation of 173 m (The soil was moist throughout when described on September 14, 2012.)
Oi--0 to 9 cm; slightly decomposed plant material; many fine roots; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary
Oa--9 to 15 cm; highly decomposed plant material; many fine roots, and common medium and coarse roots; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); clear smooth boundary
A--15 to 22 cm; silt loam; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable; many fine roots, and common medium roots; common fine and medium pores; noneffervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary
Bwjj/A--22 to 38 cm; silt loam; 70 percent light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) dry, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist and 30 percent dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; common fine roots; few fine and medium pores; 5 percent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist, masses of oxidized iron in matrix and 10 percent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist, masses of oxidized iron in matrix; noneffervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear irregular boundary
C--38 to 78 cm; stratified very fine sandy loam; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) dry, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable; common fine roots; few fine and medium pores; 5 percent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist, masses of oxidized iron in matrix; 1 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary
Cf--78 to 103 cm; permanently frozen very fine sandy loam; light gray (5Y 7/1) dry, gray (5Y 5/1) moist; 10 percent olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist, masses of oxidized iron in matrix; very slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8)
TYPE LOCATION: Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska; latitude -66.0136772 degrees, longitude -144.3168912 degrees, datum WGS84 (coordinates determined with a GPS)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature-- -4 to 1 degrees C
Depth to permafrost--60 to 90 cm
Depth to redoximorphic iron concentrations--25 to 50 cm below the mineral soil surface
Other features--cryoturbation within 150 cm
Oi horizon
Thickness--3 to 15 cm
Reaction--6.0 to 8.0
Oe horizon (where present)
Thickness--3 to 15 cm
Reaction--6.0 to 8.0
Oa horizon
Thickness--3 to 15 cm
Reaction--6.0 to 8.0
A horizon
Hue--2.5Y to 7.5YR
Value--2 and 3 moist, 4 and 5 dry
Chroma--1 and 2 moist
Fine-earth texture--silt loam, very fine sandy loam, loam
Clay content--0 to 18 percent
Reaction--6.0 to 8.0
Effervescence--none to slight
Thickness--5 to 15 cm
Bwjj/A horizons
Hue--10YR, 2.5Y
Value--3 and 4 moist, 4 and 5 dry
Chroma--2 to 4 moist
Fine-earth texture--silt loam, very fine sandy loam
Clay content--0 to 18 percent
Reaction--6.5 to 8.5
Effervescence--none to slight
Thickness--10 to 40 cm
Bwjj and BCjj horizons (where present)
Hue--10YR, 2.5Y
Value--3 and 4 moist, 4 and 5 dry
Chroma--2 to 4 moist
Fine-earth texture--silt loam, very fine sandy loam
Clay content--0 to 18 percent
Reaction--6.5 to 8.5
Effervescence--none to slight
Combined thickness--10 to 40 cm
C and Cf horizons
Value--2 to 4 moist, 4 to 6 dry
Chroma--1 and 2 moist
Fine-earth texture--silt loam, very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam
Rock fragment content--0 to 10 percent total gravels
Clay content--0 to 18 percent
Reaction--7.0 to 8.5
Effervescence--none to slight
Combined thickness--95 to 130 cm
COMPETING SERIES:
None
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--90 to 300 m
Climate--short, warm summers and long, very cold winters
Mean annual precipitation--210 to 310 mm
Mean annual air temperature-- -12 to 0 degrees C
Frost-free period--45 to 97 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Gwichin--aquic conditions within 100 cm; not cryoturbated; higher positions on similar landforms
Yasuda--aquic conditions within 25 cm with frequent ponding; grassland depressions on similar landforms
Jokinaugh--aquic conditions within 25 cm with occasional flooding; adjacent floodplains
Gushdoiman--aquic conditions within 25 cm with frequent ponding; tussock scrub depressions on similar landforms
Tanjoga--aquic conditions within 25 cm with frequent ponding; adjacent terraces of low energy streams
Twin--aquic conditions within 25 cm with rare flooding; lower positions on similar landforms
Yanert--aquic conditions within 25 cm with frequent ponding; swales on similar landforms
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--somewhat poorly drained
Saturation in normal years--water table top depth between a depth of 25 to 50 cm in June and below a depth of 50 cm throughout the rest of the year
Flooding--rare
Ponding--none
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--high throughout
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--wildlife habitat, subsistence, recreation
Potential natural vegetation--White spruce, black spruce, quaking aspen, red fruit bearberry, grayleaf willow, prickly rose, lingonberry, twinflower, russet buffaloberry, shrubby cinquefoil, littletree willow, reedgrass, false toadflax, dwarf scouringrush, field horsetail, stairstep moss, Tomentypnum moss, felt lichen, greygreen reindeer lichen
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Yukon Flats Lowlands, Alaska; MLRA 232; moderate extent
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: WASILLA, ALASKA
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge, Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska; 2020
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and other features in this pedon
*Particle-size control section--zone from 40 to 115 cm
*Ochric epipedon
*Redoximorphic iron concentrations--Bwjj/A, C, and Cf horizons
*Aquic conditions--Bwjj/A and C horizons
*Permafrost--Cf horizon
*Cryoturbation--Bwjj/A horizon
Organic horizons are saturated for more than 30 days (cumulative) in normal years, and do not meet the criteria for a folistic epipedon.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.