LOCATION PHALAROPE               AK

Established Series
Rev. MHC/DLM
02/2022

PHALAROPE SERIES

Depth class: very deep
Drainage class: well drained
Landforms: earth hummocks on outwash plains
Parent material: silty eolian deposits over gravelly outwash
Elevation: 2,674 to 3,018 feet (815 to 920 m)
Slope: 0 to 5 percent
Annual precipitation: 28 to 35 inches (712 to 894 mm)
Annual temperature: 25 degrees F (-4 degrees C)
Frost-free period: 50 to 70 days

TAXONOMIC CLASS:

TYPICAL PEDON: Phalarope silt loam on a slope of 1 percent under shrub birch-bog blueberry scrub. (All colors are for moist soil)

Oi--0 to 4 inches (0 to 10 cm); dark reddish brown (5YR 2.5/2) slightly decomposed plant material; many very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; very strongly acid (pH 4.5); abrupt smooth boundary.

A/E--4 to 7 inches (10 to 18 cm); very dark brown (10YR 2/2) and dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; strongly acid (pH 5.2); abrupt wavy boundary.

Bhs--7 to 10 inches (18 to 25 cm); very dusky red (2.5YR 2.5/2) mucky silt loam; moderate very fine granular structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, fine, and medium roots; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear smooth boundary.

Bs--10 to 16 inches (25 to 41 cm); brown (7.5YR 4/4) silt loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear smooth boundary.

BC/Bs--16 to 25 inches (41 to 64 cm); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) mixed silt loam and very fine sandy loam; massive; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; strongly acid (pH 5.2); gradual smooth boundary.

2C--25 to 60 inches (64 to 152 cm); variegated very gravelly loamy sand; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; 35 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.6).

TYPE LOCATION: Delta River Area, Alaska; along the upper Delta River about 3 miles east of Juneau Falls; UTM coordinates: Zone 6, Easting 557573, Northing 7006738.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture class: udic
Average annual soil temperature: 30 to 28 degrees F (-1 to -2.5 degrees C)
Mean summer soil temperature: 36 to 39 degrees F. (2 to 4 degrees C)
Depth to strongly contrasting textural stratification: 12 to 36 inches (31 to 91 cm)

Oi horizon:
Colorhue of 5YR to 10YR; value of 2.5 or 3; chroma of 2 to 4
Organic matter content65 to 90 percent
Reactionextremely acid to very strongly acid

A part of E/A horizon when present:
Colorvalue of 2 or 3; chroma of 2 or 3
Clay content0 to 10 percent
Silt content55 to 75 percent
Sand content15 to 35 percent
Organic matter content2 to 4 percent
Rock fragments0 to 5 percent rounded gravel; 0 to 2 percent rounded cobbles
Reactionvery strongly acid to strongly acid

E part of A/E horizon:
Colorvalue of 4 or 5
Clay content0 to 10 percent
Silt content55 to 75 percent
Sand content15 to 35 percent
Organic matter content2 to 4 percent
Rock fragments0 to 5 percent rounded gravel; 0 to 2 percent rounded cobbles
Reactionvery strongly acid or strongly acid

Bhs horizon:
Colorhue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR; value of 2.5 or 3; chroma of 1 to 3
Clay content0 to 10 percent
Silt content55 to 75 percent
Sand content15 to 35 percent
Organic matter content10.5 to 12 percent
Rock fragments0 to 5 percent rounded gravel; 0 to 2 percent rounded cobbles
Reactionvery strongly acid to strongly acid

Bs horizon:
Colorhue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR; value of 4 or 5; chroma of 3 to 8
Texture-silt loam, very fine sandy loam
Clay content0 to 10 percent
Silt content55 to 75 percent
Sand content15 to 35 percent
Organic matter content2 to 4 percent
Rock fragments0 to 5 percent rounded gravel; 0 to 2 percent rounded cobbles
Reactionvery strongly acid to strongly acid

2C horizon:
Colorhue of variegated or 10YR or 2.5Y; value of 3 or 4; chroma of 2 or 3
Textureextremely cobbly coarse sand, very gravelly loamy coarse sand, extremely gravelly coarse sand
Clay content0 to 5 percent
Silt content0 to 15 percent
Sand content80 to 95 percent
Organic matter content0 to 0 percent
Rock fragments25 to 50 percent rounded very strongly cemented gravel; 10 to 35 percent rounded very strongly cemented cobbles

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

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landforms: earth hummocks on outwash plains
Parent material: silty eolian deposits over gravelly outwash
Elevation: 2,674 to 3,018 feet (815 to 920 m)
Slope: 0 to 5 percent
Annual precipitation: 28 to 35 inches (712 to 894 mm)
Annual temperature: 25 degrees F (-4 degrees C)
Frost-free period: 50 to 70 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Waitabit soil. Waitabit soils are well drained, very deep, and occur on mountains.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, low runoff. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to high in the coarse-silty layer and high to very high in the sandy or sandy-skeletal layer.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for wildlife habitat and recreation. Native vegetation is shrub birch-bog blueberry scrub.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 228, Interior Alaska Mountains, Alaska. The series is of small extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Delta River Area, Alaska, 2005

REMARKS: Diagnostic features and horizons recognized in this profile include:
Albic epipedon: 4 to 7 inches. (A/E horizon)
Spodic horizon: 7 to 25 inches. (Bhs, Bs, and BC/BS horizons)
Lithologic discontinuity: At the upper boundary of 2C horizon
Coarse-silty upper part of the particle size control section: 4 to 25 inches, sandy or sandy-skeletal lower part of the particle size control section: 25 to 60 inches
Temperature regime: cryic
Temperature class: subgelic

ADDITIONAL DATA:

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.