LOCATION POWERSCREEK AK
Established Series
SAS/MPS
02/2022
POWERSCREEK SERIES
Landscape--plains
Landform--rise
Microfeature--earth hummocks
Slope--0 to 3 percent
Parent material--eolian sands
Mean annual precipitation--about 325 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about -3 degrees C
Depth class--very deep
Drainage class--well drained
Soil moisture regime--udic
Soil temperature regime--gelic
Soil moisture subclass--typic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, acid, subgelic Turbic Humigelepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Powerscreek sandy loam on a linear, convex rise, on a slope of 0 percent at an elevation of 25 m (The soil was moist from 0 to 140 cm and wet, non-satiated, from 140 to 150 cm when described on August 28, 2019.)
Oe--0 to 6 cm; moderately decomposed plant material, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry, black (10YR 2/1) moist; many very fine, fine, and coarse and few medium roots throughout; extremely acid (pH 4.2); clear smooth boundary
A--6 to 12 cm; sandy loam, dark gray (7.5YR 4/1) dry, black (7.5YR 2.5/1) moist; weak coarse granular structure; friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; nonsmeary; many very fine and few fine roots throughout; extremely acid (pH 4.1); clear irregular boundary
Bhsjj--12 to 43 cm; sandy loam, 70 percent reddish brown (2.5YR 4/3) and 30 percent dark reddish gray (2.5YR 4/1) dry, 70 percent dark reddish brown (2.5YR 2.5/3) and 30 percent reddish black (2.5YR 2.5/1) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; nonsmeary; many very fine and common fine roots throughout; very strongly acid (pH 4.9); abrupt irregular boundary
BC--43 to 110 cm; fine sandy loam, 90 percent brown (10YR 5/3) and 10 percent light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry, 90 percent dark brown (10YR 3/3) and 10 percent dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; nonsmeary; common very fine roots throughout; very fine tubular pores; very strongly acid (pH 4.6); clear smooth boundary
C--110 to 140 cm; loamy sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; nonsmeary; common very fine roots throughout; very fine irregular pores; very strongly acid (pH 4.7); clear smooth boundary
Cg--140 to 150 cm; very fine sandy loam, light gray (2.5Y 7/2) dry, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; massive; friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; nonsmeary; very fine tubular pores; 1 percent fine cylindrical dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) iron-manganese nodules and 20 percent medium irregular dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) masses of oxidized iron; very strongly acid (pH 4.8)
TYPE LOCATION: Nome Census Area County, Alaska, latitude 63.9147941 longitude -160.6316892 degrees, datum WGS84 (coordinates determined with a GPS unit)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature-- -2 to 0 degrees C
Soil moisture control section--dry less than 45 consecutive days in June through October (udic soil moisture regime)
Thickness of umbric epipedon--35 to 50 cm
Depth to gelic materials--12 to 50 cm
Depth to redoximorphic iron concentrations--130 to 150 cm
Depth to reduced matrix--130 to 150 cm
Depth to aquic conditions--130 to 150 cm
Particle Size Control Section:
*Clay--5 to 12 percent
Oe horizon
Thickness--5 to 14 cm
A horizon
Hue--7.5YR or 10YR
Value--2 or 2.5 moist, 4 or 5 dry
Chroma--1 or 2
Fine-earth texture--sandy loam, loamy sand
Clay--5 to 12 percent
Sand--55 to 80 percent
Organic carbon--8 to 12 percent
Reaction--4.1 to 4.9
Thickness--6 to 20 cm
Bhsjj horizon
Value--2 or 2.5 moist
Chroma--1 to 3
Fine-earth texture--sandy loam, fine sandy loam
Clay--5 to 12 percent
Sand--55 to 70 percent
Organic carbon--5 to 12 percent
Reaction--4.5 to 4.9
Thickness--15 to 35 cm
BC horizon
Value--3 or 4 moist, 5 or 6 dry
Chroma--3 or 4
Fine-earth texture--fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam
Clay--5 to 12 percent
Sand--55 to 75 percent
Organic carbon--2 to 4 percent
Reaction--4.6 to 5.1
Thickness--25 to 80 cm
C horizon
Value--3 or 4 moist, 5 or 6 dry
Fine-earth texture--loamy sand, very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam
Clay--4 to 12 percent
Sand--55 to 85 percent
Organic carbon--.2 to 1 percent
Reaction--4.6 to 5.1
Thickness--30 to 80 cm
Cg horizon
Value--4 or 5 moist, 6 or 7 dry
Chroma--1 or 2
Fine-earth texture--very fine sandy loam, loamy fine sand, loam
Clay--5 to 13 percent
Sand--50 to 85 percent
Organic carbon--.2 to 1 percent
Reaction--4.6 to 5.3
Thickness--10 to 15 cm
COMPETING SERIES: none
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
*Elevation--10 to 100 m
*Climate--warm, moist summers; cold, dry winters
*Mean annual precipitation--320 to 325 mm
*Mean annual air temperature-- -5 to -1 degrees C
*Frost-free period--55 to 90 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
*
Maggok--ochric epipedon, cryic soil temperature regime: hillslopes and ridges of hills
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
*Drainage class--well drained
*Saturation during normal years--below 130 cm during all months
*Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--very high in the surface organic layer, high to moderately high throughout the rest of the profile
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--wildlife habitat, recreation, subsistence
Potential native vegetation--cloudberry, lingonberry, bog blueberry, sphagnum, black spruce, black crowberry, lichen
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Nulato Hills-Southern Seward Peninsula Highlands, Alaska; MLRA 240; small extent
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: WASILLA, ALASKA
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Nulato Hills BLM area, Nome Census Area, Alaska; 2021
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon
*Particle-size control section--zone from 31 to 106 cm
*Umbric epipedon--zone from 6 to 43 cm
*Cryoturbation--zone from 12 to 43 cm
*Redoximorphic concentrations--zone from 140 to 150 cm
*Reduced matrix--zone from 140 to 150 cm
*Aquic conditions--zone from 140 to 150 cm
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.