LOCATION PUFFIN AK
Established Series
IRD. NDP/SCD
02/2022
PUFFIN SERIES
Landscape--river valleys
Landform--low flood plains
Slope--0 to 25 percent
Parent material--alluvium
Mean annual precipitation--about 2600 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--cryic
Soil moisture subclass--aquic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed Oxyaquic Cryorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Puffin loamy coarse sand on an herbaceous low flood plain, on a slope of 3 percent at an elevation of 37 m (When described on July 8, 2013, the soil was moist from the surface to a depth of 70 cm and wet from a depth of 70 to 150 cm.)
C1--0 to 70 cm; extremely gravelly loamy coarse sand, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) dry, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots throughout; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 2 percent subangular stones, 5 percent rounded cobbles, and 63 percent rounded gravel; noneffervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); diffuse wavy boundary
C2--70 to 150 cm; extremely gravelly coarse sand, light gray (2.5Y 7/2) dry, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and medium roots in upper part; common very fine and few fine interstitial pores; 3 percent subangular stones, 5 percent rounded cobbles, and 70 percent rounded gravel; very slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9)
TYPE LOCATION: Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve-Gustavus Area, Alaska; Hoonah-Angoon Census Area; latitude 58.8963180, longitude -136.1408153, datum WGS84 (coordinates determined by a GPS unit)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--1 to 7 degrees C
Soil moisture control section--dry less than 45 consecutive days in June through October (udic)
Particle-size control section
*Clay content--0 to 7 percent
*Total rock fragment content--65 to 85 percent
C1 horizon
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y moist or dry
Value--4 to 6 moist, 6 to 8 dry
Chroma--2 to 4 moist or dry
Fine-earth texture--loamy coarse sand, loamy sand, sand
Clay content--0 to 7 percent
Sand content--80 to 85 percent
Total rock fragment content--65 to 85 percent
Gravel content--60 to 65 percent
Cobble content--4 to 6 percent
Stone content--1 to 3 percent
Reaction (pH)--5.6 to 8.0
Thickness--50 to 100 cm
C2 horizon
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y moist or dry
Value--4 to 6 moist, 6 to 8 dry
Chroma--2 to 4 moist or dry
Fine-earth texture--coarse sand, sand
Clay content--0 to 5 percent
Sand content--90 to 97 percent
Total rock fragment content--65 to 85 percent
Gravel content--65 to 75 percent
Cobble content--4 to 6 percent
Stone content--2 to 4 percent
Reaction (pH)--7.2 to 8.1
Effervescence--very slightly effervescent, slightly effervescent
Thickness--50 to 100 cm
COMPETING SERIES:
Fingers--25 to 50 cm (somewhat poorly drained) to aquic conditions
Kocacho--mean annual precipitation of less than 1900 mm; mean annual air temperature of less than 1 degree C
Tangoe--lithologic discontinuity
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--0 to 50 m
Climate--cool, moist summers; mild, wet winters
Mean annual precipitation--1990 to 3250 mm
Mean annual air temperature--3 to 9 degrees C
Frost-free period--90 to 154 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Ashmun--frequently ponded; not subject to flooding; in depressions of adjacent landforms
Bertha--no water table within a depth of 150 cm (well drained); on similar landforms
Muirpoint--no water table within a depth of 150 cm (well drained); on adjacent landforms
Shagcove--25 to 50 cm (somewhat poorly drained) to aquic conditions; on adjacent landforms
Tyeen--no water table within a depth of 150 cm (well drained); on adjacent landforms
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--somewhat poorly drained
Depth to saturation in normal years--more than 50 cm in May through October, oxygenated water table
Flooding--frequent, brief periods
Ponding--none
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--very high throughout
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--wildlife habitat, recreation, subsistence
Potential native vegetation--Sitka alder, bride's feathers, smallawned sedge, western oakfern, common cowparsnip, hookeria moss, devilsclub, salmonberry, Sitka willow, claspleaf twistedstalk, squashberry
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Alexander Archipelago-Gulf of Alaska Coast, Alaska; MLRA 220; moderate extent
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: WASILLA, ALASKA
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve-Gustavus Area, Alaska; 2020.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon
*Ochric epipedon
*Free carbonates--zone from 70 to 150 cm
*Oxyaquic water table--below a depth of 70 to 150 cm in May through October
*Particle-size control section--25 to 100 cm
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.