LOCATION QUAMMAQIK AK

Established Series
SAS/CBB
03/2025

QUAMMAQIK SERIES

Depth class: very deep
Drainage class: very poorly drained
Parent material: loamy slope alluvium derived from calcareous sandstone
Landscape: hills
Landform: calcareous fens
Slopes: 0 to 6 percent
Mean annual precipitation: about 400 mm (15.75 in)
Mean annual air temperature: about -4 degrees C. (25 degrees F.)
Frost-free period: 70 to 85 days

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, semiactive, calcareous Calcic Cryaquolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Quammaqik silt loam in a calcareous fen on a southeast facing linear, linear backslope on a slope of 3 percent at an elevation of 221 m (725 ft)

Oak --0 to 4 cm (0 to 2 in); muck, brown (10YR 5/3) moist, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) dry; many very fine, fine, and medium roots throughout; fine irregular pores; 90 percent very fine, irregular, very weakly coherent, carbonate concretions with sharp boundaries in matrix; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 10 cm, 1 to 4 in thick)

2Akg--4 to 25 cm (2 to 10 in); silt loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) broken face moist, gray (10YR 5/1) broken face dry; moderate fine granular structure; friable, slightly hard, nonsticky, nonplastic; nonsmeary; many very fine and fine roots throughout; very fine irregular pores; finely disseminated carbonates in matrix; positive to alpha-alpha dipyridyl measured in matrix; slight effervescence; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (20 to 25 cm, 8 to 10 in thick)

2CAkg--25 to 60 cm (10 to 24 in); channery loam, dark gray (2.5Y 4/1) broken face moist, gray (2.5Y 6/1) broken face dry; structureless massive; friable, slightly hard, nonsticky, nonplastic; nonsmeary; common very fine and few fine roots throughout; very fine irregular pores; finely disseminated carbonates in matrix; 16 percent channers; positive to alpha-alpha dipyridyl measured in matrix; strong effervescence; slightly alkaline (pH 7.7); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 45 cm, 6 to 18 in thick)

2Ckg1--60 to 85 cm (24 to 34 in); channery sandy loam, dark gray (2.5Y 4/1) oxidized and gray (2.5Y 5/1) broken face moist, light gray (2.5Y 7/1) broken face dry; structureless massive; firm, moderately hard, nonsticky, nonplastic; nonsmeary; few very fine roots throughout; fine irregular pores; finely disseminated carbonates in matrix; 21 percent channers; positive to alpha-alpha dipyridyl measured in matrix; slight effervescence; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (20 to 40 cm, 8 to 16 in thick)

2Ckg2--85 to 200 cm (34 to 79 in); loam, dark greenish gray (10Y 3/1) oxidized and dark greenish gray (10Y 4/1) broken face moist, greenish gray (10Y 6/1) broken face dry; structureless massive; firm, moderately hard, moderately sticky, slightly plastic; nonsmeary; very fine and fine tubular pores; 5 percent coarse, prominent, irregular, noncoherent, cemented dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4), moist, masses of oxidized iron with clear boundaries in matrix and 15 percent coarse, distinct, irregular, very weakly coherent, cemented very dark gray (5Y 3/1), moist, iron-manganese masses with clear boundaries in matrix; finely disseminated carbonates in matrix; 11 percent channers; positive to alpha-alpha dipyridyl measured in matrix; slight effervescence; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9). (80 to 133 cm, 31 to 52 in thick)

TYPE LOCATION: Nulato Hills - Continental Divide and Blackburn Hills Soil Survey Area, Alaska; latitude 65 degrees 34 minutes 27.19 seconds north, longitude 159 degrees 53 minutes 10.22 seconds west, datum WGS84, UTM north 7272740.64 and UTM east 459111.34, zone 4W, datum WGS84.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture regime: peraquic
Soil temperature regime: cryic
Mean annual soil temperature: 0 to 3 degrees C. (32 to 37 degrees F.)
Thickness of mollic epipedon: 22 to 35 cm (9 to 14 in)
Thickness of calcic horizon: 15 to 25 cm (6 to 10 in)
Depth to reduced matrix: 2 to 10 cm (1 to 4 in)
Depth to redoximorphic depletions: 60 to 120 cm (24 to 47 in)

Oak horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 5 to 9 moist, 7 to 11 dry
Chroma: 2 to 3
Texture: sandy loam
Sand: 43 to 76 percent
Silt: 14 to 50 percent
Clay: 3 to 8 percent
Organic matter: 0.2 to 1.0 percent
Reaction class: slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline (pH 7.4 to 8.4)

2Akg horizon:
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR, or 5YR
Value: 2 to 3 moist, 4 to 5 dry
Chroma: 1 to 2
Texture: silt loam
Sand: 20 to 45 percent
Silt: 50 to 79 percent
Clay: 1 to 8 percent
Organic matter: 2.0 to 5.0 percent
Reaction class: neutral to slightly alkaline (pH 6.6 to 8.4)

2CAkg horizon:
Hue: 2.5Y, 5Y, or 10Y
Value: 2 to 4 moist, 4 to 6 dry
Chroma: 0 to 2
Texture: loam, silt loam, or their channery analogues
Sand: 20 to 52 percent
Silt: 36 to 76 percent
Clay: 4 to 12 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 20 percent
Gravels: 0 to 3 percent angular quartz
Channers: 0 to 20 percent subangular sandstone
Organic matter: 0.4 to 4.0 percent
Reaction class: neutral to slightly alkaline (pH 6.6 to 8.4)

2Ckg1 horizon:
Hue: 2.5Y, 5Y, 5GY, 10Y, or N
Value: 2 to 5 moist, 4 to 7 dry
Chroma: 0 to 1
Texture: sandy loam, loam, or their channery analogues
Sand: 35 to 80 percent
Silt: 5 to 50 percent
Clay: 6 to 15 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 25 percent
Gravels: 0 to 3 percent angular quartz
Channers: 0 to 25 percent subangular sandstone
Organic matter: 0.4 to 2.0 percent
Reaction class: neutral to slightly alkaline (pH 6.6 to 8.4)

2Ckg2 horizon:
Hue: 10Y, N, or 5GY
Value: 3 to 5 moist, 5 to 7 dry
Chroma: 0 to 1
Texture: loam or its channery analogues
Sand: 27 to 52 percent
Silt: 28 to 50 percent
Clay: 10 to 23 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 20 percent
Gravels: 0 to 3 percent angular quartz
Channers: 0 to 20 percent subangular sandstone
Organic matter: 0.4 to 2.0 percent
Reaction class: neutral to slightly alkaline (pH 6.6 to 8.4)

Some pedons have hemic soil materials at depths between 0 to 40 cm (0 to 16 in).

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation: 100 to 400 meters (330 to 1310 feet)
Parent material: loamy slope alluvium derived from calcareous sandstone
Landform: calcareous fens
Slopes: 0 to 6 percent
Mean annual precipitation: 300 to 500 mm (11.81 to 19.68 in)
Mean annual air temperature: -6 to -2 degrees C. (21 to 28 degrees F.)
Frost free period: 70 to 85 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Amigak, Uluun, Uvluutit, Littlekalusukcreek, Igniq, and Tikigak soils.
Amigak soils have a histic epipedon, a cambic horizon at depths between 27 to 95 cm (11 to 37 in), do not have free carbonates anywhere in the profile, and occur on hillslope landforms.
Uluun soils have a folistic epipedon, a cambic horizon at depths between 21 to 105 cm (8 to 41 in), and occur on hillslope landforms.
Uvluutit soils have an ochric epipedon, a cambic horizon at depths between 12 to 43 cm (5 to 17 in), and occur on hillslope landforms.
Littlekalusukcreek soils have a histic epipedon, a fine-loamy particle size class, and occur on summit and shoulder positions of hillslope landforms.
Igniq soils have a folistic epipedon, cryoturbation at depths between 23 to 33 cm (9 to 13 in), and occur on backslope and footslope positions of hillslope landforms.
Tikigak soils are well drained, do not have free carbonates or a calcic horizon anywhere in the profile, and occur on hillslope landforms.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class: very poorly drained
Flooding: none
Ponding: frequent/long
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: moderately high in the Bk and 2Akg horizons, and moderately high to high in the 2CAkg, 2Ckg1, and 2Ckg2 horizons
Permeability: slow to moderate in the Bk horizon, moderate in the 2Akg horizon, moderate to moderately rapid in the 2CAkg and 2Ckg2 horizons, and moderate to rapid in the 2Ckg1 horizon
Runoff: negligible

USE AND VEGETATION:
Use: wildlife habitat, recreation, and subsistence
Native vegetation: moss, hair-like sedge, Juncus triglumis ssp. albescens, northern green rush, white cottongrass, sedge, fewseeded bog sedge, tomentypnum moss, tufted bulrush, bog rosemary, alpine meadow-rue, and shrubby cinquefoil.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 240, Nulato Hills-Southern Seward Peninsula Highlands. The series is of moderate extent.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Wasilla, Alaska

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Nulato Hills - Continental Divide and Blackburn Hills Soil Survey, Alaska, 2024.

REMARKS: Diagnostic features and horizons recognized in this profile include:

Particle-size control section: 25 to 100 cm (10 to 39 in)

Mollic epipedon: 4 to 25 cm (0 to 10 in) (2Akg horizon)

Visible Pedogenic Carbonates: 0 to 4 cm (0 to 2 in) (Oak horizon )

Calcic horizon: 25 to 60 cm (10 to 24 in) (2CAkg horizon)

Redoximorphic concentrations: 85 to 200 cm (33 to 79 in) (2Ckg2 horizon)

Aquic conditions: 0 to 200 cm (0 to 79 in) (Oak, 2Akg, 2CAkg, 2Ckg1, and 2Ckg2 horizons)

ADDITIONAL DATA:

User pedon ID: 2023AK188200

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.