LOCATION RIDE AK
Established Series
SDB/MJS
08/2025
RIDE SERIES
Depth class: very deep
Drainage class: somewhat excessively drained
Parent material: grassy organic material over supraglacial till
Landscape: mountains and foothills
Landform: hillslopes and mountain slopes
Slope: 10 to 60 percent
Mean annual precipitation: about 450 mm (18 in)
Mean annual air temperature: about -2 degrees C (28 F)
Frost-free period: 32 to 103 days
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive Typic Haplocryepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Ride very gravelly sandy loam in a Sitka spruce community on a north facing convex, linear backslope on a slope of 34 percent and an elevation of 841m (2760 ft).
Oi--0 to 11 cm (0 to 4 in); slightly decomposed plant material, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) broken face moist; many very fine, common fine and medium roots throughout; many very fine, common medium and fine tubular pores; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary (7 to 14 cm, 3 to 6 in)
Bw--11 to 30 cm (4 to 12 in); very gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) broken face moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; nonsmeary; many very fine, common fine and medium roots throughout; many very fine, common medium and fine tubular pores; 5 percent subrounded cobbles by volume, 40 percent subrounded gravels by volume; moderately acid (pH 5.6); clear wavy boundary (15 to 22 cm, 6 to 9 in)
C--30 to 150 cm (12 to 59 in); extremely gravelly sandy loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) broken face moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; nonsmeary; many very fine and common fine roots throughout; many very fine and common fine tubular pores; 2 percent subrounded cobbles by volume, 65 percent subangular gravels by volume; slightly acid (pH 6.3) (114 to 128 cm, 45 to 50 in)
TYPE LOCATION: North Copper River Soil Survey Area, Alaska; latitude 61.67713, longitude -145.27813, UTM 6839418.64 north and UTM 591132.17 east, zone 6, Datum WGS84.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture regime: udic
Soil temperature regime: cryic
Mean annual soil temperature: -2 to 5 degrees C. (28 to 41 degrees F)
Thickness of organic material: 7 to 14 cm (3 to 7 in)
Thickness of ochric epipedon: 7 to 14 cm (3 to 7 in)
Thickness of cambic horizon: 15 to 22 cm (6 to 9 in)
Oi and Oe horizons:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 2 to 4
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: slightly decomposed organic material, moderately decomposed organic material, highly decomposed organic material
Organic matter: 60 to 90 percent
Reaction class: very strongly acid to moderately acid (pH 5.0 to 6.0)
Bw horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 3 to 4
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: very gravelly sandy loam, extremely gravelly sandy loam
Sand: 55 to 65 percent
Silt: 20 to 35 percent
Clay: 10 to 15 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 67 percent
Gravels: 30 to 52 percent
Cobbles: 5 to 15 percent
Organic matter: 4 to 6 percent
Reaction class: very strongly acid to moderately acid (pH 5.0 to 6.0)
C horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 3 to 5
Chroma: 2 to 3
Texture: very gravelly sandy loam, extremely gravelly sandy loam
Sand: 60 to 70 percent
Silt: 12 to 25 percent
Clay: 15 to 18 percent
Rock fragments: 56 to 73 percent
Gravels: 55 to 70 percent
Cobbles: 1 to 3 percent
Organic matter: 1 to 3 percent
Reaction class: strongly acid to neutral (pH 5.5 to 7.2)
Some pedons have a A horizon as part of the Ochric epipedon. This horizon has a silt loam or loam texture, a hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, a Chroma of 2 or 3, and a value of 1 or 2.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Aniruk (AK),
Anugi (AK),
Basaltlake (AK), Biorkman (UT),
Butchlake (AK),
Cuberant (UT),
Enentah (CO),
Garlet (MT),
Gromes (NM),
Haggardcreek (AK),
Kegsprings (MT),
Mountedith (MT),
Nooney (MT),
Nunatak (AK), Siksik (AK),
Siksrik (AK),
Soakpak (AK),
Storm (CO),
Targhee (ID),
Telay (AK),
Tui (AK), and
Urgiilik (AK) soils.
Anugi,
Haggardcreek,
Nunatak, and
Urgiilik soils have a lithic contact within 200 cm (79 in).
Aniruk soils have flaggy coarse fragments in all horizons and a lithic contact within 200 cm.
Basaltlake soils have a lithologic discontinuity and a buried genetic horizon.
Biorkman soils have an E horizon and occur at elevation between 2270 and 3140 m (7450 and 10300 ft)
Butchlake soils have a lithologic discontinuity and occur on glacial hills.
Cuberant soils have a cambic horizon with a hue of 7.5YR or 5YR, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 3 or 4 moist, and occur at elevations above 2591 m (8500 ft).
Enentah soils have E and Bs horizons and 15 to 30 percent mica in the particle size control section.
Garlet soils have a calcic horizon.
Gromes soils have a mean annual soil temperature between 2 and 4 degrees C (36 and 40 degrees F) occur at elevations between 2955 to 3350 m (9700 to 11000 ft).
Kegsprings soils have a mean annual soil temperature between 2 to 5 degrees C (36 and 41 degrees F) occur at elevations between 2130 and 2750 m (6990 to 9020 ft).
Mountedith soils have an E horizon and occur at elevations between 1900 and 2600 m (6235 to 8530 ft)
Nooney soils occur at elevations above 1600 m (5250 ft) and have a mean annual precipitation between 1150 and 2600 mm (45 to 102 in).
Nunatak soils are well drained, have a lithic contact between 100 and 150 cm (39 and 59 in), and occur on mountain slopes.
Raymond soils have a paralithic contact.
Siksik soils have a loess cap and occur on slopes under 25 percent.
Siksrik soils have a lithologic discontinuity and have colluvium as parent material.
Soakpak soils have a lithologic discontinuity and has calcareous parent material.
Storm soils have an e horizon and occur at elevations between 3020 and 3505 m (9900 and 11500 ft).
Targhee,
Telay, and
Tui soils have a lithologic discontinuity.
Tui soils have a lithologic discontinuity and buried genetic horizons.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation: 300 to 1200 meters (985 to 3935 feet)
Parent material: grassy organic material over supraglacial till
Landform: hillslopes and mountain slopes
Slopes: 10 to 60 percent
Mean annual precipitation: 300 to 1400 mm (12 to 55 in)
Mean annual air temperature: -5 to 1 degrees C. (23 to 34 degrees F)
Frost-free period: 32 to 103 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Ahtell,
Fields,
Fourthofjuly,
Greylingcreek,
Kimballpass, and
Ottaway soils.
Ahtell soils are well drained, lack permafrost, have folistic and umbric epipedons, and occur on hill tops, and hillside positions.
Fields soils are well drained, have umbric epipedons, lithic contact within 2 m (79 in) of the soil surface, and occur on mountains.
Fourthofjuly soils are well drained, has a folistic epipedon, and occurs on mountain valleys and stream terraces.
Greylingcreek soils are excessively drained and occur in mountain valleys and moraines.
Kennecott soils are well drained, have a mollic epipedon greater than 40 cm (16 in) thick, effervescence in the Bw and C horizons, and occur on river valleys and terraces.
Kimballpass soils are well drained, have a mollic epipedon, and form on slopes between 20 and 70%.
Ottoway soils have permafrost between 50 and 100cm, mollic epipedons, form on slopes over 25 percent, and occur on hills and mountain slopes.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class: somewhat excessively drained
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: very high in the Oi horizon, high in the Bw and C horizons.
Permeability: very rapid in the Oi horizon, moderately rapid in the Bw and C horizons.
Runoff: medium
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use: wildlife habitat, recreation, and subsistence
Native vegetation: Sitka alder and feltleaf willow
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 228 Interior Alaska mountains
Extent: moderate
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Wasilla, Alaska
SERIES ESTABLISHED: North Copper River Soil Survey, Alaska, 2024.
REMARKS: Diagnostic features and horizons recognized in this profile include:
Particle-size control section: 36 to 111 cm (14 to 44 in)
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 11 cm (0 to 4 in) (Oi horizon)
Cambic horizon: 11 to 30 cm (4 to 12 in) (Bw horizon)
ADDITIONAL DATA:
User pedon Id: 2022AK261545
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.