LOCATION SAVIK                   AK

Established Series
SAS/MPS
11/2024

SAVIK SERIES

Depth class: shallow to paralithic bedrock
Drainage class: well drained
Parent material: gravelly loamy colluvium over gravelly residuum weathered from slate
Landscape: mountains
Landform: mountain slopes on knife ridges, mountain slopes
Slopes: 10 to 60 percent
Mean annual precipitation: about 500 mm (20 in)
Mean annual air temperature: about -4 degrees C. (25 degrees F.)
Frost-free period: 70 to 90 days

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fragmental, mixed, subgelic, shallow Typic Humigelepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Savik extremely channery silt loam in a dryas lichen alpine community on an east facing linear, convex backslope on a slope of 54 percent at an elevation of 387m (1270 ft)

Oa--0 to 2 cm (0 to 1 in); highly decomposed plant material; black (5YR 2.5/1) moist, gray (5YR 5/1) dry; many very fine, common medium, and few fine roots throughout; 10 percent channers; very strongly acid (pH 4.7); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 5 cm, 0 to 2 in thick)

A--2 to 10 cm (1 to 4 in); extremely channery silt loam; very dark brown (7.5YR 2.5/2) moist, brown (7.5YR 5/2) dry; weak fine granular structure; very friable, soft, nonsticky, nonplastic; nonsmeary; many very fine and fine roots throughout; few very fine irregular and common medium interstitial pores; 65 percent channers; very strongly acid (pH 4.7); abrupt irregular boundary. (7 to 14 cm, 3 to 6 in thick)

Bw--10 to 22 cm (4 to 9 in); extremely channery loam; dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; weak medium granular structure; very friable, soft, nonsticky, nonplastic; weakly smeary; many very fine and common fine roots throughout; few very fine irregular and common medium interstitial pores; 70 percent channers; very strongly acid (pH 4.9); clear irregular boundary. (11 to 20 cm, 4 to 8 in thick)

2C--22 to 40 cm (9 to 16 in); channers; few very fine roots throughout; many very coarse, coarse, and common medium interstitial pores; 95 percent channers; very abrupt irregular boundary. (10 to 20 cm, 4 to 8 in thick)

2Cr--40 to 65 cm (16 to 26 in); moderately coherent slate bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Nulato Hills - Continental Divide and Blackburn Hills Soil Survey Area, Alaska; latitude 64.2362545, longitude -159.708308, datum WGS84, UTM north 7123532.37 and UTM east 465648.48, zone 4, datum WGS84.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture regime: udic
Soil temperature regime: gelic
Mean annual soil temperature: -1 to 0 degrees C. (30 to 32 degrees F.)
Thickness of organic material: 0 to 5 cm (0 to 2 in)
Thickness of umbric epipedon: 18 to 34 cm (7 to 13 in)
Depth to paralithic contact: 20 to 50 cm (8 to 20 in)

Oa horizon:
Hue: 5YR or 10YR
Value: 2 to 3 moist, 4 to 5 dry
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: highly decomposed material
Organic matter: 60 to 90 percent
Reaction class: extremely acid to strongly acid (pH 3.5 to 5.5)

A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 2 to 3 moist, 4 to 5 dry
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: silt, silt loam or their channery analogues
Sand: 5 to 48 percent
Silt: 50 to 93 percent
Clay: 2 to 12 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 70 percent
Organic matter: 2 to 8 percent
Reaction class: extremely acid to strongly acid (pH 3.5 to 5.5)

Bw horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 2 to 3 moist, 4 to 5 dry
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: loam, sandy loam or their channery analogues
Sand: 33 to 70 percent
Silt: 13 to 50 percent
Clay: 4 to 17 percent
Rock fragments: 40 to 85 percent
Organic matter: 2 to 6 percent
Reaction class: extremely acid to strongly acid (pH 3.5 to 5.5)

2C horizon:
In lieu of texture: channers
Rock fragments: 90 to 100 percent

Cr horizon:
Extremely weakly to moderately coherent slate bedrock.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation: 380 to 1000 meters (1245 to 3280 feet)
Parent material: gravelly loamy colluvium over gravelly residuum weathered from slate
Landform: mountain slopes on knife ridges, mountain slopes
Slopes: 10 to 60 percent
Mean annual precipitation: 400 to 600 mm (16 to 24 in)
Mean annual air temperature: -6 to -1 degrees C. (21 to 30 degrees F.)
Frost free period: 70 to 90 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Apkun, Atkaktuk, Aullasik, Debauch, Egoosikcreek, Isimnjatuk, Iyyagrik, Kanik, Managaarak, Siku, Tui, and Uniat soils.
Apkun soils have a lithic contact at depths between 50 to 100 cm (20 to 40 in), have a fragmental layer starting at depths between 35 to 84 cm (14 to 33 in), have a loamy-skeletal particle size class, have an acid reaction class, and occur on mountainflanks, upper and center thirds
Atkaktuk soils lack a paralithic contact within 200 cm (79 in), have a fragmental layer starting at depths between 35 to 60 cm (14 to 24 in), have a loamy-skeletal over fragmental particle size class, have an acid reaction class, and occur on mountainflanks, upper third
Aullasik soils have a lithic contact at depths between 150 to 200 cm (60 to 79 in), lack a fragmental layer, have a cambic horizon, have a loamy-skeletal particle size class, have a cryic soil temperature regime, and occur on mountainflanks, center third
Debauch soils lack a fragmental layer, have an ochric epipedon, have a loamy-skeletal particle size class, and occur on ridges
Egoosikcreek soils lack a paralithic contact within 200 cm (79 in), lack a fragmental layer, have a mollic epipedon, have a cambic horizon, have a fine-loamy particle size class, and occur on swales
Isimnjaatuk soils have a paralithic contact at depths between 100 to 150 cm (40 to 60 in), lack a fragmental layer, have an ochric epipedon, have a cambic horizon, have a loamy-skeletal particle size class, and occur on mountainflanks, upper thirds
Iyyagrik soils have a lithic contact at depths between 100 to 150 cm (40 to 60 in), lack a fragmental layer, have a mollic epipedon, have a loamy-skeletal particle size class, have a cryic soil temperature regime, and occur on mountainflanks, upper third
Kanik soils have a lithic contact at depths between 100 to 150 cm (40 to 60 in), have a fragmental layer starting at depths between 66 to 100 cm (26 to59 in), have an ochric epipedon, have a loamy-skeletal particle size class, and occur on mountainflanks, upper and center thirds
Managaarak soils have a lithic contact at depths between 100 to 150 cm (40 to 60 in), have a fragmental layer starting at depths between 41 to 93 cm (16 to 37 in), have an ochric epipedon, have a loamy-skeletal particle size class, have an acid reaction class, and occur on mountainflanks, upper third
Siku soils have aquic conditions starting within 0 to 25 cm (0 to 10 in), lack a paralithic contact within 200 cm (79 in), lack a fragmental layer, have a reduced matrix starting within 50 cm (20 in), have a folistic epipedon, have a cambic horizon, have a loamy-skeletal particle size class, have an acid reaction class, and occur on mountainflanks, upper, center, and lower thirds
Tui soils lack a paralithic contact within 200 cm (79 in), lack a fragmental layer, have an ochric epipedon, have a cambic horizon, have a loamy-skeletal particle size class, have a cryic soil temperature regime, and occur on nose slopes and mountainflanks
Uniat soils have a lithic contact at depths between 100 to 150 cm (40 to 60 in), have a fragmental layer starting at depths between 10 to 91 cm (4 to36 in), have an ochric epipedon, have a cambic horizon, have a cryic soil temperature regime, and occur on mounds in valleys and mountainflanks, upper third

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class: well drained
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: very high in the Oa horizons, moderately high in the A horizon, moderately high to high in the Bw horizon, and very high in the 2C horizon
Permeability: rapid to very rapid in the Oa horizon, moderate in the A horizon, moderate to rapid in the 2Bw horizon, and very rapid in the 2C horizon
Runoff: very high

USE AND VEGETATION:
Use: wildlife habitat, recreation, and subsistence
Native vegetation: reindeer lichen, greygreen reindeer lichen, dwarf birch, Flavocetraria cucullata, Flavocetraria nivalis, marsh Labrador tea, star reindeer lichen, witch's hair lichen, cetraria lichen, black crowberry, bryocaulon lichen, tomentose snow lichen

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: 2 to 40 cm (1 to 16 in)

Umbric epipedon: 2 to 22 cm (1 to 9 in) (A and Bw horizons)

Lithologic discontinuity: 22 to 65 cm (9 to 26 in) (2C and 2Cr horizons)

Paralithic contact: 40 to 65 cm (16 to 26 in) (2Cr horizon)

ADDITIONAL DATA:

User pedon ID: 2021AK290617

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.