LOCATION SHORTYCOVE AK
Established Series
MPS/SAS
02/2022
SHORTYCOVE SERIES
Landscape--hills, mountains
Landform--hillslopes, mountain slopes
Slope--7 to 30 percent
Parent material--loess over loamy colluvium
Mean annual precipitation--about 490 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about -3 degrees C
Depth class--very deep
Drainage class--somewhat poorly drained
Soil moisture regime--aquic
Soil temperature regime--cryic
Soil moisture subclass--typic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, isotic, nonacid Aeric Humic Cryaquepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Shortycove silt loam on a southeast facing linear, linear footslope on a slope of 7 percent at an elevation of 313 m (The soil was moist throughout the soil profile when described on September 5, 2019.)
Oa--0 to 8 cm; highly decomposed plant material, brown (7.5YR 4/2) dry, very dark brown (7.5YR 2.5/2) moist; many very fine and fine roots, and common very coarse, coarse, and medium roots; slightly strongly acid (pH 5.3); abrupt smooth boundary
A--8 to 30 cm; silt loam, brown (7.5YR 5/2) dry, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; many very fine and common fine, medium, coarse, and very coarse roots; slightly strongly acid (pH 5.5 ); abrupt wavy boundary
Bw--30 to 43 cm; silt loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; 5 percent fine strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) masses of oxidized iron; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable, nonsticky, slightly plastic; many very fine roots and common fine and medium roots; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary
C--43 to 150 cm; silt loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; 1 percent very fine reticulate strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) masses of oxidized iron and 20 percent medium irregular olive gray (5Y 5/2) iron depletions; massive; very firm, nonsticky, slightly plastic; 3 percent subangular gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2)
TYPE LOCATION: Yukon Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, latitude 63.2606900 longitude -160.2958180 degrees, datum WGS84 (coordinates determined with a GPS unit)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--0 to 3 degrees C
Soil moisture control section--saturated for about two weeks during the growing season at a depth of 25 to 50 cm (udic soil moisture regime)
Thickness umbric epipedon--18 to 30 cm
Particle Size Control Section:
*Clay--6 to 14 percent
*Total rock fragment content--0 to 20 percent subangular gravels
*Sodium fluoride pH--8.4 to 11.6
*Ratio of 1500 kPa water to measured clay--0.6 to 6.0
Oa horizon
Thickness--2 to 10 cm
A horizon
Hue--7.5YR or 10YR
Value--2.5 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry
Chroma--2 or 3
Fine-earth texture--silt loam, silt
Clay--5 to 12 percent
Sand--5 to 30 percent
Organic carbon--5 to 12 percent
Reaction--4.9 to 5.8
Thickness--5 to 22 cm
Bw horizon
Hue--10YR or 7.5YR
Value--3 or 4 moist, 5 or 6 dry
Chroma--4 to 6
Fine-earth texture--silt loam, silt
Clay--5 to 12 percent
Sand--15 to 35 percent
Organic carbon--2 to 5 percent
Total rock fragment content--0 to 3 percent gravel
Volcanic ash content--0 to 3 percent
Reaction--5.0 to 6.5
Thickness--10 to 45 cm
C horizon
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y
Value--4 to 6 moist, 6 to 8 dry
Chroma--3 to 6
Fine-earth texture--silt loam, silt, loam
Clay--8 to 15 percent
Sand--15 to 50 percent
Organic carbon--1 to 2 percent
Total rock fragment content--0 to 20 percent gravel
Reaction--5.3 to 6.5
Thickness--95 to 120 cm
COMPETING SERIES: none
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
*Elevation--50 to 600 m
*Climate--warm, moist summers; cold, dry winters
*Mean annual precipitation--390 to 640 mm
*Mean annual air temperature-- -5 to -1 degrees C
*Frost-free period--55 to 90 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Blackpoint--coarse fragments range above 35 percent, moderately deep to paralithic contact, soil temperature ranges to 4 degrees C; backslopes of hills and mountains
Pokercreek--poorly drained, gelic soil temperature regime; similar landscape position
Cilla--moderately well drained, coarse fragments range above 35 percent, ochric epipedon; hillslopes and lower mountain slopes
Tuma--folistic epipedon, moderately well drained; nose slopes and shoulders on hills
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
*Drainage class--somewhat poorly drained
*Saturation during normal years--saturated for about two weeks during the growing season at a depth of 25 to 50 cm
*Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--very high in the organic soil surface layer, moderately high throughout the rest of the profile
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--wildlife habitat, recreation, subsistence
Potential native vegetation--white spruce, Siberian alder, tealeaf willow, Barclay's willow, field horsetail, bunchberry dogwood, running clubmoss, violet, bog blueberry, beaverd spirea, bluejoint, splendid feather moss, polytrichum moss, dwarf birch, fireweed, red currant, dwarf raspberry, common ladyfern
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Yukon-Kuskokwim Highlands, Alaska; MLRA 230; moderate extent
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: WASILLA, ALASKA
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Nulato Hills BLM area, Yukon Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska; 2021
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon
*Particle-size control section--zone from 33 to 108 cm
*Umbric epipedon--zone from 8 to 30 cm
*Redoximorphic iron concentrations--zone from 30 to 150 cm
*Redoximorphic iron depletions--zone from 43 to 150 cm
*Aquic conditions--zone from 43 to 150 cm
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.