LOCATION SHOVEL CREEK AK
Established Series
MJS/CBB
11/2024
SHOVEL CREEK SERIES
Depth class: very deep
Drainage class: well drained
Parent material: sandy and gravelly alluvium derived from metamorphic and sedimentary rock
Landscape: river valleys
Landform: flood plains
Slopes: 0 to 3 percent
Mean annual precipitation: about 450 mm (18 in)
Mean annual air temperature: about -3 degrees C. (37 degrees F.)
Frost-free period: 70 to 90 days
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed Typic Cryofluvents
TYPICAL PEDON: Shovel Creek sandy loam in a willow and moss floodplain on a linear, linear terrace tread on a slope of 0 percent at an elevation of 148 m (485 ft)
Oi--0 to 5 cm (0 to 2 in); slightly decomposed plant material, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; slightly acid (pH 6.3); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 10 cm, 1 to 4 in thick)
Oa--5 to 8 cm (2 to 3 in); highly decomposed plant material, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 4 cm, 0 to 2 in thick)
Bw--8 to 12 cm (3 to 5 in); sandy loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly hard, nonsticky, nonplastic; nonfluid; 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 14 cm, 1 to 6 in thick)
C1--12 to 70 cm (5 to 28 in); very gravelly sand, variegated dark gray (10YR 4/1) moist, gray (10YR 6/1) dry; single grain; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; nonfluid; 40 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.9); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 75 cm, 6 to 30 in thick)
C2--70 to 200 cm (28 to 79 in); extremely gravelly sand, variegated dark gray (10YR 4/1) moist, gray (10YR 6/1) dry; single grain; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; nonfluid; 70 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4). (97 to 178 cm, 38 to 70 in thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Nulato Hills - Continental Divide and Blackburn Hills Soil Survey Area, Alaska; latitude 64 degrees 21 minutes 13.58 seconds north, longitude 160 degrees 26 minutes 15.37 seconds west, datum WGS84, UTM north 7137221.79 and UTM east 430592.07, zone 4W, datum WGS84.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture regime: udic
Soil temperature regime: cryic
Mean annual soil temperature: 0 to 3 degrees C. (32 to 37 degrees F.)
Thickness of organic material: 3 to 14 cm (1 to 6 in)
Thickness of ochric epipedon: 7 to 28 cm (3 to 11 in)
Oi and Oa horizons:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 2 to 4 moist, 4 to 6 dry
Chroma: 1 to 6
Texture: slightly, moderately, or highly decomposed plant material
Organic matter: 60 to 90 percent
Reaction class: strongly acid to slightly acid (pH 5.1 to 6.5)
Bw horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 3 to 5 moist, 5 to 7 dry
Chroma: 1 to 4
Texture: sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or silt loam
Sand: 10 to 80 percent
Silt: 0 to 80 percent
Clay: 4 to 20 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 14 percent
Gravels: 0 to 14 percent
Organic matter: 1 to 6 percent
Reaction class: strongly acid to neutral (pH 5.1 to 6.8)
C1 horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 2 to 4 moist, 4 to 6 dry
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: sand, loamy fine sand, fine sandy loam or their gravelly analogues
Sand: 55 to 99 percent
Silt: 0 to 44 percent
Clay: 1 to 10 percent
Rock fragments: 15 to 55 percent
Gravels: 5 to 55 percent
Cobbles: 0 to 10 percent
Organic matter: 0.4 to 3 percent
Reaction class: strongly acid to neutral (pH 5.1 to 6.8)
C2 horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 3 to 4 moist, 5 to 6 dry
Chroma: 1 to 2
Texture: sand, loamy coarse sand or their gravelly analogues
Sand: 71 to 99 percent
Silt: 0 to 28 percent
Clay: 1 to 5 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 85 percent
Gravels: 35 to 85 percent
Organic matter: 0.1 to 2.5 percent
Reaction class: strongly acid to neutral (pH 5.1 to 6.8)
Some pedons have stratified textures at depths greater than 37 cm (15 in).
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Chenega,
Hollow,
Kidazqeni,
Malmesbury,
Stratify,
Togiak, and Willowriver (AK) series.
Chenega soils have a mean annual precipitation of 1150 to 2550 mm (45 to 100 in), are somewhat excessively drained, and occur on flood plains, stream terraces, and alluvial fans.
Hollow soils are calcareous in the control section, are somewhat poorly drained, have frequent flooding frequency, and occur on flood plains and outwash plains.
Kidazqeni soils have a thin mantle of stratified loamy and sandy alluvium at depths between 2 to 8 cm (1 to 3 in), are moderately well or well drained, and occur on flood plains, stream terraces, and alluvial fans.
Malmesbury soils have olive to olive grey moist colors in at depths below 51 cm (20 in), buried O horizons, a mean annual air temperature of 7 degrees C. (45 degrees F.), and occur on flood plains and stream terraces.
Stratify soils have very gravelly sand stratified with thin lenses of silt loam and fine sandy loam in the substratum, substantial mica content in the profile, are moderately well drained, and occur on flood plains and low terraces.
Togiak soils have a mean annual precipitation of about 760 mm (30 in), are somewhat excessively drained, and occur on beach berms of shore complexes.
Willowriver soils have a buried cambic horizon at depths between 25 to 93 cm (10 to 37 in), occasional flooding frequency, and occur on similar landforms
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation: 50 to 330 meters (164 to 1080 feet)
Parent material: sandy and gravelly alluvium derived from metamorphic and sedimentary rock
Landform: flood plains
Slopes: 0 to 3 percent
Mean annual precipitation: 300 to 500 mm (12 to 20 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 Willowriver,
Uliktuk, Sardinecreek,
Oldwomanriver, Napaaktuk, and
Fluffle soils.
Willowriver soils have a buried cambic horizon at depths between 25 to 93 cm (10 to 37 in), occasional flooding frequency, and occur on similar landforms.
Uliktuk soils have aquic conditions at depths between 11 to 100 cm (43 to 40 in), frequent flooding frequency, and occur on similar landforms.
Sardinecreek soils have a folistic epipedon, aquic conditions at depths between 30 to 200 cm (12 to 79 in), a loamy-skeletal particle class size, a gelic soil temperature regime, very rare flooding frequency, and occur on terraces of river valleys.
Oldwomanriver soils have a coarse-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal particle size class, redox concentrations at depths between 7 to 105 cm (3 to 41 in), occasional flooding frequency, and occur on similar landforms.
Napaaktuk soils have a mollic epipedon, a coarse-loamy particle size class, aquic conditions at depths between 58 to 200 cm (23 to 79 in), occasional flooding frequency, and occur on similar landforms.
Fluffle soils have a cambic horizon at depths between 11 to 200 cm (43 to 79 in), a coarse-loamy particle size class, frequent flooding frequency, and occur on similar landforms.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class: well drained
Flooding: rare
Ponding: none
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: very high in the Oi, Oa, and C2 horizons, moderately high to high in the Bw horizon, and moderately high to very high in the C1 horizon
Permeability: rapid to very rapid in the Oi, Oa, and C2 horizons, moderate to rapid in the Bw horizon, and slow to very rapid in the C1 horizon
Runoff: negligible, very low, or low
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use: wildlife habitat, recreation, and subsistence
Native vegetation: Schreber's big red stem moss, tealeaf willow, shrubby cinquefoil, white spruce, bluejoint, alpine bearberry, northern bedstraw, and larskpurleaf monkshood.
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: 33 to 108 cm (13 to 42 in)
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 12 cm (0 to 5 in) (Oi, Oa, and Bw horizons)
ADDITIONAL DATA:
User pedon ID: 2021AK180789
KSSL lab pedon: S2021AK180909
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.