LOCATION SONDERNA                AK

Established Series
Rev. MHC/DLM
02/2022

SONDERNA SERIES

Depth class: very deep
Drainage class: well drained
Landforms: fan terraces on alluvial fans; fan terraces on alluvial fans on mountains
Parent material: silty eolian deposits over sandy and gravelly alluvium
Elevation: 2,244 to 3,294 feet (684 to 1,004 m)
Slope: 0 to 22 percent
Annual precipitation: 28 to 35 inches (700 to 894 mm)
Annual temperature: 25 degrees F (-4 degrees C)
Frost-free period: 60 to 80 days

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-silty over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive Typic Humicryepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Sonderna very fine sandy loam - on a slope of 12 percent under white spruce/green alder forest. (All colors are for moist soil)

Oi--0 to 3 inches (0 to 8 cm); dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) slightly decomposed plant material; many very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; very strongly acid (pH 4.8); clear wavy boundary.

A--3 to 12 inches (8 to 30 cm); very dark brown (10YR 2/2) and dark brown (10YR 3/3) very fine sandy loam; weak medium granular structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; moderately acid (pH 5.6); abrupt wavy boundary.

Bw1--12 to 14 inches (30 to 36 cm); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) very fine sandy loam; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; 5 mm dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) high chroma redox concentrations (approximately 15 percent of horizon); moderately acid (pH 5.6); abrupt wavy boundary.

2Bw--14 to 21 inches (36 to 53 cm); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) extremely gravelly coarse sand; weak medium subangular blocky structure; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; 45 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.6); gradual wavy boundary.

2C--21 to 60 inches (53 to 76 cm); very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) extremely gravelly coarse sand; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; 45 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.1).

TYPE LOCATION: Delta River Area, Alaska; near the confluence of the Delta River and Phalen Creek; UTM coordinates: Zone 6, Easting 562600, Northing 7023391.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Average annual soil temperature: 32 to 34 degrees F (0.1 to 1.0 degrees C)
Mean summer soil temperature: 36 to 39 degrees F. (2 to 4 degrees C)
Depth to strongly contrasting textural stratification: 14 to 26 inches (36 to 66 cm)

Oi horizon:
Colorhue of 2.5YR to 10YR; value of 2 to 3; chroma of 1 to 4
Organic matter content65 to 90 percent
Reactionextremely acid to strongly acid

A horizon:
Colorhue of 10YR to 5Y; value of 2 to 3; chroma of 2 or 3
Texturesilt loam; very fine sandy loam
Clay content5 to 10 percent
Silt content55 to 65 percent
Sand content35 to 75 percent
Organic matter content4 to 10 percent
Rock fragments0 to 5 percent rounded very strongly cemented gravel
Reactionextremely acid to moderately acid

Bw horizon:
Colorhue of 10YR or 2.5Y; value of 4 or 5; chroma of 3 to 6
Texturesilt loam; very fine sandy loam
Clay content5 to 10 percent
Silt content55 to 65 percent
Sand content35 to 75 percent
Organic matter content4 to 10 percent
Rock fragments0 to 5 percent rounded very strongly cemented gravel
Reactionextremely acid to moderately acid

2Bw horizon:
Colorhue of 10YR or 2.5Y; value of 4 or 5; chroma of 3 to 6
Textureextremely cobbly coarse sand; very gravelly loamy sand; extremely gravelly coarse sand
Clay content0 to 5 percent
Silt content0 to 15 percent
Sand content80 to 95 percent
Organic matter content1 to 3 percent
Rock fragments30 to 60 percent rounded very strongly cemented gravel; 5 to 30 percent rounded very strongly cemented cobbles
Reactionstrongly acid to neutral

2C horizon:
Colorhue of variegated, 10YR or 2.5Y; value of 3 to 5; chroma of 2 to 4
Textureextremely cobbly coarse sand; very gravelly loamy sand; extremely gravelly coarse sand
Clay content0 to 5 percent
Silt content0 to 15 percent
Sand content80 to 95 percent
Rock fragments30 to 60 percent rounded very strongly cemented gravel; 5 to 30 percent rounded very strongly cemented cobbles
Reactionmoderately acid to slightly alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in this classification.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landforms: fan terraces on alluvial fans; fan terraces on alluvial fans on mountains
Parent material: silty eolian deposits over sandy and gravelly alluvium
Elevation: 2,244 to 3,294 feet (684 to 1,004 m)
Slope: 0 to 22 percent
Annual precipitation: 28 to 35 inches (700 to 894 mm)
Annual temperature: 25 degrees F (-4 degrees C)
Frost-free period: 60 to 80 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include Basaltlake, Elting, and Klute soils. Basaltlake and Elting soils are well drained, very deep and occur on mountains. Klute soils are well drained, very deep, and occur on floodplains.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, low to medium runoff. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to high in the loamy part of the profile and high to very high in the sandy and gravelly part of the profile.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for wildlife habitat and recreation. Native vegetation is white spruce/green alder forest.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 228, Interior Alaska Mountains, Alaska. The series is of small extent.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: WASILLA, ALASKA

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Delta River Area, Alaska, 2005

REMARKS: Diagnostic features and horizons recognized in this profile include:
Umbric epipedon: 3 to 12 inches. (A horizon)
Cambic horizon: 12 to 21 inches. (Bw1 and 2Bw2 horizons)
Lithologic discontinuity: At the upper boundary of Bw1 horizon
Coarse-silty upper part of the particle size control section: 3 to 14 inches, sandy or sandy-skeletal lower part of the particle size control section: 14 to 40 inches
Temperature regime: cryic

ADDITIONAL DATA:

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.