LOCATION SULUA AK
Established Series
Rev CAP
06/2025
SULUA SERIES
Depth class: very deep
Drainage class: very poorly drained
Parent material: mucky peat herbaceous organic material over mucky herbaceous organic material over gravelly loamy till
Landscape: Islands
Landform: plains and hills in depressions, drainageways, and swales
Slopes: 0 to 7 percent
Mean annual precipitation: about 800 mm (32 in)
Mean annual temperature: 4 degrees C. (39 degrees F.)
Frost-free season: 20 to 50 days
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, euic Terric Cryosaprists
TYPICAL PEDON: Sulua mucky peat - grass herbaceous depression at elevation 105 meters (350 feet). (All colors are for moist soil, unless otherwise noted.)
Oe1--0 to 9 centimeters (0 to 4 inches); black (10YR 2/1), dark gray (10YR 4/1), dry; mucky peat; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine, fine, and common medium throughout; moderately acid (pH 5.6); clear smooth boundary.
Oe2--9 to 42 centimeters (4 to 17 inches); dark brown (10YR 3/3) moderately decomposed plant material; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many fine, and medium coarse roots throughout; strongly acid (pH 5.1); gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness 0 to 46 cm, 0 to 18 in thick)
Oa1--42 to 65 centimeters (17 to 26 inches); muck; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common fine and medium roots throughout; strongly acid (pH 5.1); clear smooth boundary.
Oa2--65 to 155 centimeters (2 to 61. inches); very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) muck; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common fine roots throughout; strongly acid (pH 5.5); abrupt irregular boundary. (Combined thickness is 70 to 130 cm, 27 to 51 in thick)
2Cg--155 to 200 centimeters (61 to 79 inches); pale olive (5Y 6/3) very gravelly sandy loam; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, nonplastic; 50 percent gravel and 5 percent cobble; strongly acid (pH 5.5).
TYPE LOCATION: Kodiak Archipelago Soil Survey Area, Alaska; Latitude 57 degrees 28 minutes 7.00 seconds and Longitude 154 degrees 8 minutes 31.00 seconds west, UTM north 6370127.05 and UTM east 431505.48, zone 5, Datum WGS84.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture regime: udic
Mean annual soil temperature: 1.6 to 3.3 degrees C. (34.8 to 37.9 degrees F.)
Thickness of surface organic material: 1 to 25 cm (1 to 10 in)
Depth to sapric materials: 0 to 46 cm (0 to 18 in)
Depth to gravelly till: 70 to 175 cm (27 to 69 in)
Depth to aquic conditions: 0 to 25 cm ( 0 to 10 in)
Oa, Oe, Oi horizon surface horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR to 10 YR
Value: 2 to 5
Chroma: 1 to 4
Texture: slightly, moderately, or highly decomposed plant material
Organic matter: 60 to 90 percent
Reaction class: extremely acid to moderately acid (pH 3.5 to 6.0)
Oa horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR to 10 YR
Value: 2 to 5
Chroma: 1 to 4
Texture: slightly, moderately, or highly decomposed plant material
Organic matter: 60 to 90 percent
Reaction class: extremely acid to moderately acid (pH 3.5 to 6.0)
Oe, Oi horizons, where present:
Hue: 7.5YR to 10 YR
Value: 2 to 5
Chroma: 1 to 4
Texture: slightly, moderately, or highly decomposed plant material
Organic matter: 60 to 90 percent
Reaction class: extremely acid to moderately acid (pH 3.5 to 6.0)
3C horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, or 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 1 to 4
Texture: sandy loam, fine sandy loam, coarse sandy loam, loamy sand, loamy coarse sand, or their very or extremely gravelly analogues
Sand: 50 to 85 percent
Clay: 2 to 10 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 80 percent
Reaction Class: extremely acid to slightly acid (pH 3.5 to 6.5)
Some pedons have medial silt loam horizons above the loamy-skeletal till substratum and/or sandy-skeletal outwash substratum.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Chillybu (ID),
Maybeso (AK), and
Shand (AK) series.
Chillybu soils have mean annual precipitation less than 410 mm (16 in), have frost free periods less than 20 days, and occur on flood plains.
Maybeso soils have mean annual air temperature greater than 6 degrees C. (43 degrees F.)and occur on broad ridgetops, hillslopes, backslopes, footslopes, and toeslopes.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation: 5 to 365 meters (15 to 1205 feet)
Parent material: mucky peat herbaceous organic material over mucky herbaceous organic material over gravelly loamy till
Landform: plains and hills in depressions, drainageways, and swales
Slope: 0 to 7 percent
Mean annual precipitation: 600 to 2000 mm (23 to 79 in)
Mean annual temperature: 0 to 6 degrees C. (32 to 43 degrees F.)
Frost free period: 20 to 50 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Akalura,
Aleneva,
Alitak,
Koniag,
Olds,
Rezanof,
Pasagshak,
Salonie, Sulua,
Terror Lake,
Tonki,
Tungalara,
Wineskey, and
Yukuk series.
Akalura soils lack thick organic horizons, have cambic horizons, lack aquic conditions within 150 cm (60 in), and occur on upland landform positions.
Aleneva soils lack thick organic horizons, have cambic horizons, lack aquic conditions within 41 cm (16 in), have sandy-skeletal till or outwash substratum, and occur on upland landform positions.
Alitak soils lack gravelly till or outwash substratum and occur on similar landform positions.
Koniag soils lack thick organic horizons, have cambic horizons, lack aquic conditions within 150 cm (60 in), and occur on upland landform positions.
Olds soils have histic epipedons over medial volcanic materials and skeletal till and occur in upland landform positions.
Rezanof soils lack thick organic horizons, have mollic epipedons, have cambic horizons, lack aquic conditions within 150 cm (60 in), and occur on upland landform positions.
Pasagshak soils lack thick organic horizons, have sandy-skeletal control sections, lack aquic conditions less than 41 cm (16 in), and occur on slightly higher flood plains and drainageways.
Sulua soils have sapric organic materials and occur on similar landform positions.
Salonie soils lack thick organic horizons, have sandy-skeletal control sections, and occur on slightly higher flood plains and drainageways.
Terror Lake soils lack thick organic horizons, have cambic horizons, lack aquic conditions within 41 cm (16 in), and occur on upland landform positions.
Tonki soils lack thick organic horizons, have andic properties, and occur on slightly higher flood plains and drainageways.
Tungalara soils lack thick organic horizons, have cambic horizons, lack aquic conditions within 150 cm (60 in), have sandy-skeletal till or outwash substratum, and occur on upland landform positions.
Wineskey soils lack thick organic horizons, have cambic horizons, lack aquic conditions less than 41 cm (16 in), have silty and loamy glaciofluvial and/or lacustrine substratum, and occur on slightly higher landform positions.
Yukuk soils lack thick organic horizons, have andic properties, have sandy-skeletal control sections, and occur on slightly higher flood plains and drainageways.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Drainage class: Very poorly drained
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: moderately high or high in the Oe and Oa horizons and high or very high in the 2C.
Permeability: moderate to very rapid in the Oe and Oa horizons and moderate to very rapid 2C horizons.
Runoff: negligible to very low.
Ponding, duration, and depth: none to frequently with brief to very long and 0 to 61 cm (0 to 24 in).
Flooding and duration: none to frequently with brief to long.
Hydric Indicators: A2 Histic epipedon, A6 Organic bodies, and A8 Muck presence
USE AND VEGETATION:
The natural vegetation is dominantly sedges and water tolerant grasses. The principal use is grazing, but most areas are used only by wildlife.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 220, Kodiak Archipelago, Alaska.
Extent: moderate.
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Wasilla, Alaska
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kodiak Archipelago Soil Survey, Alaska, 2024.
REMARKS: Diagnostic features and horizons recognized in this profile include:
Hemic organic material: 0 to 46 cm (0 to 18 in) (mucky peat hemic plant material) (Oe horizon)
Sapric organic material: 46 to 155 cm (18 to 61 in) (mucky sapric plant material) (Oa horizon)
Lithological discontinuity (Glacial till): 155 to 200 cm (61 to 79 in)
ADDITIONAL DATA:
User pedon Id: 09AO 06102
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.