LOCATION TSINA                   AK

Established Series
SDB/MJS
08/2025

TSINA SERIES

Depth class: very deep
Drainage class: well drained
Parent material: organic material over silty loess over gravelly residuum weathered from metamorphic rock
Landscape: mountains
Landform: mountain slopes
Slope: 15 to 70 percent
Mean annual precipitation: about 600 mm (24 in)
Mean annual air temperature: about -3 degrees C (27 F)
Frost-free period: 36 to 103 days

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fragmental, mixed, subgelic Typic Gelorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Tsina very channery silt loam in a willow and resin birch community on an east facing convex, convex backslope on a slope of 20 percent and an elevation of 1335m (4375 ft).

Oi--0 to 6 cm (0 to 2 in); slightly decomposed plant material, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots throughout; common medium dendritic tubular pores; strongly acid (pH 5.1); clear smooth boundary (3 to 7 cm, 1 to 3 in)

Oa--6 to 15 cm (2 to 6 in); highly decomposed plant material, black (7.5YR 2.5/1) moist; nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots throughout; common medium dendritic tubular pores; strongly acid (pH 5.3); clear smooth boundary (3 to 10 cm, 1 to 4 in)

A--15 to 20 cm (6 to 8 in); very channery silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; nonsmeary; common very fine and fine roots throughout; common medium dendritic tubular pores; 20 percent gravel and 30 percent channers by volume; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear smooth boundary (0 to 10 cm, 0 to 4 in)

Bw--20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 in); very channery silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; nonsmeary; common medium dendritic tubular pores; 20 percent gravels by volume, 30 percent channers by volume; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt smooth boundary (4 to 11 cm, 2 to 4 in)

2C--30 to 200 cm (12 to 79 in); extremely channery loamy sand, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; nonsmeary; common medium dendritic tubular pores; 20 percent gravel by volume, 70 percent channers by volume; slightly acid (pH 6.4). (112 to 140 cm, 44 to 55 in)

TYPE LOCATION: North Copper River Soil Survey Area, Alaska; latitude 61.53947, longitude -144.56043, UTM 6825306.07 north and UTM 629681.09 east, zone 6, Datum WGS84.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture regime: udic
Soil temperature regime: cryic
Mean annual soil temperature: -1 to 5 degrees C. (30 to 41 degrees F)
Thickness of organic material: 6 to 17 cm (2 to 7 in)
Thickness of ochric epipedon: 6 to 27 cm (2 to 11 in)
Depth to lithologic discontinuity: 10 to 38 cm (4 to 15 in)

Oi, Oe, and Oa horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 2 to 3
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: slightly decomposed organic material, moderately decomposed organic material, highly decomposed organic material.
Organic matter: 60 to 90 percent
Reaction class: very strongly acid to strongly acid (pH 4.5 to 5.5)

A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 2 to 3
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: sandy loam, gravelly loam, very channery silt loam
Sand: 4 to 52 percent
Silt: 38 to 86 percent
Clay: 10 to 16 percent
Rock fragments: 2 to 53 percent
Gravels: 2 to 21 percent
Channers: 0 to 32 percent
Organic matter: 1 to 5 percent
Reaction class: moderately acid to slightly acid (pH 5.6 to 6.5)

Bw horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 5
Chroma: 2 to 3
Texture: sandy loam, channery loam, very channery silt loam
Sand: 4 to 50 percent
Silt: 40 to 86 percent
Clay: 10 to 16 percent
Rock fragments: 10 to 53 percent
Gravels: 7 to 21 percent
Channers: 3 to 32 percent
Organic matter: 0.5 to 1 percent
Reaction class: moderately acid to neutral (pH 6.0 to 7.0)

C horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 3 to 5
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: extremely cannery loamy sand, extremely cannery sandy loam, flaggy
Sand: 62 to 82 percent
Silt: 7 to 28 percent
Clay: 4 to 11 percent
Rock fragments: 85 to 95 percent
Gravels: 18 to 23 percent
Flagstones: 67 to 72 percent
Organic matter: 0.05 to 0.15 percent
Reaction class: moderately acid to neutral (pH 6.0 to 7.0)

COMPETING SERIES: there are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation: 800 to 1600 meters (2625 to 5250 ft)
Parent material: organic material over silty loess over gravelly residuum weathered from metamorphic rock
Landform: mountain slopes
Slopes: 15 to 70 percent
Mean annual precipitation: 300 to 1400 mm (12 to 55 in)
Mean annual air temperature: -5 to -1 degrees C. (23 to 30 F)
Frost-free period: 36 to 103 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cirquecreek, Fields, Greylingcreek, Mentasta, Stibnite, and Tasta soils.
Cirquecreek soils are well drained, have a cambic horizon, and occur on saddles and mountain slopes.
Fields soils have a mollic epipedon, lithic contacts within 2 m (79 in) of the soil surface, and occur on mountain slopes and hillslopes.
Greylingcreek soils are excessively drained, have very stony parent material, and occur on moraines and mountain valleys.
Mentasta soils are well drained, have a loess cap, and occur on till covered hillslopes
Stibnite soils are well drained, have a 15 to 35 cm (6 to 14 in) cambic horizon, and occur on till plains, mountains, kames and kettles.
Tasta soils are well drained, have very gravelly mollic epipedons, and occur on mountain slopes above 800 m (2600 ft) elevation.

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

Runoff: high

USE AND VEGETATION:
Use: wildlife habitat, recreation, and subsistence
Native vegetation: Tealeaf willow, resin birch, and moss

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 228 Interior Alaska mountains.
Extent: moderate

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Wasilla, Alaska

SERIES ESTABLISHED: North Copper River Soil Survey, Alaska, 2024.

REMARKS: Diagnostic features and horizons recognized in this profile include:

Particle-size control section: 40 to 115 cm (16 to 45 in)

ochric epipedon: 0 to 20 cm (0 to 8 in) (Oi, Oa, and A horizons)

Lithologic discontinuity: 30 to 200 cm (12 to 79 in) (2C horizon)

ADDITIONAL DATA:

User pedon Id: 2022AK261139

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.