LOCATION WAGONBOXCREEK AK
Established Series
MPS/SAS/TJR
02/2022
WAGONBOXCREEK SERIES
Landscape--lava field
Landform--swales
Slope--0 to 25 percent
Parent material--volcanic ash and basalt over colluvium
Mean annual precipitation--about 475 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about -3 degrees C
Depth class--very deep
Drainage class--well drained
Soil moisture regime--udic
Soil temperature regime--cryic
Soil moisture subclass--typic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial over loamy, amorphic over isotic Typic Fulvicryands
TYPICAL PEDON: Wagonboxcreek medial silt loam on a west southwest facing linear, linear on a swale, on a slope of 22 percent at an elevation of 177 m (The soil was moist throughout when described on June 20, 2016.)
Oi--0 to 9 cm; slightly decomposed plant material, reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) dry, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine, coarse, and very coarse and many medium and fine roots throughout; extremely acid (pH 3.9); clear smooth boundary
A--9 to 21 cm; medial silt loam, dark gray (7.5YR 4/1) dry, black (7.5YR 2.5/1) moist; moderate fine granular structure; friable, slightly sticky, nonplastic; common very fine, fine, and very coarse and many medium roots throughout; common fine irregular pores; extremely acid (pH 4.4); abrupt smooth boundary
Bhs--21 to 40 cm; gravelly medial silt loam, brown (7.5YR 4/2) dry, very dark brown (7.5YR 2.5/2) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, nonplastic; common very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots throughout; common fine irregular pores; 2 percent subangular cobbles by volume, 4 percent subrounded fine gravel by volume, 9 percent subrounded gravel by volume; strongly acid (pH 5.5); clear wavy boundary
Bw--40 to 66 cm; gravelly medial very fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/3) dry, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common fine and medium roots throughout; few fine irregular pores; 5 percent subrounded fine gravel by volume, 10 percent subangular cobbles by volume, 15 percent subrounded gravel by volume; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary
2C--66 to 150 cm; gravelly very fine sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; structureless massive; very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; 2 percent subangular cobbles by volume, 6 percent subrounded fine gravel by volume, 10 percent subrounded gravel by volume; slightly acid (pH 6.3)
TYPE LOCATION: Nome Census Area County, Alaska, latitude 63.3415300, longitude -161.9753700 degrees, datum WGS84 (Coordinates determined with a GPS unit)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--1 to 3 degrees C
Soil moisture control section--dry less than 45 consecutive days in June through October
Umbric epipedon thickness--25 to 57cm
Cambic horizon thickness--15 to 45 cm
Thickness of zone with andic soil properties--36 to 57cm
Layers influenced by volcanic ash
*Thickness--36 to 57 cm
*Phosphorous retention--85 to 100 percent
*Bulk density--0.45 to 0.9 g/cm3
*Ammonium oxalate Al plus 1/2 Fe--2.0 to 4.0 percent
*Volcanic glass content--1 to 20 percent
*8 x Si plus 2 x Fe--5 to 10 percent
Particle Size Control Section:
*Clay--3 to 12 percent
*Total fragments--0 to 35 percent gravels, cobbles, or stones
Oi horizon
Thickness--7 to 14 cm
A horizon
Hue--7.5YR, or 10YR
Value--2.5 to 3 moist, 4 to 5 dry
Chroma--1 to 2
Fine-earth texture--silt or silt loam
Clay--3 to 10 percent
Sand--8 to 45 percent
Organic carbon--5 to 12 percent
Total rock fragment content--0 to 35 percent cobbles
Bulk density--0.5 to 0.9 g/cm3
Al plus 1/2 Fe--2 to 4 percent
Volcanic glass content--0 to 20 percent
Phosphorous retention--85 to 100 percent
Reaction--4.4 to 5.5
Thickness-- 10 to 37cm
Bhs horizon
Hue--5YR or 7.5YR
Value--2.5 to 3 moist, 4 to 5 dry
Chroma--2 or 3
Fine-earth texture--silt, silt loam
Clay--5 to 10 percent
Sand--10 to 45 percent
Organic carbon--3 to 5 percent
Total rock fragment content--0 to 20 percent
Total gravel content--0 to 15 percent
Total cobble content--0 to 5 percent
Bulk density--0.5 to 0.9 g/cm3
Al plus 1/2 Fe--2 to 4 percent
Volcanic glass content--0 to 5 percent
Phosphorous retention--85 to 100 percent
Reaction--5.3 to 5.8
Thickness--5 to 19 cm
Bw horizon
Hue--7.5YR or 10YR
Value--3 to 5 moist, 5 to 7 dry
Chroma--3 to 4
Fine-earth texture--silt, silt loam, very fine sandy loam
Clay--5 to 12 percent
Sand--10 to 60 percent
Organic carbon--1 to 3 percent
Total rock fragment content--15 to 35 percent
Total gravel content--0 to 20 percent
Total cobble content--0 to 15 percent
Total stone content--0 to 35 percent
Bulk density--0.5 to 0.9 g/cm3
Al plus 1/2 Fe--2 to 4 percent
Volcanic glass content--0 to 5 percent
Phosphorous retention--85 to 100 percent
Reaction--5.1 to 6.0
Thickness--10 to 30 cm
2C horizon
Hue-- 10YR or 2.5Y
Value--3 to 4 moist, 5 to 6 dry
Chroma--2 to 3
Fine-earth texture--silt, silt loam, very fine sandy loam
Clay--5 to 12 percent
Sand--10 to 65 percent
Organic carbon--0.5 to 1.5 percent
Total rock fragment content--10 to 35 percent
Total gravel content--0 to 25 percent
Total cobble content--0 to 35 percent
Sodium fluoride pH--greater than or equal to 8.4
Ratio of 1500 kPa water to measured clay--greater than or equal to 0.6
Reaction--5.4 to 6.3
Thickness-75 to 90 cm
COMPETING SERIES: none
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
*Elevation--100 to 400 m
*Climate--warm, moist summers; cold, dry winters
*Mean annual precipitation--400 to 550 mm
*Mean annual air temperature-- -5 to -1 degrees C
*Frost-free period--55 to 90 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
*
Nunaruk-- folistic epipedon, no cambic horizon, no andic soil properties, greater than 90 percent coarse fragments in particle size control section, north-facing backslopes on volcanic cones
*
Penguq--ochric epipedon, no andic soil properties, greater than 35 percent coarse fragments in the particle size control section; south-facing backslopes on volcanic cones
*
Akpik--ochric epipedon, greater than 35 percent coarse fragments in the particle size control section, aquic conditions between 0 to 25cm (poorly drained); lava plains
*
Apun--histic epipedon, depth to permafrost contact 35 to 70cm, no andic soil properties, lava plains
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
*Drainage class--well drained
*Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--very high in the surface organic layer, high or very high throughout the rest of the profile
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--wildlife habitat, recreation, subsistence
Potential native vegetation--Siberian alder, bluejoint, spreading woodfern, woodland horsetail, arctic raspberry, fireweed, beauverd spirea, wideleaf polargrass, shortstalk sedge, stiff clubmoss, bluegrass, ledge stonecrop, cloudberry, feltleaf willow, Barclay's willow, tealeaf willow, arctic starflower, dwarf marsh violet
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Nulato Hills-Southern Seward Peninsula Highlands, Alaska; MLRA 240; small extent
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: WASILLA, ALASKA
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Nulato Hills BLM area, Nome Census Area, Alaska; 2021
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon
*Particle-size control section--zone from 9 to 109 cm
*Umbric epipedon--zone from 9 to 40 cm
*Cambic horizon--zone from 40 to 66 cm
*Andic soil properties-- zone from 9 to 66 cm
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.