LOCATION WAITABIT                AK

Established Series
Rev. MHC/DLM
02/2022

WAITABIT SERIES

Depth class: very deep
Drainage class: well drained
Landforms: mountains
Parent material: silty eolian deposits over gravelly till
Elevation: 2,671 to 3,438 feet (814 to 1,048 m)
Slope: 22 to 60 percent
Annual precipitation: 28 to 35 inches (712 to 894 mm)
Annual temperature: 25 degrees F (-4 degrees C)
Frost-free period: 50 to 70 days

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive Typic Haplocryods

TYPICAL PEDON: Waitabit silt loam - on a slope of 32 percent under white spruce/green alder forest. (All colors are for moist soil)

Oi--0 to 3 inches (0 to 8 cm); dark reddish brown (5YR 2.5/2) slightly decomposed plant material; many very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; very strongly acid (pH 4.8); clear smooth boundary.

E/Bs--3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 cm); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) and dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) silt loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine, common medium and coarse roots; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); gradual smooth boundary.

2Bs/E--6 to 15 inches (15 to 38 cm); reddish brown (5YR 4/4) and dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) very gravelly sandy loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, fine, and medium roots; 15 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.6); gradual wavy boundary.

2Bs--15 to 35 inches (38 to 89 cm); brown (7.5YR 4/4) very gravelly sandy loam; massive; friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; 30 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.6); gradual wavy boundary.

2C--35 to 60 inches (89 to 152 cm); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) very gravelly sandy loam; massive; friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 30 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0).

TYPE LOCATION: Delta River Area, Alaska; along the upper Delta River about 3.75 miles below Juneau Falls; UTM coordinates: Zone 6, Easting 558427, Northing 7007642.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture class: udic
Average annual soil temperature: 34 to 36 degrees F (1 to 2 degrees C)
Mean summer soil temperature: 36 to 39 degrees F. (2 to 4 degrees C)
Depth to strongly contrasting textural stratification: 0 to 6 inches (1 to 15 cm)

Oi horizon:
Colorhue of 5YR to 10YR; value of 2 to 3; chroma of 1 to 4
Organic matter content65 to 90 percent
Reactionvery strongly acid or strongly acid

E part of E/BS horizon:
Colorvalue of 2 to 4; chroma of 2 or 3
Clay content0 to 10 percent
Silt content55 to 75 percent
Sand content15 to 45 percent
Organic matter content3 to 6 percent
Rock fragments0 to 5 percent subangular strongly cemented gravel
Reactionvery strongly acid or strongly acid

Bs part of E/BS horizon:
Colorhue of 5YR or 7.5YR; value of 3 or 4; chroma of 4 to 6
Clay content0 to 10 percent
Silt content55 to 75 percent
Sand content15 to 45 percent
Organic matter content3 to 6 percent
Rock fragments0 to 5 percent subangular strongly cemented gravel
Reactionvery strongly acid or strongly acid

2Bs horizon:
Colorhue of 5YR or 7.5YR; value of 3 or 4; chroma of 4 to 6
Texturegravelly loam, gravelly sandy loam or loam
Clay content0 to 20 percent
Silt content10 to 40 percent
Sand content50 to 80 percent
Organic matter content0 to 1 percent
Rock fragments10 to 35 percent subangular very strongly cemented gravel; 2 to 10 percent subangular very strongly cemented cobbles
Reactionvery strongly acid to moderately acid

2C horizon:
Colorhue of 10YR to 5Y; value of 3 to 5; chroma of 2 or 3
Texturevery cobbly loam, very gravelly loam or very gravelly sandy loam
Clay content0 to 20 percent
Silt content10 to 40 percent
Sand content45 to 80 percent
Rock fragments10 to 35 percent subangular strongly cemented gravel; 2 to 25 percent subangular strongly cemented cobbles
Reactionmoderately acid or slightly acid

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Deception, Homestead, and Remedios series. Deception, Homestead, and Remedios series have a presumed mean annual soil temperature greater than 36 degrees F.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landforms: mountains
Parent material: silty eolian deposits over gravelly till
Elevation: 2,671 to 3,438 feet (814 to 1,048 m)
Slope: 22 to 60 percent
Annual precipitation: 28 to 35 inches (712 to 894 mm)
Annual temperature: 25 degrees F (-4 degrees C)
Frost-free period: 50 to 70 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include Ogive and Phalarope soils. Ogive soils are somewhat poorly drained, very deep, and occur on mountains. Phalarope soils are well drained, very deep and occur on outwash plains.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, high runoff. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to high.

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:
Albic epipedon: 3 to 6 inches. (E/Bs horizon)
Spodic horizon: 6 to 35 inches. (2Bs/E and 2Bs horizons)
Lithologic discontinuity: At the upper boundary of 2Bs/E horizon
Weight average loamy-skeletal particle size control section: 10 to 40 inches below the mineral soil surface
Temperature regime: cryic

ADDITIONAL DATA:

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.