LOCATION WHITSOL AK

Established Series
Rev. MHC/JPM/DM
02/2022

WHITSOL SERIES

Depth class: very deep
Drainage class: well drained
Parent material: ash influenced loess mantle overlying gravelly glaciofluvial deposits
Landform: outwash plains, till plains and hills
Slopes: 0 to 60 percent
Mean annual precipitation: 14 to 27 inches.
Mean annual temperature: 33 to 36 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial over loamy, amorphic over mixed, superactive Andic Haplocryods

TYPICAL PEDON: Whitsol silt loam - on a 2 percent slope, under forest. (All colors are for moist soil, textures are apparent field textures)

Oi--0 to 3 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 2/2) slightly decomposed plant material; many roots; mycelia; very strongly acid (pH 4.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)

E--3 to 5 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) silt loam; weak thin platy structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many roots; charcoal fragments; very strongly acid (pH 4.8); abrupt irregular boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)

Bs1--5 to 7 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) silt loam; moderate fine granular structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common roots; patches of brown (7.5YR 4/4); few very fine concretions; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear wavy boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)

Bs2--7 to 14 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) silt loam; weak thin platy structure; friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common roots; slightly smeary when rubbed; streaks and patches of brown (7.5YR 4/4) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/4); strongly acid (pH 5.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)

Eb--14 to 16 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silt loam; weak thin platy structure; friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few roots; strongly acid (pH 5.4); abrupt broken boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)

Bsb--16 to 20 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) and dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) silt loam with convoluted color pattern; few patches of Eb material; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; gritty when rubbed; few roots; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)

BCb--20 to 26 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) and olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) silt loam with convoluted color pattern; weak thin platy structure; friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few roots; few fine pores; strongly acid (pH 5.4); gradual smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)

C1--26 to 37 inches; olive (5Y 4/3) silt loam; moderate thin platy structure; friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine pores; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 20 inches thick)

2C2--37 to 47 inches; olive gray (5Y 4/2) very fine sandy loam; massive; friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few stratas of olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) fine sand; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)

3C3--47 to 60 inches; olive (5Y 4/3) very gravelly coarse sand; single grain; loose; few pockets of silt and fine sand; 35 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; strongly acid (pH 5.4).

TYPE LOCATION: Matanuska-Susitna Valley Area, Alaska; about 1/4 mile east of railroad tracks and 3/4 mile SE of Kashwitna Lake; about 1/2 mile east of the center of section 18, T.20N., R.4W., Seward Meridian.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature: 33 to 36 degrees F.
Solum thickness: 14 to 27 inches.
Volcanic ash and silty loess mantle thickness: 16 to 35 inches
Substratum: loamy sediments which grade into very gravelly substrata
Depth to very gravelly sand or very gravelly loam material: 40 to over 60 inches
Solum: bisequal
Ash influenced loess mantle: presumed bulk density of less than 0.90 grams per cubic centimeter, phosphorous retention greater than 85 percent
Upper C horizons: composed of loamy glacial material that has been reworked by stream action
C horizons below 40 inches: consists of very gravelly coarse sand, stratified sandy and silty material or very gravelly glacial till, less than 18 percent clay

O horizon:
Matrix color: hue of 5YR to 10YR; value of 2 to 4; chroma of 2 to4
Reaction class: extremely acid to strongly acid

A horizon: (where present)
Matrix color: hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 to 4 and chroma of 2 to 4. Texture: silt loam, loam, very fine sandy loam
Reaction class: very strongly acid to moderately acid

E and Eb horizons:
Matrix color: hue of 7.5YR or 2.5Y; value of 4 or 5; chroma of 1 or 2
Texture: silt loam, very fine sandy loam
Reaction class: very strongly acid to moderately acid

Bs or Bsb horizons:
Matrix color: hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 to 5, chroma of 2 to 4
Texture: silt loam, very fine sandy loam
Reaction class: very strongly acid to moderately acid

BCb horizon:
Matrix color: hue of 10YR to 5Y; value of 4 or 5; Chroma of 2 to 4
Texture: silt loam, very fine sandy loam
Reaction class: very strongly acid to moderately acid

2C horizon:
Matrix color: hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 2 to 4
Textures: stratified silt loam, loam, very fine sandy loam, sandy loam, fine sand, sand
Reaction class: strongly acid to slightly acid

3C horizon:
Matrix color: hue of 10YR to 5Y or variegated; value of 3 to 5, chroma of 2 to 4
Texture: coarse sand, sand, sandy loam, loam modified by 35 to 60 percent gravel and cobbles.
Reaction class: strongly acid to slightly acid

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Cohoe, Kenai, Mutnala, and Naptowne series. Cohoe, Kenai, Mutnala, and Naptowne soils lack stratified textures in the substratum.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Drainage class: well drained
Parent material: ash influenced loess mantle overlying gravelly glaciofluvial deposits
Landform: outwash plains, till plains and hills
Slopes: 0 to 60 percent
Mean annual temperature: 33 to 36 degrees F.
Mean annual precipitation: 14 to 27 inches.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Chunilna and Nancy soils. Chunilna soils are very poorly drained and occur in depressions. Nancy soils are well drained and occur on similar landforms

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, very low to high runoff. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to high in the loess mantle and loamy glacial outwash material, and high or very high in the gravelly and sandy material.

USE AND VEGETATION: Forested with paper birch, white spruce, and scattered stands of quaking aspen. A few areas are cleared and used for grass, oats, barley, potatoes, and hardy vegetables.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 224 Cook Inlet Lowlands, South-central Alaska. The series is of moderate extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Susitna Valley Area, Alaska; 1979.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this profile include:
Albic horizons: from 3 to 5 and 14 to 16 inches
Spodic horizons: from 5 to 14 and 16 to 20 inches
Presumed andic materials: from 0 to 37 inches
Lower particle size control section: less than 18 percent clay, more than 15 percent fine and coarser sand
Temperature regime: cryic

Type location was updated to the Matanuska-Susitna Valley Area, Alaska.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.