LOCATION ZOLOTOI AK

Established Series
Rev. MJM/JPM
02/2022

ZOLOTOI SERIES

The Zolotoi series consists of deep well-drained soils formed in pyroclastic deposits and gravelly basalt residuum. Zolotoi soils are on dipslopes and wide valley bottoms. Zolotoi soils are characterized by bimodal pedons consisting of hummock and interhummock. Slopes range from 0 to 8 percent. Mean annual air temperature is about 35 degrees F., and the average annual precipitation is about 24 inches.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial, amorphic Alic Haplocryands

TYPICAL PEDON: Zolotoi silt loam - under forbs and grass vegetation at 240 feet elevation (79 meters) (All colors are for moist soil, pedon described is from earth hummock)

Oe - 0 to 2.5 inches (0 to 6 cm); dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) mucky peat; many very fine and fine roots, few medium roots; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)

A - 2.5 to 5 inches (6 to 13 cm); dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) silt loam; weak fine granular structure; friable; sticky and plastic; common fine and very fine roots, few medium roots; weakly smeary; 5 percent gravel; 5 percent stones; very strongly acid (pH 4.7); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)

Bw - 5 to 18 inches (13 to 46 cm); dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) silt loam; weak thin platy structure; very friable; sticky and plastic; few fine roots; weakly smeary; 5 percent gravel; 5 percent stones; very strongly acid (pH 4.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 15 inches thick)

2C1 - 18 to 21 inches (46 to 53 cm); dark olive brown (2.5Y 3/3) and very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) very fine sandy loam; massive structure; very friable; slightly sticky and slightly plastic; strongly smeary; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (2.5 to 5 inches thick)

3C2 - 21 to 21.5 inches (53 to 55 cm); reddish brown (5YR 4/4) silt loam, massive structure, very friable; slightly-sticky and slightly-plastic; strongly smeary; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (1/2 to 2 inches thick)

4C3 - 21 to 42 inches (55 to 106 cm); dark brown (10YR 4/3) and olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) stony loam; massive structure; firm; slightly-sticky and slightly-plastic; non-smeary; 10 percent gravel, 35 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.3); abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 25 inches thick)

R - 42 inches (105 cm); brown (10YR 4/3) fractured basalt bedrock

TYPE LOCATION: Saint Paul Island Alaska; UTM Zone 2, 536347 E and 6337186 N.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the organic mat ranges from 1 to 4 inches. Coarse fragment content of the O horizon in the interhummock ranges from 15 to 35 percent. Stone content of the O horizon in the interhummock ranges from 15 to 65 percent. Rock fragment content in the organic mat of the hummock is less than 10 percent. The weighted average particle size of the control section is silt loam. The thin band of extremely smeary 5YR 4/4 silt loam described as the 3C2 horizon consistently overlies the 4C3 horizon. Reaction ranges from strongly acid to slightly acid through the profile.

The A horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR; value moist of 2.5 or 3; and chroma moist of 2 or 3. Texture is silt loam, cobbly silt loam, very cobbly silt loam, stony silt loam, very stony silt loam, or extremely stony silt loam. Gravel content ranges from 0 to 35 percent, cobble content ranges from 0 to 45 percent, and stone content ranges from 0 to 65 percent. Reaction is very strongly acid to slightly acid.

The Bw horizon has value moist of 3 or 4, chroma moist of 2, 3 or 4. Gravel content ranges from 0 to 5 percent, cobble content ranges from 0 to 10 percent, and stone content ranges form 0 to 10 percent. Reaction is strongly acid to slightly acid.

The 2C1 horizon has hue of 2.5Y, 7.5YR, 10YR; value moist of 3 or 4, chroma moist of 3 or 4. Texture is silt loam, gravelly silt loam, very fine sandy loam, gravelly very fine sandy loam. Gravel content is 0 to 25 percent; cobble content is 0 to 10 percent. Reaction is moderately to slightly acid

The 3C2 horizon has texture of silt loam or stony loam.

The 4C3 horizon has hue of 10YR, 7.5YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y; value moist of 3, 4, or 5 and chroma moist of 2, 3, or 4. Texture is silt loam, very gravelly silt loam, loam, gravelly loam, or very stony stony loam. Gravel content ranges from 10 to 35 percent, cobble content ranges from 0 to 15 percent, and stone content ranges from 0 to 30 percent. Reaction is moderately acid to neutral.

COMPETING SERIES: none

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Zolotoi soils formed in fine textured pyroclastic material with a substratum of gravelly material derived from basalt. Zolotoi soils develop on wide valley bottoms, lower positions on valley sides, and dipslopes. Slopes range from 0 to 8 percent. The climate is cold maritime. Mean annual air temperature is 35 degrees F. and mean annual precipitation ranges from 19 to 28 inches.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: Einahnuhto series on dipslopes and Tsammana series on footslopes and adjacent beach terraces

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Slow to moderate runoff. Permeability is moderately rapid to rapid over slow.

USE AND VEGETATION: Mostly in grass and forbs dominated by Nootka lupine (Lupinus nootkatensis), Bering hairgrass (Deschampsia cespitosa), and Crowberry (Empetrum nigrum).

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Saint Paul Island, Alaska. The series is of limited extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Saint Paul Island, Alaska, 2000.

REMARKS: Diagnostic layers and features recognized in this profile include: Andic properties in at least 60 percent of the thickness between the mineral soil surface and 24 inches depth. Soil is assumed to have greater than 2.0 cmol/Kg Al3+ in a layer at least 10 cm thick between 25 and 50 cm depth. In the mineralogical control section 8 times the sum of silica plus 2 times the iron (percents by weight by acid oxalate) equals 5 or more and 8 times the silica is more than 2 times the iron. A lithic contact between 40 and 60 inches depth; a cryic temperature regime; and a weighted average substitute particle size class of medial. Assignation to the Alic Haplocryands subgroup is tentative. Properties with significant bimodal expression include coarse fragment content at the surface and depth to bedrock.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.