LOCATION KILLEY AK

Established Series
Rev. DBS-SR-JPM
5/93

KILLEY SERIES

The Killey series consists of very deep, very poorly drained soils formed in stratified loamy alluvium overlying sandy and gravelly alluvium. Killey soils are on floodplains. Slopes range from 0 to 4 percent. The mean annual temperature is about 34 degrees F. The mean annual precipitation is about 27 inches.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal,
mixed, acid Typic Cryaquents

TYPICAL PEDON: Killey silt loam-on a 2 percent slope under forest vegetation.

Oi--2 inches to 0; dark reddish brown (5YR 2/2) mat of slightly decomposed organic materials; many fine roots; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)

A--0 to 3 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) silt loam, weak fine granular structure; very friable; few medium faint dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) mottles; many roots; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)

C1--3 to 10 inches; olive brown (2.5YR 4/4) silt loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; common medium faint dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) and common fine distinct brown (7.5YR 4/4) mottles; few thin strata of fine sand; common roots; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)

C2--10 to 26 inches; olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) and dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) fine sandy loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; common medium distinct brown (7.5YR 4/4) mottles; few roots; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 20 inches thick)

C3--26 to 36 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) fine sand; single grain; loose; few thin strata of silt; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 16 inches thick)

C4--36 to 60 inches; olive gray (5Y 4/2) very gravelly coarse sand; single grain; loose.

TYPE LOCATION: Susitna Valley Area, Alaska; approximately 11 miles west of Talkeetna; SW 1/4, SW 1/4, section 32, T.26N., R.6W., Seward Meridian.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to the underlying sandy or gravelly material ranges from 20 to 40 inches. The upper part of the control section consists of strata of silt loam, fine sandy loam, and sandy loam. The strata vary in thickness and arrangement. Fine stratification within any horizon is common. Upon mixing, the particle size of the upper part of the control section is coarse-loamy. Mottling commonly occurs throughout the profile. The water table is commonly between 10 and 20 inches during the growing season; however, it will range to 40 inches in profiles with altered drainage due to natural lowering of the water table. Reaction throughout the profile is very strongly to moderately acid.

The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR and value moist from 1 to 4.

The upper C horizons have hue of 10YR to 5Y, value moist from 3 to 5, and chroma moist from 1 to 4.

The lower C horizons have hue from 10YR to 5Y. Texture is sand or coarse sand. Coarse fragment content increases with depth below 40 inches and ranges from 5 to 60 percent. Coarse fragments are mostly coarse gravel. This material extends to several feet in depth.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Sinuk (T) series in the same family. Sinuk (T) soils have a mean annual soil temperature below 32 degrees F. Gustavus (T) soils are nonacid and have calcareous underlying material.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Killey soils are on floodplains. The slope is commonly less than 2 percent but ranges to 4 percent. The soil formed is stratified loamy alluvium overlying gravelly and sandy alluvium. The mean annual temperature ranges from 32 to 36 degrees F., and the averageannual precipitaion ranges from 20 to 38 inches.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Very poorly drained. Slow runoff. Moderate permeability in the surface layers and rapid in the underlying material. The soils are subject to flooding.

USE AND VEGETATION: Sparse forest of white spruce and balsam poplar. Understory includes willows, bluejoint grass, and associated plants. Some areas are used for hay and pasture.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southcentral Alaska. The series is of moderate extent.

MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Anchorage, Alaska

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kenai - Kasilof Area, Alaska. 1960.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: saturated conditions during part of the year; mottling and matrix chromas of 2 or less from 0 to 3 inches; coarse-loamy material from 10 to 26 inches; sandy or sandy-skeletal material from 26 to 40 inches; pH less than 5.5 (H2O,1:1) throughout the control section.

The Killey series now incorporates the concept of the Anchor Point series.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.

Contact: Mike Gracz Kenai Watershed Forum  PO Box 15301 Fritz Creek, AK  99603 907-235-2218

04 May 2007 10:21