Official Series Description- Quatal

LOCATION QUTAL AK

Tentative Series

Rev. DVP DRAFT

05/2003

QUTAL SERIES

Depth class: very deep

Drainage class: somewhat poorly drained

Parent material: silty volcanic ash and silty loess over loamy glacial drift

Landform: depressions and discharge slopes of moraines on till plains

Slopes: 0 to 15 percent

Mean annual precipitation: about 25 inches

Mean annual temperature: about 34 degrees F.

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

TYPICAL PEDON: Qutal - on a slope of 2 percent under spruce forest at 317 feet elevation. (All colors are for moist soil unless noted)

Oe--0 to 3 inches; moderately decomposed plant material; many fine, medium, and coarse roots; extremely acid (pH 4.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)

E--3 to 5 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2); silt loam; weak fine granular structure; slightly smeary, nonsticky, nonplastic; many fine, medium, and coarse roots; very strongly acid (pH 4.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)

Bs--5 to 10 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) and dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4); silt loam; medium fine granular structure; very friable, slightly smeary, nonsticky, nonplastic; many fine, medium and few coarse roots; strongly acid (pH 5.2); gradual wavy boundary. (2 to 14 inches thick)

Bw--10 to 24 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4); silt loam; medium fine granular structure; very friable, smeary, nonsticky, nonplastic; few fine and medium coarse roots; strongly acid (pH 5.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 21 inches thick)

2Cg1--24 to 49 inches; olive (5Y 5/3) silt loam; massive; friable, nonsmeary, nonsticky, nonplastic; 10 percent gravel; 7 percent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) mottles with bands and pockets of 7.5YR oxidation zones; strongly acid (pH 5.5); abrupt irregular boundary. (8 to 42 inches thick)

3Cg2--49 to 59 inches; variegated black to white; very gravelly sand; single grain; loose, nonsmeary, nonsticky, nonplastic; 55 percent gravel; moderately acid (pH 5.8); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 31 inches thick)

3C--59 to 80 inches; variegated black to white; sand; single grain; loose, nonsmeary, nonsticky, nonplastic; 13 percent gravel; moderately acid (pH 5.9).

TYPE LOCATION: Western Kenai Peninsula Area, Alaska; about 4 1/2 miles ENE of Ninilchik; in the SW 1/4 of the NW 1/4, section 33, T. 1S., R. 13W; Kenai A-5 SE 1:25,000 quad; Seward Meridian; UTM north 6657678 and UTM east 581858, zone 5.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Particle-size control (section weighted average):

Percent clay in the control section: 2 to 8 percent

Total coarse fragments in the control section: 0 to 30 percent

Soil moisture regime: udic

Mean annual soil temperature: 35 degrees F

Thickness of moderately decomposed plant materials: 2 to 6 inches

Texture of the eolian mantle: silt loam or very fine sandy loam

Texture of the glacial drift substratum: silt loam, fine sandy loam, or sandy loam

Texture of the glaciofluvial underlying layer: sand or loamy sand

E horizon:

Matrix color: hue of 10YR to 2.5Y; value of 3 to 5; chroma of 1 to 2

Texture: silt loam or very fine sandy loam

Coarse fragments: Total coarse fragments 0 to 2 percent, 0 to 2 percent gravel,

Bs horizon:

Matrix color: hue of 10YR to 5YR; value of 3 to 4; chroma of 3 to 4

Texture: silt loam or very fine sandy loam

Coarse fragments: Total coarse fragments 0 to 10 percent, 0 to 10 percent gravel

Bw horizon:

Matrix color: hue of 10YR to 2.5Y; value of 3 to 5; chroma of 3 to 4

Redoximorphic features/Mottles: hue of 7.5YR to 5YR; value of 4 to 5; chroma of 4 to 6

Texture: silt loam, very fine sandy loam, or fine sandy loam

Coarse fragments: Total coarse fragments 0 to 10 percent, 0 to 10 percent gravel, 0 to 5 percent cobbles

2Cg1 horizon:

Matrix color: hue of 2.5Y to 5Y; value of 3 to 5; chroma of 1 to 3

Redoximorphic features/Mottles: hue of 5Y to 5YR; value of 3 to 5; chroma of 1 to 6

Texture: silt loam, fine sandy loam, or loam

Coarse fragments: Total coarse fragments 0 to 25 percent, 0 to 20 percent gravel, 0 to 5 percent cobbles

3C horizons:

Matrix color: hue of 2.5Y to 5Y; value of 2 to 8; chroma of 1 to 3

Texture: sand or loamy sand

Coarse fragments: Total coarse fragments 10 to 60 percent, 5 to 55 percent gravel, 0 to 5 percent cobbles

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Spenard series and the tentative Tuxedni series. Spenard soils have aquic conditions and redoximorphic features within 10 inches of the surface and are very poorly drained. Tuxedni soils do not have albic and spodic horizons.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:

Parent material: silty volcanic ash and silty loess over loamy glacial drift

Landform: depressions and discharge slopes of moraines on till plains

Slope: 0 to 15 percent

Mean annual temperature: 33 to 35 degrees F.

Mean annual precipitation: 15 to 35 inches

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the Cohoe, Whitsol, and Spenard soil series. Cohoe and Whitsol soils are on well drained slopes of moraines. Spenard soils are on very poorly drained toe slopes and foot slopes of moraines and borders of bogs and fens.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: somewhat poorly drained, low to medium runoff. Permeability is moderately rapid in the silty eolian mantle, moderate in the loamy glacial drift, and rapid in the sandy glaciofluvial underlying material when it is present.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for forestry and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation includes Lutz spruce, bluejoint grass, willow, and alder.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 170, MLRA name, The series is of small extent.

MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Anchorage, Alaska

SERIES PROPOSED: Western Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, 2003

REMARKS: Diagnostic features and horizons recognized in this profile include:

Spodic horizon: from 5 to 10 inches.

Andic soils properties: from 3 to 24 inches.

Redoximorphic features: from 24 to 49 inches.

The concept of the Qutal series is that of a somewhat poorly drained phase of the Spenard series.

Temperature regime: cryic

Moisture regime: udic

ADDITIONAL DATA: Sampled as Spenard, somewhat poorly drained, 01AK122006. The sampled profile is the typifying pedon for this series.