Ministry of Environment Q0-%0r"flLS 0F THE ER-FORT FRASER MAP AREA MOE Technical Report 1 Report No. 46 British Columbia Soil Survey P F Epp, P Ag. and E. Kenk, R.P F SURVEYS AND RESOURCE MAPPING BRANCH Victoria, B:C. April 1983 Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data Epp, P . F . (Philip Frank) Soils of the Manson River-Fort Fraser area (MOE technical report, ISSN 0821-0942 ; 1) (British Columbia soil survey, ISSN 0375-5886 ; report no . 46) Bibliography : p . ISBN 0-7719-9274-2 1 . Soils - British Columbia - Manson River Region . 2 . Soils - British Columbia - Manson River Region - Maps . 3 . Soils - British Columbia - Fort Fraser Region . 4 . Soils - British Columbia - Fort Fraser Region - Maps . I . Kenk, E . (Evert), 1951- . II . British Columbia . Ministry of Environment . III . Title . IV . Series . V . Series : British Columbia soil survey ; report no . 46 . S599 .1 .B7E66 631 .4'7'7111 C83-092213-X © Copyright 1983 . B .C . Ministry of Environment . First Printing 1983 . &esign & La t SURVEYS AND RESOURCE MAPPING BRANCH iil PREFACE Soils and their suitability for various purposes form an integral part of making decisions in land-use planning and management . A reconnaissance soil survey of the Manson River-Fort Fraser map area (93N and 93K/N1/2) was thus initiated in 1973 to provide basic soils information for this area as well as generating Information required for the production of land capability for forestry maps under the Canada Land Inventory program . Four products have resulted from this study . They are : (1) this report which describes the soils and the environments in which they occur ; (2) soil maps , available with this report at a scale of 1 :100 000 using order form included in the map pocket (also available In manuscript form* at a scale of 1 :50 000), which Indicate the distribution of the soils described in this report as well as topographic (slope) classes ; (3) terrain maps , available In manuscript form* at scales of 1 :50 000 and 1 :100 000 which indicate the distribution of surficial materials, surface expressions, and modifying processes ; and (4) land capability for forestry maps , available in manuscript form* at a scale of 1 :50 000 which indicate the inherent capability of the land to grow merchantible timber . This classification is according to the Canada Land Inventory (1972) methodology . *Manuscript maps are available from the Map Library, Planning and Resource Management Division, Ministry of Environment, Victoria, British Columbia . ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Special appreciation is given to H . A . Luttmerding and A . J . Green, who as members of the editorial committee provided valuable advice in their review of the manuscript . Assistance in initial field orientation was provided by A . B . Oawson and A . J . Green . Appreciation is also extended to V . Osborne and staff for providing the laboratory analysis and to R . Blaney, M . Botting and staff for drafting the maps and preparing the report for publication . vii TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE PREFACE . ill ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . : . v TABLE OF CONTENTS . vii LIST OF PLATES . x LIST OF FIGURES . xi LIST OF MAPS . xii LIST OF TABLES . xii HOW TO USE THE SOIL MAPS AND REPORT . 1 CHAPTER ONE GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE MAP AREA . 3 1 .1 Location . 3 1 .2 Physiography . 3 1 .2 .1 Interior Plateau . 3 1 .2 .2 Omineca Mountains . 6 1 .2 .3 Rocky Mountain Trench . 6 1 .3 Bedrock Geology . 6 1 .3 .1 Feldspathic Igneous and Metamorphic Rocks . 7 1 .3 .2 Ferro - Magnesium Igneous and Metamorphic Rocks . 7 1 .3 .3 Siliceous Sedimentary and Metamorphic Rocks . 7 1 .3 .4 Calcareous Sedimentary and Metamorphic Rocks . 7 1 .4 Landforms And Surficial Materials . 7 1 .5 Climate . 8 1 .6 Vegetation (Forest Zonation) . 9 1 .6 .1 Subboreal White Spruce - Alpine Fir Forest Zone (SBwS - aIF) . 9 1 .6'.2 Subalpine Engelmann Spruce - Alpine Fir Forest Zone (SAeS - aIF) . 9 1 .6 .3 Alpine Tundra (At) . 9 CHAPTER TWO MAPPING METHODS AND SOIL LEGEND DEVELOPMENT . 11 2 .1 Mapping Methods . 11 2 .2 Legend Development . 12 CHAPTER THREE SOIL ASSOCIATION DESCRIPTIONS . 15 Albert Lake Soil Association (AL) . 16 Alix Soil Assocation (AX) . 17 PAGE Amy Lake Soil Association (AY) . Axelgold Soil Association (AG) . Babine Soil Association (BE) . Barrett Soil Association (BA) . Berman Soil Association (BN) . Black Canyon Soil Association (BL) . Causqua Soil Association (CA) . Cobb Soil Association (CB) . Crystal Soil Association (CR) . Decker Soil Association (DR) . Deserters Soil Association (D) . Diver Lake Soil Association (DI) . Dragon Soil Association (DN) . Ekiund Creek Soil Association (EK) . Finlay River Soil Association (FI) . Flemming Creek Soil Association (FM) . Fort Saint James Soil Association (FJ) . Froggy Lake Soil Association (FG) . Germansen Soil Association (GE) . Indata Lake Soil Association (IN) . Kloch Lake Soil Association (KL) . Klowkut Soil Association (KT) . Kwanika Creek Soil Association (KW) . Manson Creek Soil Association (MA) . Mapes Soil Association (MS) . Moosmoos Soil Association (MO) . Mount Bates Soil Association (MB) . Mount Grant Soil Association (GR) . Mount Ogden Soil Association (OG) . Mount Sylvester Soil Association (SY) . Muscovite Lakes Soil Association (MU) . Nechako Soil Association (N) . Nina Lake Soil Association (NN) . Nithi Soil Association (NT) . Omineca River Soil Association (OM) . Oona Soil Association (ON) . Ormond Soil Association (OD) . Peta Soil Association (PA) . Pope Soil Association (PP) . Porter Mountain Soil Association (PM) . Ramsey Soll Association (R) . Rubyrock Lake Soil Association (RU) . Shoal Lakes Soil Association (SO) . Slug Soil Association (SG) . Steilako Soil Association (SL) . Strandberg Bay Soil Association (ST) . Tarnezell Lake Soil Association (TZ) . Tinnecha Hill Soil Association (TI) . Tsilcoh River Soil Association (TH) . ix PAGE Twain Soil Association (TW) . 100 Valleau Creek Soil Association (VA) . 102 Vital Creek Soil Association (VT) . 103 Williston Lake Soil Association (WI) . 105 Wudtsi Lake Soil Association (WU) . 106 CHAPTER FOUR DERIVATIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS . 109 4 .1 METHODS FOR PRODUCING SOIL DERIVATIONS . 109 4 .1 .1 Sources of Sand and/or Gravel . 109 4 .1 .2 Sources of Coarse Aggregate . 110 4 .1 .3 Shallow Soils . 110 4 .1 .4 Slope . 110 4 .1 .5 Wetness . 110 4 .1 .6 Flooding . 111 4 .1 .7 Soil Instability . 111 4 .1 .8 Other Derivations . ..