MAJOR GENETIC SOILS OF THE ARCTIC SLOPE OF ALASKA 1

Summary The genetic soils of Arctic Alaska can be arranged in a drainage catena. The mature soils on well‐drained sites are Arctic Brown and related soils. The Tundra profile is an imperfectly‐ to poorly‐drained catenamember. The Bogs, with permafrost, occupy many of the broad, flat, very wet areas. No evidence of a qualitative soil‐forming process unique to the Arctic areas is found. Instead, the Arctic Tundra is primarily a northern extension of the hydromorphic soils of the forested regions, whereas the Arctic Brown arid related soils represent the northern extensions of the podzolic process. The term Tundra, when used in connexion with zonal great soil groups along with Podzols, Chernozems, Laterites and related soils, is an erroneous one and its use, except for a hydromorphic soil, should be discouraged. The podzolic process on the stable, well‐drained sites weakens northward, resulting in the successive development of Podzols, Minimal Podzols, Arctic Browns, Arctic Browns shallow phase, and, finally, no soil formation.