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During the 1980s, Agriculture Canada pedologists Scott Smith (retired from Summerland Research Station, formerly based in Whitehorse) and Charles Tarnocai (retired from Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa) had a large field program which addressed the trends in soil development in the central Yukon. Across this region, particularly between Whitehorse and Dawson City, the land surfaces and surficial deposits vary greatly in age due to the differing extents of glaciations over the past ~2 million years.

Tarnocai and Smith shared the unpublished data and soil samples from this work with Dr. Paul Sanborn, and this resulted in a student project published as:
Daviel, E., P. Sanborn, C. Tarnocai, and C.A.A. Smith. 2011. Clay mineralogy and chemical properties of argillic horizons in central Yukon paleosols. Canadian Journal of Soil Science 91: 83-93. https://doi.org/10.4141/cjss10067

This file consists of photocopies of lab data sheets for Tarnocai & Smith Yukon soil samples from the Land Resource Research Institute, Agriculture Canada.

These lab data sheets were transcribed into an Excel spreadsheet (see item 2023.2.2.6.3).

This file contains the following photographs in both print photograph and negative format:

Slims River delta
Date: August 11, 2003
(location not recorded)
Print roll 5, #1-3 (Corresponding slides: Slides roll 3, #15-14)

Grizzly bear
Date: August 12, 2003
(beside Cultus Bay Rd.; location not recorded)
Print roll 5, #6-7

Y03-08 (Cultus Bay Rd. – at top of switchbacks)
Date: August 12, 2003
Location Coordinates: 61° 3’ 43.1” N, 138° 21’ 4.0” W, 833.8 m asl (± 5.1 m)
Site Description: good exposure of loess (35 cm) with Slims Soil over glaciofluvial terrace – pinches out downslope [note: this site was sampled because of development of buried paleosol, and was not part of biological crust study by Marsh et al. (2006)]
Sample Depths & Descriptions:

• Y03-08-01 - 45-48 cm - Ahkb (7.5YR 3/3 d; strongly effervescent)
• Y03-08-02 - 48-56 cm - Bmkb (7.5YR 4/3 d; strongly effervescent)
• Y03-08-03 - 56-70 cm - Ccab (2.5Y 5/2 d; strongly effervescent)
• (not sampled) - 70 cm+ - IICca (glaciofluvial; strongly effervescent)
• Intact sample: 56-36 cm - depth (including Slims Soil)
  Print roll 5, #8-10, 17-18 (Corresponding slides: Slides roll 3, #13-11, 5-4)

Y03-09 (cliff top on E. shore of Kluane L. at Christmas Bay)
Date: August 12, 2003
Location Coordinates: 61° 4’ 0.0” N, 138° 22’ 35.3” W, 828.3 m asl (± 7.3 m)
Site Description: ~ 60 cm loess over glaciofluvial gravels
Sample Depths & Descriptions:

• Y03-09-01 - Nostoc crust
• Y03-09-02 - Tortula ruralis – Cetraria crust
• Y03-09-03 - 0-14 cm - ACk (10YR 3\2 d)
• Y03-09-04 - 14-16 cm - Ahkb1 (10YR 2/2 d)
• Y03-09-05 - 16-18 cm - Ck1 (10YR 4/3 d)
• Y03-09-06 - 18-20 cm - Ahkb2 (10YR 3/2 d; discontinuous)
• Y03-09-07 - 20-27 cm - Bmkb1 (10YR 4/3 d)
• Y03-09-08 - 27-33 cm - Bmkb2 (7.5YR 4/3 d)
• Y03-09-09 - 33-46 cm - Bmkb3 (10YR 4/3 d)
• Y03-09-10 - 46-55 cm - Ck2 (2.5Y 5/3 d)
• (not sampled) - 55-60 cm+ - IICk (glaciofluvial gravels)
  Print roll 5, #11-15 (Corresponding slides: Slide roll 3, #10-6)

Y03-10 (shore bluff N. of Silver City)
Date: August 12, 2003
Location Coordinates: 61° 2’ 55.0” N, 138° 23’ 17.2” W, 806.7 m asl (± 7.3 m)
Site Description: 70% slope, SW aspect; vegetation: Elymus, Carex, Artemisia, Erigeron
Sample Depths & Descriptions:

• Y03-10-01 - Crust
• Y03-10-02 - 0-18 cm - ACk (10YR 4/2 m; strongly effervescent)
• Y03-10-03 - 18-25 cm - Ahkb(?) (10YR 4/2 m; strongly effervescent)
• Y03-10-04 - 25-40 cm - Ck (2.5Y 5/2.5 m; strongly effervescent)
• (not sampled) - 40 cm+ - IICk (glaciofluvial gravels; strongly effervescent)
  Print roll 5, #19-22 (Corresponding slides: Slide roll 3, #3-1)

Silver City ghost town (location not recorded)
Date: August 12, 2003
Print roll 5, #23-24

Y03-11 (Silver City road section)
Date: August 12, 2003
Location Coordinates: 61° 2’ 3.6” N, 138° 22’ 48.8” W, 806.7 m asl (± 8.7 m)
Site Description: roadcut through SW-facing hill exposes loess over glaciofluvial gravel, with 4 paleosols in colluviated loess
Sample Depths & Descriptions:

• Y03-11-01 - 0-18 cm - ACk (fresh loess)
• Y03-11-02 - 18-47 cm - Soil 1 – Bmk
• Y03-11-03 - 47-100 cm - Loess
• Y03-11-04 - 100-110 cm - Soil 2 – includes charcoal
• Y03-11-05 - 110-160 cm - Loess with secondary carbonate in root channel
• Y03-11-06 - 160-170 cm - Soil 3 – Ahk with charcoal
• Y03-11-07 - 160-170 cm - Soil 3 – Bmk
• Y03-11-08 - 170-198 cm - Loess with secondary carbonate in root channel
• Y03-11-09 - 198-202 cm - Soil 4 – Ahk – laterally continuous for ~ 1.5 m
• Y03-11-10 - 202-230 cm - Loess with secondary carbonates in roots
• Y03-11-11 - 230-255 cm - Soil 5 – Ahk – includes abundant charcoal bands
• Y03-11-12 - 230-255 cm - Soil 5 – Bmk – infilled squirrel burrows immediately below
• Y03-11-13 - 255-300 cm+ - Loess
  Additional notes on modern soil & paleosols:
  Soil 1
• consists of Bmk horizon material with 2 distinct colours: 7.5YR 4/3 d & 10YR 4/3 d
• loess between Soils 1 & 3 is sandier
  Soil 2
• 90% Ahk material, 2-10 cm thick
• Ahk – 10YR 3/2 d
• Bmk – 7.5YR 4/2 d
• less abundant carbonate than in paleosols & loess below
  Soil 3 - most of exposure has Ahk (2-5 cm thick) over Bmk (4-10 cm thick), with carbonates as for Soil 5
  Soil 4 - mostly Ahk (10YR 3/2 d) material 2-8 cm thick, some Bmk (10YR 4/2 d) < 2 cm thick, with carbonates as for Soil 5
  Soil 5
• complex intermixing of Ahk & Bmk material, charcoal most abundant in Ahk
• individual colour bands 2-10 cm thick
• overall dip of horizons (10° to W) is parallel to surface
• similar size & density of secondary carbonates as in loess above & below; associated with root channels, < 5 mm diameter, covering ~ 5% of surface
  Print roll 5, #26-30 (Corresponding slides: Slide roll 4, #36-32)

This file contains the following photographs in both print photograph and negative format:

Kluane Lake (S. shore, near Kluane Lake Research Station)
Print roll 10, # 34-36