LOCATION BELLEHELEN NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Lithic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Bellehelen very cobbly loam, woodland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The surface is covered with 35 percent pebbles, 25 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones.
A--0 to 13 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very cobbly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium platy structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common fine vesicular pores; 30 percent pebbles, 25 percent cobbles, 3 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 25 cm thick)
Bt--13 to 28 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very gravelly loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many fine to medium roots; common fine tubular pores; common thin clay films on faces of ped, lining pores and coating rock fragments; 45 percent pebbles, 10 percent stones, neutral (pH 7.3); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 25 cm thick)
R--28 cm; hard andesitic tuff, weathered in the upper 10 cm.
TYPE LOCATION: Nye County, Nevada; Kawich Range, Stone Cabin Valley, approximately 2,200 feet north and 1,100 feet west of the southeast corner of section 24, T. 1 N., R. 48 E.; Stinking Spring USGS 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 37 degrees, 54 minutes, 35.8 seconds north, and longitude 116 degrees, 30 minutes, 42.2 west; UTM 11, 542921e, 4195935n, NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually dry, moist in winter and spring, dry summer and fall except for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July to October due to convection storms. Aridic bordering on Xeric soil moisture.
Soil temperature - 8 to 12 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 18 to 25 cm (some pedons must be mixed to 18 cm to qualify as mollic).
Depth to bedrock - 18 to 36 cm.
Reaction - Neutral to slightly alkaline.
Control section - Clay content: Averages 18 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent.
A horizon - Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Bt horizon - Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Texture (less than 2 mm): Loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam, and may include subhorizons with greater than 35 percent clay.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent, mainly gravel.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Argabak(WA), Brier(NV), Canfire(CA), Chinabutte(ID), Clovercreek(OR), Duco(NV), Gwin(WA), Horseflat(WA), Ocud(NV), Orhood(CA), Reywat(ID), Shepridge(UT), Stepmount(UT), Upatad(NV) and Windry(WA) series. Argabak, Canfire, Duco, Gwin, Ocud, and Reywat do not have the 10 to 20 days of summer moisture. Brier soils are 14 to 20 cm to bedrock. Chinabutte soils are 36 to 50 cm to bedrock and do not have the 10 to 20 days of summer moisture. Clovercreek soils have a Xeric moisture regime and are 36 to 50 cm to bedrock. Horseflat soils have a mollic epipedon 30 to 43 cm thick and do not have the 10 to 20 days of summer moisture. Shepridge have a Xeric moisture regime. Stepmount have secondary calcium carbonates in the profile. Upatad soils are 36 to 50 cm to bedrock and the lower part of the Bt horizon contains more than 60 percent gravel and cobbles. Windry soils have a Xeric soil moisture regime and do not have summer moisture.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Bellehelen soils are on hills and mountain slopes. They formed in residuum and colluvium from volcanic rocks. Slopes are 8 to 75 percent. Elevations are 1,890 to 2,900 meters. The mean annual precipitation is 25 to 36 cm; the mean annual temperature is 7.2 to 8.9 degrees C.; and the frost-free season is 90 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Stewval, Squawtip, and Zadvar series. Stewval and Zadvar have less organic matter and Zadvar soils have a strongly cemented hardpan. Squawtip soils are colder and deeper than 50 cm.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, high and very high runoff; moderately slow permeability (moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity).
USE AND VEGETATION: Woodland. Present vegetation is mainly Pinyon- Juniper with an understory of pine bluegrass, black sagebrush, ephedra, rabbitbrush, snowberry and small amounts of mountain big sagebrush, and desert bitterbrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Nevada. These soils are of small extent. MLRA 29.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Nye County, Nevada, (Stone Cabin Valley), 1982.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - 0 to 18 cm (after mixing).
Argillic horizon - 13 to 28 cm (Bt horizon).
Lithic contact - 28 cm (R horizon).
Particle-size control section - 0 to 28 cm (A and Bt horizons).