LOCATION CEDARAN NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Lithic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Cedaran cobbly loam, pinyon-juniper rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A11--0 to 3 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) cobbly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak thick platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine vesicular pores; 15 percent cobbles and 15 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
A12--3 to 8 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly clay loam, dark brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, sticky and plastic; common fine and medium roots; common fine tubular and few interstitial pores;40 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
B2--8 to 18 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, sticky and plastic; common fine, medium and coarse roots; common fine tubular, and many fine interstitial pores; 45 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt wavy boundary.. (5 to 12 inches thick)
R--18 to 20 inches; hard tuff bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Lincoln County, Nevada; approximately 660 feet west of the center of section 12, T.4S., R.71E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness and depth to unweathered consolidated ignimbrite bedrock are 10 to 20 inches. The mean annual soil temperature is 44 to 47 degrees F., and the mean summer soil temperature is 63 to 66 degrees F. These soils are usually dry during most years, mainly during the summer and early fall months. Mineralogy is mixed, but has a strong influence from pyroclastic materials. The soils are noncalcareous, and range in pH from 6.6 to 7.2. The mollic epipedon is 7 to 10 inches thick. The A1 horizon has value of 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It has weak, thin to thick platy or weak or moderate, fine or medium subangular blocky structure, or is massive. This horizon is soft or slightly hard. The B2 horizon has value of 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. Ithas weak or moderate, fine to coarse subangular blocky structure, or is massive. The control section is dominantly loam or clay loam, but can include strata of silt loam or sandy clay loam modified by gravel or cobbles. The coarse fragment content of any 1 horizon ranges from 20 to 60 percent, but the volume of coarse fragments averages 35 to 50 percent, with gravel dominating.
COMPETING SERIES AND THEIR DIFFERENTIAE: These are the tentative Aldax series and the Agassiz, Anatone and Foxol series. Aldax soils have dominantly stony fine sandy loam control sections and have cambic horizons less than 6 inches thick. Agassiz soils contain many fragments of limestone. Anatone soils have hue of 7.5YR through 2.5YR throughout. Foxol soils are slightly to medium acid in the B and C horizons and have hue of 7.5YR or 5YR throughout.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cedaran soils are on moderately sloping and steep mountain slopes dominantly at elevations of 6,000 to 7,000 feet, but ranging to 5,500 on north slopes. Slope gradients are 4 to 50 percent. The soils formed in gravelly resiuum from ignimbrites. Climate is cool, continental with a mean annual precipitation OF 12 to 16 inches that comes mostly as snow. The mean annual soil temperature is 42 to 45 degrees F., and the mean summer temperature is 61 to 64 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Decan, Fanu and Tica soils. Decan soils have clay B2t horizons and silica indurated hardpans. Fanu soils lack lithic contacts. Tica soils have B2t horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium or rapid runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Cedaran soils are used for grazing and wildlife habitat. Pinyon pine and Utah juniper are the dominant plants, with some snowberry, big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, mountain mahogany, shrub oak, Indian ricegrass, and needleandthread grass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East central Nevada where they are of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lincoln County (Meadow Valley Area), Nevada, 1971.
REMARKS: These soils were formerly classified as Lithosols.