LOCATION CHIARA NV+IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic, shallow Xeric Haplodurids
TYPICAL PEDON: Chiara silt loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 10 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate coarse platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; few fine and very fine tubular pores; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 15 cm thick)
Bw--10 to 20 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and medium roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 23 cm thick)
Bqk--20 to 33 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and medium roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; many 3/10 inch thick very hard and very firm brittle durinodes; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 36 cm thick)
2Bqkm--33 to 53 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) indurated duripan with continuous, very thin (less than 3 millimeters) pale brown (10YR 6/3) silica laminae, pale brown (10YR 6/3) and dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; extremely hard, extremely firm, few very fine interstitial pores; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8).
TYPE LOCATION: Eureka County, Nevada; about 2,400 feet north and 2,000 feet east of the southwest corner of section 17, T. 32 N., R. 50 E.; latitude 40 degrees 38 minutes 35 seconds N and longitude 116 degrees 21 minutes 50 seconds W; NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in winter and spring, dry from summer and fall. Aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 12 degrees C.
Depth to duripan: 25 to 50 cm.
Depth to carbonates: 10 to 38 cm.
Particle - size control section - Clay content: 5 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: When mixed, up to 5 percent, mainly pebbles, thin subhorizons in some pedons have 4 to 25 percent, comprised mainly of duripan fragments.
Sand: Less than 15 percent fine sand and coarser.
A horizon
Value: 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Reaction: Neutral to moderately alkaline.
Bw horizon (when present)
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Texture: Very fine sandy loam, loam, and silt loam.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Structure: Weak to strong, fine to coarse subangular blocky or weak prismatic.
Consistence: Soft or slightly hard, dry; very friable or friable moist; nonsticky or slightly sticky and nonplastic or slightly plastic, wet.
Reaction: Neutral to strongly alkaline.
Bqk horizon - Value: 6 or 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Texture: Very fine sandy loam, loam or silt loam with 70 to 85 percent silt loam plus very fine sand.
Structure: Subangular blocky or is massive.
Consistence: very friable or friable, moist; slightly sticky or nonsticky wet.
Cementation: Contains from 20 to 60 percent weakly cemented and brittle durinodes from 0.8 to 3 cm in diameter.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline.
Bqkm horizon - Value: 6 through 8 dry, 5 through 7 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Structure: Massive or thick platy.
Other features: Stratified gravelly and sandy substratums occur below 100 cm in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Arritola, Besslen, Coltroop, Frohman, Minveno, Nevoyer, Otoole, Peeko, Plegomir, Scoon, Tenvorrd and Yahoo soils.
Arritola soils have 25 to 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Besslen soils are calcareous to the surface and do not have durinodes above the duripan. Coltroop soils have bedrock at depths of 76 to 90 cm. Frohman soils have gravelly subhorizons within 100 cm of the surface. Minveno soils lack durinodes above the duripan. Nevoyer soils have bedrock within 50 cm. Otoole soils are strongly sodium affected in the upper part and have a rippable duripan. Peeko soils contain 15 to 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section. Scoon soils have more than 15 percent fine sand and coarser, with up to 35 percent pebbles in the particle-size control section. Tenvorrd soils have 18 to 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Yahoo soils contain 20 to 30 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Chiara soils are summits, shoulders and side slope of fan piedmont remnants, fan remnants and plateaus. These soils formed in a loess mantle high in volcanic ash over alluvium derived from mixed rock sources. Slopes are 0 to 30 percent, but dominantly 2 to 15 percent. Elevations are 1,100 to 2,130 meters. The climate is cool, semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm; mean annual temperature is 7 to 10 degrees C., and the frost-free season is 90 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are The Brock, Cherry Spring and Cortez soils. These soils have argillic horizons. Cherry Spring and Cortez soils have duripans below 50 cm.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow or medium runoff; moderate permeability; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, Sandberg bluegrass and cheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central and northeastern Nevada. MLRA 24, 25. Chiara soils are not extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Pershing County, Nevada (BLM Sonoma Planning Unit) 1974.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the surface to 10 cm (A horizon).
Xeric Intergrades - Meets organic carbon and soil moisture regime requirement for "Xeric"
Indurated duripan - The zone from 33 to 53 cm (2Bqkm horizon)
Particle-size control section - The zone from the soil surface to about 33 cm (A, Bw and Bqk horizons).