LOCATION GITABYTE NVTentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Gitabyte very stony fine sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with 30 percent pebbles, 20 percent cobbles, 4 percent stones, and 1 percent boulders.
A1--0 to 4 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very stony fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak thin platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine and common fine roots; common very fine and common fine tubular pores; 30 percent pebbles, 20 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
A2--4 to 9 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and common fine roots; common very fine and common fine tubular pores; 25 percent pebbles and 5 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
Bt1--9 to 16 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine through medium roots; common very fine and common fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 30 percent pebbles and 10 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 15 inches thick)
Bt2--16 to 31 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine roots; common fine tubular pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 30 percent pebbles and 10 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 21 inches thick)
R--31 inches; fractured tuff; few fine and medium roots in fractures.
TYPE LOCATION: Nye County, Nevada; in the Monitor Range of the Toiyabe National Forest about 1 mile south of Barley Creek; 1,200 feet north and 200 feet west of the southeast corner of section 16, T. 9 N., R. 47 E.; USGS Elkhorn Canyon 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually dry; moist in winter and spring, dry in summer and fall except the upper part of the moisture control section is intermittently moist for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October due to convection storms; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature - 47 to 53 degrees F.
Depth to bedrock - 20 to 40 inches to a lithic contact.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 7 to 10 inches, includes the Bt1 horizon in some pedons.
Control section - Clay content: 27 to 35 percent; Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent, mainly pebbles. Lithology of fragments are volcanic rocks such as tuff and rhyolite.
A horizons - Value 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 1 or 2 percent.
Bt horizons - Value 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Very gravelly clay loam or very gravelly sandy clay loam.
Rock fragments: 35 to 55 percent pebbles, 0 to 5 percent cobbles.
Organic matter content: 0.5 to 1 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Ashue, Badena (T), Badenaugh, Eaglerock, Grinrod, Ister, Lemm, Leviathan, Nosrac, Oest, Searles, Searvar, Shawmount (T), Shree, Shroe, Trid, and Tristan series.
Ashue, Badena, Badenaugh, Lemm, Leviathan, Nosrac, Oest, Shawmount, Shree, and Shroe soils are very deep. Eaglerock, Trid, and Searvar soils are moderately deep to paralithic contacts. Grinrod soils have subhorizons in the particle-size control section which are dominated by cobbles and may have up to 85 percent rock fragments. Ister soils are dominated by stones in the particle-size control section and have mollic epipedons that are 10 to 18 inches thick. Searles soils have subhorizons in the particle-size control section which may have up to 80 percent rock fragments and have mollic epipedons that are 10 to 18 inches thick. Tristan soils are deep to bedrock.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Gitabyte soils are on hills, mountains, and ridges. They typically occur on backslope positions. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from volcanic rocks such as tuff and rhyolite. Slopes are 15 to 50 percent. Elevations range from 7,200 to 8,700 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 10 to 14 inches, the mean annual temperature is 45 to 48 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 90 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Bellehelen, Brier, Cropper, and Stewval soils. Bellehelen soils are very shallow and shallow to lithic contacts. Brier soils are shallow to lithic contacts. Cropper soils are shallow to lithic contacts and have a frigid temperature regime. Stewval soils are very shallow and shallow to lithic contacts and have ochric epipedons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very high surface runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Gitabyte soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is mainly mountain big sagebrush, Wyoming big sagebrush, Thurber's needlegrass, Nevada ephedra, and muttongrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southcentral Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 29.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada.
SERIES PROPOSED: Nye County (Toiyabe National Forest, Central Part), Nevada, 1994.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 9 inches (A1 and A2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 9 inches to 31 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 31 inches to underlying hard bedrock (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 9 to 29 inches (Bt1 horizon and part of the Bt2 horizon).