LOCATION GRINK NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Lithic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Grink stony loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The surface is partially covered by approximately 25 percent pebbles, 2 percent cobbles and 1 percent stones. A discontinuous layer of leaves and twigs is present in patches.
A--0 to 7 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) stony loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, many fine, and common medium roots; common fine interstitial pores; 15 percent pebbles, 5 percent cobbles, and 10 percent stones; noneffervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (7 to 9 inches thick)
Bk1--7 to 12 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) extremely gravelly loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, many fine, and common medium roots; common fine interstitial and tubular pores; secondary calcium carbonate segregated as common pendants on bottoms of rock fragments; 55 percent pebbles and 5 percent cobbles; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)
Bk2--12 to 15 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) extremely gravelly fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine to medium roots; common fine interstitial and tubular pores; secondary calcium carbonate segregated as common pendants on bottoms of rock fragments; 55 percent pebbles and 5 percent cobbles; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Bk3--15 to 19 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine, common medium, and few very fine roots; common fine interstitial pores; secondary calcium carbonate segregated as common pendants on bottoms of rock fragments; 40 percent pebbles and 5 percent cobbles; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
R--19 inches; yellow (2.5Y 7/6) calcareous sandstone.
TYPE LOCATION: White Pine County, Nevada; about 28 miles southeast of Ely in the Schell Creek Range; about 1,000 feet east and 275 feet north of the southwest corner of section 20, T. 12 N., R. 65 E.; USGS Horse Camp Springs 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 38 degrees 52 minutes 51 seconds north latitude and 114 degrees 42 minutes 07 seconds west longitude, NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually moist, moist late fall through spring, dry summer through mid-fall; xeric moisture regime that borders on aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature - 42 to 47 degrees F.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 14 to 20 inches, includes all Bk horizons.
Depth to calcic horizon and carbonates - 7 to 9 inches.
Depth to bedrock - 14 to 20 inches to a lithic contact.
Control section - Clay content: 12 to 18 percent; Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent, mostly pebbles. Lithology of fragments are sedimentary rocks such as sandstone or limestone.
Reaction - Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
A horizon - Value: 3 through 5 dry, 2 through 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Structure: Weak or moderate, fine or medium subangular blocky structure.
Organic matter content: 2 to 5 percent.
Bk horizons - Value: 3 through 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Texture: Very gravelly loam or very gravelly fine sandy loam.
Clay content: 12 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 55 percent pebbles and 0 to 10 percent cobbles.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: Occurs as common (5 to 20 percent) pendants on bottoms of rock fragments or common coats on faces of peds.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent, including the less than 20mm fraction of rock fragments.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Agassiz, Alomax (T), Anatone, Bluecanyon, Bocker, Cedaran, Dipcreek (T), Falula, Foxol, Gando, Gomine, Hogsby, Kenypeak (T), Little Pole, Nayrib, Onaqui, Rexmont, Swanner, and Van Wagoner series.
Agassiz, Alomax, Anatone, Bluecanyon, Bocker, Cedaran, Dipcreek, Foxol, Gomine, Hogsby, Kenypeak, Little Pole, Nayrib, Onaqui, Rexmont, and Van Wagoner soils do not have calcic horizons. Falula soils have mollic epipedons that are 7 to 12 inches thick. Gando soils have mollic epipedons that are 7 to 14 inches thick and do not have calcic horizons. Swanner soils are dominated by stones in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Grink soils are on mountains. They typically occur on shoulder and backslope positions. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from sandstone, limestone, and dolomite. Slopes are 15 to 75 percent. Elevations range from 7,200 to 8,900 feet. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 16 to 22 inches, mean annual temperature is 39 to 44 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 70 to 100 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Halacan, Hardol, and Onkeyo soils. Halacan soils have carbonatic mineralogy, a cryic temperature regime, and do not have calcic horizons. Hardol soils are very deep, have thick mollic epipedons, and have a cryic temperature regime. Onkeyo soils are effervescent to the soil surface.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very high surface runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Grink soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly curlleaf mountainmahogany, snowberry, mountain big sagebrush, and bluebunch wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 28B.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Pine County (Western Part), Nevada, 1990.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 19 inches (A, Bk1, Bk2, and Bk3 horizons).
Calcic horizon - The zone from 7 to 19 inches (Bk1, Bk2, and Bk3 horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 19 inches to underlying hard bedrock (R layer).
Particle size control section - The zone from 10 to 19 inches. (Bk2 and Bk3 horizons and part of the Bk1 horizon).