LOCATION MONTE CRISTO NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic, shallow Natrargidic Natridurids
TYPICAL PEDON: Monte Cristo fine sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 5 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) fine sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; moderate coarse platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; many very fine and fine vesicular pores; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)
BA--5 to 10 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak medium and fine platy; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine vesicular pores in upper part and common very fine and many fine tubular pores in the lower part; common thin clay films on faces of peds, and many faint clay films in pores; few faint gray to white bleached sand and silt grains; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 8 cm thick)
Btn--10 to 20 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure that parts to weak coarse platy; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial, and few very fine and fine tubular pores; many faint clay films on faces of peds and in pores; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 13 cm thick)
Btkn1--20 to 30 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) sandy clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak coarse platy structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; many very fine and fine roots; common fine tubular, and many very fine and fine interstitial pores; many distinct films on faces of peds and pores; few coarse very pale brown (10YR 8/2) lime masses; strongly effervescent in matrix; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 15 cm thick)
Btkn2--30 to 38 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; weak medium platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine exped tubular pores; few distinct clay films on faces of peds and as bridges between sand grains; common medium distinct very pale brown (10YR 8/2) lime masses; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 10 cm thick)
Bkqm1--38 to 46 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) strongly cemented duripan, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; strong coarse platy structure; very hard, very firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; common fine, medium, and coarse distinct very pale brown (10YR 8/2) lime masses; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.7); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 15 cm thick)
Bkqm2--46 to 76 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) strongly cemented duripan, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; few medium, and many very fine and fine tubular pores; common very fine faint very pale brown (10YR 8/2) lime masses; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.7); abrupt wavy boundary. (20 to 36 cm thick)
2C--76 to 135 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) stratified gravelly loamy sand and very gravelly sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; many fine very pale brown (10YR 8/2) lime filaments; massive; hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; common fine tubular, and many fine and very fine interstitial pores; 20 to 40 percent gravel; noneffervescent in matrix; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (46 to 66 cm thick)
3C--135 to 140 cm; variegated light gray (10YR 7/2) and very dark gray (10YR 3/1) fine sandy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) and black (10YR 2/1) moist; many fine faint olive (5Y 5/3) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) iron mottles; weak thin platy structure; very hard, very firm, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many very fine interstitial pores; 5 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Lincoln County, Nevada; 1,040 feet south and 500 feet west of the northeast corner of section 7, T. 2 S, R. 56 E.: latitude 37 degrees 47 minutes 32 seconds N and longitude 115 degrees 43 minutes 15 seconds W; NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in winter and late spring, moist 10 to 20 days June through September; typic ardic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 9 to 15 degrees C.
Depth to duripan: 25 to 50 cm.
Other features: The upper part of the Bt horizon in all pedons has prismatic structure.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: 18 to 35 percent.
A and BA horizons
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Btn horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Clay content: 27 to 35 percent.
Sodium absoption ratio (SAR): 13 to 30 mmhos/cm.
Structure: Weak or moderate, coarse or medium prismatic or weak medium or coarse platy structure.
Btkn horizons
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Sodium absoption ratio (SAR): 13 to 30 mmhos/cm.
Structure: Weak or moderate, coarse or medium prismatic or weak medium or coarse platy structure.
Bkqm horizon
Consistence: Very hard or extremely hard and very firm, or extremely firm.
Structure: Moderate or strong, coarse or medium platy structure or is massive
Other features: Few very thin discontinuous indurated laminae are on plate surfaces in some pedons.
2C horizons
Value: 7 or 8 dry, 6 or 7 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Rock fragments: Averages 5 to 30 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Aboten series. Aboten soils do not 10 to 20 days of summer moisture and lack unconformable sandy material within 100 cm.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Monte Cristo soils are on low portions of a valley plain or alluvial fan in a somewhat basin-like position. These soils formed in loamy alluvium derived mainly from volcanic tuffs, limestone, dolomite, quartzite, and siltstone. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. Elevations are 1,100 to 1,710 meters. The mean annual precipitation is 100 to 200 mm. The average January temperature is about 2 degrees C., average July temperature is 22 degrees C., and the mean annual temperature is 7 to 11 degrees C. The frost-free period is 100 to 150 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Fang and Kawich soils. Fang and Kawich soils are very deep.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very slow runoff; moderately slow permeability; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: Livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is principally shadscale, graymolly, sagebrush, and fourwing saltbush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Valleys in south central and southeastern Nevada. These soils are inextensive about 11,540 acres have been mapped.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Nye County (Big Smoky Valley Area), Nevada, 1972.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons are features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 10 cm. (A and BA horizons)
Natric horizon - The zone from 10 to 38 cm. (Btn, Btkn1 and Btkn2 horizon)
Strongly cemented duripan - The zone from 38 to 76 cm. (Bkqm1 and Bkqm2 horizons)
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 38 cm. (Btn, Btkn1 and Btkn2 horizons)