LOCATION NEVU NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy, glassy, mesic Vitritorrandic Durixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Nevu gravelly sandy loam - rangeland (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 5 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly ashy sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist, strong coarse subangular blocky structure parting to moderate medium granular; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine vesicular, and many very fine interstitial pores; 15 percent pebbles; neutral (pH 7.3); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)
Bt--5 to 11 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly ashy sandy clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; strong medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common very fine and fine, and few medium roots; common fine and medium interstitial pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; 15 percent pebbles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick)
Btk--11 to 16 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly ashy sandy clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine, and common medium and coarse roots; many very fine and fine interstitial, and common very fine and fine tubular pores; common faint clay bridging sand grains, few faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; secondary calcium carbonated disseminated throughout and common (5 percent) concretions on bottom of rock fragments; 20 percent pebbles; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)
Btkq--16 to 27 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) gravelly ashy sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; common fine, and few medium interstitial pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; secondary calcium carbonate disseminated throughout and common (5 percent) concretions around rock fragments, few (2 percent) secondary silica concretions on bottom of rock fragments; 30 percent pebbles; violently effervescent, strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)
Bqkm--27 to 36 inches; white (10YR 8/1) cemented material, light gray (10YR 7/2) moist; strong thick platy structure; very rigid and brittle; indurated by secondary silica, alternating layers of secondary calcium carbonate that are moderately to strongly cemented; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (9 to 18 inches thick)
2Bk--36 to 61 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly ashy sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; many (20 percent) coarse secondary calcium carbonate cylindrical masses, white (10YR 8/1); 25 percent pebbles; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8).
TYPE LOCATION: Lincoln County, Nevada; about 10 miles east of state Highway 93 and 1 mile south of the Atlanta road, 50 feet west of the Atlanta cut-off road; 700 feet north and 2,100 feet west of the southeast corner section 33, T.6 N., R. 67 E.; USGS Schoolmarm Basin 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 38 degrees 19 minutes 52 seconds north latitude and 114 degrees 27 minutes 32 seconds west longitude, NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in winter and spring, dry in summer and fall except intermittently moist for 10 to 20 days between July and September due to convection storms. Aridic soil moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Soil temperature: 47 to 52 degrees F.
Depth to the duripan and solum thickness: 20 to 27 inches.
Mollic epipedon: 10 to 18 inches thick, usually includes the upper part of the argillic horizon.
Control section - Clay content: 25 to 35 percent .
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent, mainly welded tuff pebbles.
A horizon - Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist, the upper 1/4 to 1 inch in most pedons have dry value of 6.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Structure: Weak to strong, very fine to coarse, subangular blocky or granular.
Reaction: Neutral to moderately alkaline.
Bt horizon - Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, and 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Dominantly ashy clay loam, ashy sandy clay loam or ashy loam in some pedons.
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent, mainly pebbles.
Structure: Weak to strong, medium or coarse, subangular or angular blocky structure.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 10 percent in the material less than 2mm.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline.
Btk and Btkq horizons - Value: 6 or 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Ashy clay loam or ashy sandy clay loam.
Structure: Medium or coarse subangular blocky.
Consistence: Slightly sticky or moderately sticky and slightly plastic or moderately plastic, wet.
Secondary calcium carbonate: Occurs as concretions on rock fragments or as masses.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 10 percent in the material less than 2 mm.
Other: Some pedons have subhorizons that have secondary silica concretions on rock fragments.
Bqkm horizon - Hue of 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 7 or 8 dry, and 4 through 7 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 3, dry or moist.
Structure: Massive or has moderate or strong, fine to thick platy structure. When the duripan is platy, alternate plates are indurated, and the others are weakly or strongly cemented.
Other features: Secondary calcium carbonate concretions are common and are randomly oriented on the plate surfaces, secondary silica laminae or in fractures.
2Bk horizon - Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Structure: Massive or subangular blocky.
Consistence: Nonsticky or slightly sticky and nonplastic or slightly plastic.
Secondary calcium carbonate: Fine to coarse masses.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent to violently effervescent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 10 percent in the material less than 2 mm.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Rojo (CA), Sprauer (WA), and Wellsdam (WA) series. Rojo soils have 10 to 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section and have weathered rock underlying the duripan. Sprauer soils have cambic horizons; 5 to 14 percent clay in the particle-size control section and have basalt bedrock underlying the duripan. Wellsdam soils have cambic horizons; 8 to 10 percent clay in the particle-size control section and have weakly cemented duripans.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Nevu soils are on moderately and strongly sloping fan remnants at elevations of 5,400 to 7,500 feet. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. The soils formed in gravelly alluvium primarily from welded tuff with some limestone. The climate is cool, continental with a mean annual precipitation of 10 to 12 inches, with much of it coming as snow and as periodic summer thunderstorms. The mean annual temperature is 45 to 50 F., and the frost-free season is about 90 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Okayview and Sevenmile soils. Okayview soils are shallow to soft bedrock and contain 5 to 15 percent rock fragments. Sevenmile soils occur on inset fans, are very deep, and have 8 to 18 percent clay in the control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained; medium to high runoff; moderately slow permeability in the solum and very slow in the duripan.
USE AND VEGETATION: Nevu soils are used for wildlife habitat and livestock grazing. The potential native vegetation is bluebunch wheatgrass and mountain big sagebrush with a substantial invasion of singleleaf pinyon and Utah juniper. This pedon is correlated to Ecological Site R028AY050NV, Gravelly Clay 10 - 12 P.Z.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Nevada. Nevu soils are not extensive. MLRA 29 and 28A.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lincoln County (Meadow Valley Area), Nevada, 1971.
REMARKS: This soil was formerly classified as having a frigid temperature regime, but local temperature data supports a mesic soil temperature. Changed to mesic temperature in October 2002. Moved the type location and changed to ashy, glassy, Vitritorrandic in June 2005.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: The zone from the soil surface to about 11 inches (A and Bt horizons).
Argillic horizon: The zone from 5 to 27 inches (Bt, Btk, and Btqk horizons).
Duripan (indurated): The zone from 27 to 36 inches (Bqkm horizon).
Particle-size control section: The zone from 5 to 25 inches (Bt, Btk, and upper part of the Btqk horizons).