LOCATION WARDBAY NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, carbonatic Pachic Calcicryolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Wardbay very gravelly loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted). The soil surface is partially covered with approximately 60 percent gravel and 5 percent stones.
A--0 to 5 cm; gray (10YR 5/1) very gravelly loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 35 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 15 cm thick)
ABk--5 to 46 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, and fine, few medium and coarse roots; common very fine tubular pores; many distinct secondary calcium carbonate pendants on the bottom of rock fragments; 30 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (20 to 50 cm thick)
Bk1--46 to 58 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very cobbly silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine, and few medium and coarse roots; common very fine tubular pores; many distinct to prominent secondary calcium carbonate pendants on the bottom of rock fragments; 40 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 50 cm thick)
Bk2--58 to 114 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) extremely cobbly silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; many secondary calcium carbonate concretions on the bottom of rock fragments; violently effervescent; 45 percent gravel and 25 percent cobbles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear irregular boundary. (36 to 76 cm thick)
2R--114 cm; limestone.
TYPE LOCATION: White Pine County, Nevada; in the Egan Range about 12 miles south of Ely; approximately 1,800 feet south and 2,000 feet east of the northwest corner of section 15, T. 14 N., R. 63 E.; USGS Ward Mountain 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 04 minutes 48 seconds N and longitude 114 degrees 53 minutes 12 seconds W; NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually moist in winter and spring, dry in summer and early fall; Xeric soil moisture regime that borders on aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature - 4 to 7 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 89 to 152 cm.
Depth to calcic horizon - 38 to 64 cm.
Depth to bedrock - 100 to 150 cm to a lithic contact.
Effervescence- Slightly effervescent through violently effervescent.
Calcium carbonate content: 25 to 40 percent in the less than 2 mm fraction; 40 to 60 percent in the less than 20 millimeter fraction.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 18 to 27 percent.
Rock Fragments: 55 to 85 percent.
A and ABk horizons - Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 3, dry or moist.
Bk horizons - Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Texture: Very gravelly loam, extremely gravelly silt loam, extremely cobbly silt loam, or very cobbly silt loam.
Structure: Weak or moderate, fine to medium subangular blocky.
Consistence: Soft or slightly hard dry.
Rock fragments: 55 to 85 percent, of which 35 to 60 percent are gravel and 15 to 40 percent are cobbles and stones, dominantly cobbles.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: Many distinct or prominent secondary calcium carbonate pendants or coats on the bottom of rock fragments.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Coalkiln, Hardol, Meegero, and Zarak series. Coalkiln soils are very deep and have a udic moisture regime. Hardol soils are very deep and have depth to the calcic horizon of 76 to 100 cm. Meegero soils are very deep. Zarak soils average 10 to 18 percent clay on the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wardbay soils are on mountains. They typically occur on backslope positions. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from limestone and dolomite. Slopes are 15 to 75 percent. Elevations range from 1,890 to 3,120 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 450 to 700 mm, the mean annual temperature is 2 to 6 degrees C., and the frost-free period is 40 to 60 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Haunchee soil and the competing Hardol soil. Haunchee soils are shallow to lithic contacts and do not have calcic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium or high surface runoff; moderate permeability; moderately high or high saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: Wardbay soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly mountain big sagebrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, basin wildrye, Indian ricegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, rabbitbrush, and snowberry.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East-central Nevada. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 28B and 28A.
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 114 cm (A, ABk, Bk1, and Bk2 horizons).
Calcic horizon - The zone from 46 to 114 cm (Bk1 and Bk2 horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 114 cm to underlying hard, unweathered bedrock (2R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (Bk1 horizon and parts of the ABk and Bk2 horizons).
The revision of September 2007 updated the taxonomic class from Loamy-skeletal, carbonatic, frigid Pachic Calcixerolls based on the plant community and associated soils that have cryic temperature regime.