LOCATION CHAINLINK NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic, shallow Cambidic Durixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Chainlink gravelly loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with approximately 20 percent pebbles.
A--0 to 4 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine, common medium and few coarse roots; common very fine and fine vesicular and tubular pores; 20 percent pebbles; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick.)
Bk--4 to 10 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, many fine, common medium, and few coarse roots; many fine interstitial and common fine tubular pores; 20 percent pebbles; common secondary calcium carbonate masses on the bottom of rock fragments; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick.)
Bqkm--10 to 25 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) duripan, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; very hard, extremely firm and brittle; strongly cemented by secondary silica and secondary calcium carbonates; few fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 18 inches thick.)
2C--25 to 38 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) fine sandy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 5 percent pebbles; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear smooth boundary. (12 to 15 inches thick.)
3Cq--38 to 60 inches; pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) extremely gravelly coarse sand, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and many medium interstitial pores; 75 percent pebbles; common secondary silica pendants on the bottom of rock fragments; violently effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.4). (10 to 20 inches thick)
TYPE LOCATION: White Pine County, Nevada; about 2,250 feet north and 2,575 feet west of the southeast corner of section 27, T. 22 N. R 69 E.; USGS Tippett Canyon 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 39 degrees 45 minutes 07 seconds north latitude and 114 degrees 09 minutes 47 seconds west longitude, NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually dry; moist late fall through early summer, dry late July through October except 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 50 degrees F.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 7 to 14 inches, includes the Bk horizon.
Depth to calcic horizon - 3 to 7 inches.
Depth to duripan - 10 to 20 inches.
Control section - Clay content: 10 to 18 percent; Rock fragments: 15 to 30 percent pebbles. Lithology of fragments are limestone.
A horizon - Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 1 or 2 percent.
Bk horizon - Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 or 4 moist. Values of 6 or 7 dry and 4 moist are below 7 inches.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Gravelly loam or gravelly fine sandy loam.
Clay content: 10 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 30 percent.
Organic matter content: 1 to 2 percent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 20 percent.
Salinity (EC): 0 to 2 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 0 to 5.
Bqkm horizon - Cementation class: Moderately cemented or strongly cemented.
2C horizon - Value: 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Clay content: 5 to 15 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent.
Salinity (EC): 2 to 8 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 13 to 30.
3Cq horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Extremely gravelly coarse sand or extremely gravelly loamy coarse sand.
Clay content: 2 to 7 percent.
Rock fragments: 60 to 80 percent.
Reaction: Very strongly alkaline (up to pH 9.6).
Salinity (EC): 2 to 8 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 13 to 30.
COMPETING SERIES: At present, there are no other series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Chainlink soils are on fan remnants and ballenas. These soils formed in alluvium derived from limestone. Slopes are 2 to 30 percent. Elevations range from 5,900 to 8,900 feet. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 10 to 14 inches, mean annual temperature is 45 to 48 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 100 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Jericho and Sevenmile soils. Jericho soils are loamy-skeletal, shallow to duripans with indurated subhorizons, and have ochric epipedons. Sevenmile soils are coarse-loamy, very deep, and do not have duripans.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very high surface runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Chainlink soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly black sagebrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, and bottlebrush squirreltail with minor amounts of Indian ricegrass, blue grama, muttongrass, and Stansbury cliffrose.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 28A.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Pine County, Nevada, East Part, 2004.
REMARKS: This revision updates the taxonomic subgroup from Orthidic to Cambidic and assigns a cation exchange activity class based on present component data.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 10 inches (A and Bk horizons).
Calcic horizon - The zone from 4 to 10 inches (Bk horizon).
Duripan - The zone from 10 to 25 inches (Bqkm horizon).
Particle size control section - The zone from the soil surface to 10 inches (A and Bk horizons).