LOCATION CONNEL NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Durinodic Xeric Haplocambids
TYPICAL PEDON: Connel very fine sandy loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 3 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) vir gine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak thin platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many fine and medium vesicular pores; mildly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
A2--3 to 6 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate thin and medium platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; mildly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
Bw--6 to 14 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium and coarse angular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; many very fine interstitial and common very fine tubular pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 15 inches thick)
Bq--14 to 20 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; very hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine, medium and coarse roots; many very fine interstitial and common very fine tubular pores; 10 percent pebbles; continuous brittle matrix; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
2Bqk--20 to 25 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very gravelly loamy sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine, fine and medium roots; many fine interstitial pores; lime coatings on pebbles, strongly effervescent; 40 percent pebbles; continuous brittle matrix; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2); abrupt irregular boundary. (5 to 8 inches thick)
2Bk--25 to 60 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) extremely gravelly loamy coarse sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; single grained; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many fine and medium interstitial pores; some lime coatings on pebbles and cobbles; strongly effervescent; 65 percent pebbles, 15 percent cobbles; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2)
TYPE LOCATION: Humboldt County, Nevada; approximately 3 miles north and 1 mile west of Orovada, about 700 feet south and 500 feet east of the northwest corner of section 15, T. 43 N., R. 37 C.; 41 degrees, 36 minutes, 40 seconds north latitude, 117 degrees, 48 minutes, 22 seconds west longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Soil moisture - Usually dry, moist winter and spring, dry from June through October.
Soil temperature - 47 to 52 degrees F.
Depth to unconformable gravel and sand - 20 to 35 inches.
Depth to continuous brittle matrix - 10 to 20 inches.
Depth to carbonates - 18 to 30 inches.
Control section - Clay content: Upper part is 12 to 18 percent, lower part is 2 to 8 percent.
Rock fragments: Upper part is less than 15 percent pebbles, lower part is 40 to 80 percent mainly pebbles with 0 to 20 percent cobbles.
A horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Reaction: Neutral to moderately alkaline.
Bw horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Texture: Very fine sandy loam, loam, silt loam.
Structure: Angular blocky, subangular blocky or prismatic.
Reaction: Mildly alkaline to moderately alkaline.
Bq horizon (when present) - Reaction: Moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline.
2Bqk and 2Bk horizons - Hue: Variable, reflects lithochromic colors of the mineral grains.
Value: Variable, reflects lithochromic colors of the mineral grains.
Chroma: 1 through 4.
Texture: Very gravelly or extremely gravelly sand, coarse sand, loamy sand.
Clay content: 2 to 8 percent.
Rock fragments: 40 to 80 percent pebbles with 0 to 20 percent cobbles.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent to strongly effervescent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: Has less than 5 percent in any subhorizon within 40 inches.
Other features: The Bqk horizon is continuous brittle matrix with some subhorizons of some pedons that contain more than 20 percent durinodes in a discontinuously cemented brittle matrix.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Buko(ID), Idway(T NV) and Neppel(WA) series. Buko soils have A1 horizons with 1.5 to 3.0 percent organic matter, and Bk horizons with subhorizons at least 6 inches thick with a 15 to 25 percent calcium carbonate equivalent. Idway soils are calcareous to the surface, contain 5 to 15 percent carbonates in the control section and contain durinodes. Neppel soils are 20 to 40 inches to silica cementation.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Connel soils are on beach terraces, barrier bars, lagoons, stream terraces, intermittent drainage channels, fan piedmont remnants, fan skirts and inset fans. These soils formed in loess with a component of volcanic ash over alluvium from mixed rock sources. Slopes are 0 to 8 percent. Elevations are 4,000 to 6,200 feet. The climate is cool, semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 7 to 10 inches; mean annual temperature is 45 to 50 degrees F., and the frost-free season is 100 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bliss, McConnel, Orovada, Rebel and Skull Creek soils. Bliss soils have strongly cemented duripans at 20 to 36 inches. McConnel soils have sandy- skeletal control sections and lack Bq horizons. Orovada and Rebel soils are deep and are not underlain by unconformable gravelly or sandy material within 40 inches. Skull Creek soils have indurated duripans in the 20 to 40 inch depth zone.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow or medium runoff; moderate permeability in the upper part; rapid permeability in the lower part.
USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat with some areas of irrigated cropland. The present vegetation is mainly big sagebrush, spiny hopsage, littleleaf horsebrush, rabbitbrush, bottlebrush squirreltail, Sandberg bluegrass, cheatgrass, mustard and other forbs. The principal irrigated crops are alfalfa, small grains and potatoes.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central and northeast Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 24, 25.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Elko County, Nevada, Central Part, 1986.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 6 inches (A1, and A2 horizons).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 6 from 14 inches (Bw horizon)
Xerollic intergrade - Meets organic carbon requirement for "Xerollic."
Duric horizon - The zone from 14 to 25 inches (Bq and 2Bqk horizons)
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 40 inches. (Bw, Bq, 2Bqk and parts of the 2Bk horizons)
The superactive cation exchange activity class was added in 03/2003 to the taxonomic classification by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the Reno MLRA office, without review of the soil series property data. The remainder of this document has not been updated.