LOCATION CROESUS NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive Pachic Haplocryolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Croesus very gravelly loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 9 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) very gravelly loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine, common fine, and few medium roots; many very fine and many fine tubular pores; 40 percent pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); gradual wavy boundary. (3 to 12 inches thick)
A2--9 to 21 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) extremely gravelly loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine, many fine, and common medium roots; many fine and many very fine tubular pores; 60 percent pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.5); gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 16 inches thick)
A3--21 to 34 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) extremely gravelly loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine, many fine, and common medium roots; many fine and many very fine tubular pores; 60 percent pebbles; secondary carbonates segregated as very few fine coats on bottom of rock fragments; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 20 inches thick)
R--34 inches; hard siltstone bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: White Pine County, Nevada; about 34 miles north-northeast of Eureka in the Diamond Mountains; in a nonsectionized township about 3,400 feet south and 330 feet west of the projected northeast corner of section 1, T. 24 N., R. 54 E.; USGS Diamond Springs 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 39 degrees 59 minutes 15 seconds north latitude and 115 degrees 49 minutes 48 seconds west longitude, NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually moist in winter, spring, and early summer; dry 60 to 90 consecutive days from August to October; xeric moisture regime that borders on aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature - 42 to 45 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature - 52 to 59 degrees F.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 20 to 40 inches.
Depth to bedrock - 20 to 40 inches to a lithic contact.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: 10 to 18 percent; Rock fragments: 40 to 70 percent, mainly pebbles. Lithology of fragments varies by survey area.
A1 horizon - Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 3, dry or moist.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
Organic matter content: 2 to 4 percent.
A2 and A3 horizons - Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Very gravelly loam, very gravelly sandy loam, very gravelly very fine sandy loam, extremely gravelly loam, or extremely gravelly fine sandy loam.
Reaction: Slightly acid to moderately alkaline.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.
Other features: Some pedons lack secondary carbonate coats on bottom of rock fragments in the lower subhorizons. Calcium carbonate equivalent ranges from 0 to 1 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Baconcamp, Beehunt (T), Behanco, Behanin, Belsac, Bullrey, Busterback, Dressel, Gateview, Hapgood, Harcany, Hobacker, Lionhead, Lolon, Marcetta, Mundos, Nagitsy, Namela, Nazaton, Nevtah, Papaspila, Parkcity, Poleline, Povey, Snag, Snopoc, Splitbutte, Tonigut, and Warshod (T) series.
Baconcamp soils have 18 to 30 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Beehunt, Behanin, Bullrey, Busterback, Dressel, Gateview, Harcany, Hobacker, Lionhead, Lolon, Marcetta, Mundos, Nazaton, Papaspila, Parkcity, Povey, and Snopoc soils are very deep. Behanco, Tonigut, and Warshod soils are deep to paralithic contacts. Belsac soils are moderately deep to paralithic contacts. Hapgood, Poleline, and Snag soils are deep to lithic contacts. Namela soils have cambic horizons. Nagitsy soils have 18 to 27 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Nevtah soils do not have horizons with secondary carbonates and have pararock fragments of tuff in the particle-size control section. Splitbutte soils have mean annual soil temperature of 39 to 41 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Croesus soils are on mountains. They typically occur on backslope, shoulder, and summit positions. Some of these positions are concave on north aspects and are locally known as "snow pockets". These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from siltstone, sandstone, quartzite, conglomerate, rhyolite, or dacite with minor amounts of limestone in some areas. Slopes are 4 to 75 percent. Elevations range from 6,700 to 10,600 feet. The climate is subhumid with cold, moist winters and cool, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 14 to 20 inches, the mean annual temperature is 40 to 45 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 30 to 70 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Roca and Sheege soils. Roca soils have argillic horizons. Sheege soils are shallow to bedrock and have carbonatic mineralogy.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; high surface runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Croesus soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly mountain big sagebrush, curlleaf mountainmahogany, serviceberry, bluebunch wheatgrass, arrowleaf balsamroot, basin wildrye, and mountain brome.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Nevada. These soils are moderately extensive. The series concept and main acreage is in MLRA 28B, while other acreage occurs in MLRAs 23 and 25.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Pine County (Diamond Valley Area), Nevada, 1971.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 34 inches ( A1, A2, and A3 horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 34 inches to underlying hard bedrock (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 34 inches (A3 horizon and part of the A2 horizon).