LOCATION DEVILS NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Aridic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Devils very cobbly loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
Al--0 to 3 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very cobbly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium and thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; many fine and very fine vesicular pores; 30 percent pebbles, 25 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)
A2--3 to 8 cm thick; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very cobbly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many fine and very fine roots; many fine and very fine vesicular pores; 20 percent pebbles, l5 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)
A3--8 to 18 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) very cobbly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 20 percent pebbles, l5 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 15 cm thick)
Bt1--18 to 23 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) cobbly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium and fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few medium and common fine roots; many fine and very fine tubular pores; 20 percent pebbles, l0 percent cobbles, few thin clay films lining pores; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)
Bt2--23 to 46 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; strong medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few medium and common fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 25 percent pebbles, l0 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones; many moderately thick clay films lining pores and on peds; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 30 cm thick)
Bt3--46 to 56 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very gravelly clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few medium and fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 30 percent pebbles, 10 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones; many moderately thick clay films lining pores and on peds; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 15 cm thick)
Cr--56 cm; weathered andesitic bedrock with some clay coatings and root mats in fractures.
TYPE LOCATION: Lyon County, Nevada; 4 1/2 miles east of junction of State Highway 22 and Risue road; 2,900 feet south and 1,200 feet west of the northeast corner of section 13, T. 8 N., R. 25 E.; latitude 38 degrees 33 minutes 10 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 7 minutes 55 seconds W; NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Moist from late fall through early summer, dry late June through October. Aridic moisure regime bordering on xeric.
Soil temperature - 7 to 8 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 18 to 30 cm.
Solum thickness - 50 to 76 cm.
Depth to bedrock: Paralithic contact 50 to 91 cm, hard bedrock may occur at any depth below 100 cm.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly acid
Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 27 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent; mostly pebbles with 10 to 20 percent cobbles and stones.
A horizons - Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Structure: Platy or granular.
B2t horizons - Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Structure: Angular or subangular blocky.
Other features: Clay films are common or continuous, thin to thick.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Belate, Burnborough, Closkey, Gowjai, Granpeak, Jivas, Millan, Sumine, and Torro series.
Belate, Burnborough, Millan and Torro soils lack bedrock within 152 inches. Closkey soils have 18 to 27 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Gowjai Granpeak and Jivas soils are 100 1to 150 cm to bedrock. Sumine soils lack a paralithic contact.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Devils soils are on plateaus and have convex surfaces. Slopes are 4 to 30 percent. The soils formed in residuum and local colluvium from basic igneous rocks. Elevations are 2,620 to 2900 meters. The mean annual temperature is 6 to 7 degrees C. The mean annual precipitation is 300 to 400 mm. Frost-free season is 80 to l00 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Fulstone Variant and Glean soils. Fulstone Variant soils have a duripan and an argillic horizon with more than 35 percent clay. Glean soils are very deep, lack an argillic horizon and have a mollic epipedon more than 50 cm thick.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow or medium runoff; slow permeability; moderately high and moderately low saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: Livestock grazing, wildlife habitat, and watershed. Native vegetation is low sagebrush, Nevada bluegrass, and western needlegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada. The soils are not extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lyon County Area, Nevada, l98l.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the surface to 18 cm (A1, A2, and A3 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 8 to 56 cm (Bt1, Bt2 and Bt3 horizons).
Paralithic contact - The zone at 56 cm (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 8 to 56 cm (Bt1, Bt2 and Bt3 horizons).