LOCATION DEVILSGAIT NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Cumulic Endoaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Devilsgait silt loam, meadow hayland. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 6 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; many fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) iron mottles; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, fine, and common medium roots; few very fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick.)
A2--6 to 8 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loamy fine sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; common medium distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) iron mottles; single grained; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine, and common medium roots; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
A3--8 to 13 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt loam; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; common medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) iron mottles; moderate fine and medium platy structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; many very fine, fine, and few medium roots; few very fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
A4--13 to 19 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; many fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) iron mottles; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; many very fine, fine, and few medium roots; few very fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 15 inches thick)
A5--19 to 28 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) silt loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, sticky and plastic; many very fine and few medium roots; many very fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
C1--28 to 43 inches; light brownish gray (2.5YR 6/2) silt loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 15 inches thick)
C2--43 to 68 inches; light brownish gray (2.5YR 6/2) stratified thin alternating layers of fine sandy loam, loamy fine sand, and silt loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; mildly alkaline (pH 7.8).
TYPE LOCATION: Elko County, Nevada; about 24 miles northeast of Elko; approximately 2,200 feet east and 700 feet north of the southwest corner of section 36, T. 38 N., R. 57 E.; 41 degrees, 08 minutes, 00 seconds north latitude, 115 degrees, 29 minutes, 59 seconds west longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS
Soil moisture - Saturated at or near the surface for at least one month during most years, mainly during the late winter through early summer months.
Soil temperature - 47 to 50 degrees F.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 24 to 50 inches.
Control section: 20 to 35 percent.
Reaction - Mildly alkaline or moderately alkaline, with some pedons strongly alkaline in the upper part.
Other features - Some pedons have a gravelly substratum below depths of 40 inches. Some pedons are drained due to stream channel entrenchment.
A horizon - Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 1 or 2.
Other features: Buried A horizons occur in some pedons.
C horizon - Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y.
Value: 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 1 or 2.
Texture: Stratified silt loam and silty clay loam. Some pedons have thin strata of silty clay or loam in the lower part.
COMPETING SERIES: These are Badus, Calco, Lamo, Salmo and Wingville series (expected to be reclassified to this family). Badus soils have Bw horizons and accumulations of lime and gypsum. Calco soils commonly have snail shells throughout their solum, have dark colored A horizons with values of 3 dry and Bg horizons. Lamo soils commonly lack iron mottles in the A horizon, have accumulations of calcium carbonate below 23 inches and a calcium carbonate equivalent of 1 to 15 percent. Salmo soils have accumulations of salt and gypsum in their B and C horizons. Wingville soils have AC horizon, and C horizons high in volcanic ash and are poorly drained.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Devilsgait soils are on flood plains and lake plains. These soils formed in silty alluvium from mixed rock sources with a component from loess and volcanic ash. Slopes are 0 to 4 percent. Elevations are 5,000 to 6,500 feet. The climate is cool, semiarid, with warm dry summers and cool moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches; mean annual temperature is 44 to 48 degrees F., and the frost-free season is 95 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Crooked Creek, Kelk, Ocala and Tweba series. Crooked Creek soils have a clay textured particle size control section and have a frigid temperature regime. Kelk, Ocala and Tweba soils have ochric epipedons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Very poorly drained, slow runoff, moderately slow permeability. Drained phases due to stream channel entrenchment are recognized.
USE AND VEGETATION: Hayland, rangeland and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is mainly basin wildrye, creeping wildrye, Nevada bluegrass, inland saltgrass and willow.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeast Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 28B.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Elko County, Central Part, Nevada, 1986.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the surface to 28 inches (A1, A2, A3, A4 and A5 horizons).
Aquic conditions - the zone 0 to 18 inches.
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 40 inches (The A4, A5 horizons and part of the A3 and C1 horizons).
Classification was changed from Haplaquolls to Endoaquolls in 1992.
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.