LOCATION IDWAY NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Durinodic Xeric Haplocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Idway loamy sand--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with 25 percent pebbles.
A--0 to 4 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) loamy sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; strong thick platy structure parting to strong thin platy; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; 5 percent pebbles; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
Bw1--4 to 7 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate thick platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores and few tubular; 5 percent pebbles; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 11 inches thick)
Bw2--7 to 12 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores and few tubular; 5 percent pebbles; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
Bqk1--12 to 20 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores and few tubular; 30 percent cylindrical durinodes 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter and 1 to 3 inch platy durinodes; 5 percent pebbles; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 16 inches thick)
Bqk2--20 to 27 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; strong thick platy structure parting to strong thin platy; hard, firm and brittle, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots in pockets and few in matrix; many very fine interstitial pores and few tubular; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) organic stains on plate surfaces, root mats, and along root channels; 50 percent strongly cemented matrix, 30 percent weak and 10 percent noncemented pockets of loamy sand; 5 percent pebbles; strongly effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
2Cqk--27 to 60 inches; variegated stratified gravelly coarse sand to sand; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 10 percent 1 to 3 inch thick discontinuous cemented lenses; 30 percent pebbles; few carbonate and silica pendants on bottoms of rock fragments; slightly effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Elko County, Nevada; about 11 miles southeast of Currie; approximately 2,100 feet west and 640 feet north of the southeast corner of section 17, T. 26 N., R. 65 E.; USGS Goshute Lake South 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 40 degrees 07 minutes 22 seconds north latitude and 114 degrees 39 minutes 48 seconds west longitude, NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually moist in late fall through early spring, dry mid-spring through mid-fall; Aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature - 47 to 52 degrees F.
Depth to durinodes - 10 to 20 inches.
Depth to strongly contrasting sandy materials - 25 to 40 inches.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: 8 to 18 percent in the upper part and 2 to 8 percent in the strongly contrasting lower part; Rock fragments: Averages 0 to 5 percent in the upper part and 20 to 50 percent in the strongly contrasting lower part.
A horizon - Value: 6 or 7 dry, 3 through 6 moist.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent.
Sodicity (SAR): 1 to 5.
Bw horizons - Value 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent.
Structure: Platy and subangular blocky.
Consistence: Nonsticky to slightly sticky.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent.
Sodicity (SAR): 1 to 5.
Bqk horizons - Value 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Loam or sandy loam.
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent.
Structure: Platy, subangular blocky or massive.
Reaction: Strongly alkaline to very strongly alkaline.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent.
Sodicity (SAR): 5 to 12.
Secondary silica: 30 to 80 percent durinodes.
2Cqk horizon - Texture: Stratified extremely gravelly coarse sand to fine sand.
Structure: Massive or single grain.
Reaction: Strongly alkaline to very strongly alkaline.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent.
Sodicity (SAR): 5 to 12.
Secondary silica: 0 to 15 percent discontinuous silica and lime cemented matrix.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Buko series. Buko soils have B horizons with clay content of 18 to 35 percent and texture of clay loam or silty clay loam.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Idway soils are on alluvial flats, beach plains, and basin-floor remnants. These soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks. Slopes are 0 to 4 percent. Elevations range from 5,600 feet to 6,200 feet. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 10 inches, the mean annual temperature is 47 to 49 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 100 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Kawich, Kunzler, and Mysol soils. Kawich soils are on stable sand dunes. Kunzler soils are coarse-loamy and have a calcic horizon. Mysol soils are fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; moderate over rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Idway soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, black greasewood, Indian ricegrass, and basin wildrye.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Nevada. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 28B.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Elko County, Nevada, Southeast Part, 1994.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 7 inches (A and Bw1 horizons).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 4 to 12 inches (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons).
Calcic horizon - The zone from 12 to 27 inches (Bqk1 and Bqk2 horizons).
Durinodes - The zone from 12 to 27 inches (Bqk1 and Bqk2 horizons).
Major lithologic discontinuity - The abrupt change to sandy material at 27 inches (2Cqk horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 40 inches (Bqk1 and Bqk2 horizons and parts of the Bw2 and 2Cqk horizons).