LOCATION SHALAKE NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Xeric Haplodurids
TYPICAL PEDON: Shalake very fine sandy loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 3 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate thick platy structure parting to strong thin platy; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; few medium and many fine vesicular pores; mildly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick).
A2--3 to 8 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate thin platy structure; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few medium, fine and very fine roots; many very fine vesicular pores; mildly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 5 inches thick).
Bq--8 to 13 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few medium, fine and very fine roots; few very fine vesicular pores; 10 percent pebbles; 15 percent weak silica cemented durinodes; mildly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick).
Bqk1--13 to l8 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, brittle, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; 15 percent pebbles; 35 percent brittle durinodes; continuous brittle matrix; common fine lime in filaments; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick).
Bqk2--18 to 25 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) gravelly loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/4) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, brittle, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; 30 percent pebbles; 40 percent brittle durinodes; continuous brittle matrix; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick).
Bqkm1--25 to 30 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) continuous indurated duripan, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; massive; extremely hard; extremely firm; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 29 inches thick).
Bqkm2--30 to 60 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) fractured indurated duripan; light gray (10YR 7/2) moist; strong thick and very thick platy; extremely hard, extremely firm; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8).
TYPE LOCATION: Owyhee Desert, Elko County, Nevada; in an unsectionized area, approximately 15 miles north of Midas, 41 degrees, 31 minutes, 38 seconds north latitude and 116 degrees, 37 minutes, 44 seconds west longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually dry; moist in winter and spring, dry in summer and early autumn.
Soil temperature - 47 to 52 degrees F.
Depth to brittle matrix- 10 to 20 inches.
Depth to duripan - 20 to 40 inches.
Durinodes: Averages 20 to 50 percent.
Control section - Clay content: 12 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 10 to 35 percent, mainly pebbles.
A horizon - Value: 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Bq, Bqk horizons - Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 7 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Texture: Loam, gravelly loam, gravelly silt loam.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Doel (CA), Jestrick (T)(ID), Oupico (NV), Prineville (OR), Skull Creek (NV), Taunton (T)(WA)and Ticeska (T)(WA) series. These soils lack continuous brittle horizons with firm or very firm moist consistence above the duripan. Doel soil have Bt and Bw horizons and contain less than 15 percent coarse fragments. Jestrick soils have Bw horizon and is underlain by bedrock. In addition, the Skull Creek and Taunton soils have less than 15 percent rock fragments in their control section and the Taunton soils also have Bw horizons. The Prineville soils also have Bw horizons and 5 to 25 percent sand sized pumice in their sola. Ticeska soils are underlain by bedrock at moderate depth.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Shalake soils are on broad summits and side slopes of fan piedmont remnants. These soils formed in loess and alluvium from mixed volcanic rocks. Slopes are 0 to 4 percent. Elevation of 5,100 to 5,600 feet. The climate is cool and semiarid with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. Mean annual precipitation is 8 to 10 inches; mean annual temperature is 45 to 50 degrees F.; and the frost-free season is 90 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Roca and Susie Creek series. Roca soils have clayey-skeletal argillic horizons. Susie Creek soils have a mollic epipedon and a fine textured argillic horizons. Roca and Susie Creek soils also lack a duripan within 40 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, bottlebrush squirreltail, Sandberg bluegrass, and Indian ricegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central Nevada. MLRA 25. Shalake soils are of small extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Elko County, Nevada, Northwestern Part, 1986.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Duripan - The zone from about 25 to 60 inches (Bqkm1 and Bqkm2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 25 inches (part of Bq, Bqk1 and Bqk2 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.