LOCATION SNOWMORE NV+IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Xeric Argidurids
TYPICAL PEDON: Snowmore cobbly fine sandy loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with approximately 10 percent pebbles, 10 percent cobbles, and 5 percent small stones.
A1--0 to 2 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/2) cobbly fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak fine platy structure parting to weak fine granular; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; many fine and very fine vesicular pores; 10 percent pebbles, 15 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones; mildly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick).
A2--2 to 4 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) cobbly fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few medium and many very fine roots; common very fine vesicular pores; 10 percent pebbles, 10 percent cobbles; mildly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick).
Bt1--4 to 8 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and plastic; common fine and very fine roots; common fine tubular and interstitial pores; few thin clay films lining pores; 10 percent pebbles; mildly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 9 inches thick)
Bt2--8 to 13 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few medium and coarse, common fine and very fine roots; few very fine interstitial pores; common moderately thick clay films on ped faces and lining pores; 5 percent pebbles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick).
Bq--13 to 16 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine interstitial pores; continuous brittle matrix; 15 percent brittle durinodes; 5 percent pebbles; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick).
Bqk--16 to 22 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) gravelly clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; continuous weak silica and lime cementation; 20 percent brittle durinodes; 20 percent pebbles, 5 percent cobbles; common fine lime in soft masses and filaments; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick).
Bqkm--22 to 28 inches; white (10YR 8/2) indurated duripan, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; extremely hard, extremely firm; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick).
2R--28 inches; rhyolite bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Elko County, Nevada; in an unsurveyed area of the Owyhee Desert, approximately 23 miles northwest of Midas, 41 degrees, 31 minutes, 25 seconds north latitude and 116 degrees, 58 minutes, 30 seconds west longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually dry, moist in winter and spring, dry in June through October.
Soil temperature - 47 to 52 degrees F.
Depth to Bq horizon - 11 to 18 inches.
Depth to duripan - 20 to 34 inches.
Depth to bedrock - 21 to 40 inches.
Control section - Clay content: 20 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent, mainly pebbles.
A horizon - Value: 5 or 6 dry 3 or 4 moist, the upper 7 inches after mixing, does not have both value or 5 dry, and 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Reaction: Neutral or mildly alkaline.
Bt horizon - Value: 5 or 6 dry.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Texture: Loam, silt loam, clay loam or sandy clay loam.
Consistence: Slightly sticky or sticky and slightly plastic or plastic, wet.
Reaction: Mildly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Bq, Bqk horizons (when present) - Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: Loam, gravelly or cobbly fine sandy loam, gravelly loam or gravelly clay loam.
Structure: Subangular blocky or is massive.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Effervescence: Noneffervescent to strongly effervescent.
Bqkm horizon - Value: 7 or 8 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Structure: Platy or is massive.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Arbidge (ID), Dacker (NV), Deerlodge (NV), Ditchcamp (CA), Drysel (T)(WA), Exel (CA), Hager (OR), Idow (T)ID), Lembos (UT), Ochoco (OR), Rakane (T)(ID), Wako (T)(ID), Wellsed (NV) and Wendell (ID)series. Arbidge, Exel, Lembos, Ochoco, Rakane , Wellsed and Wendell soils lack bedrock within 40 inches. Dacker soils lack bedrock within a depth of 40 inches and have a silty clay loam Bt horizon. Deerlodge soils lack bedrock within 40 inches and have Bt horizons with hue of 7.5YR. Ditchcamp soils are slightly acid or neutral and lack lime in their duripans. Drysel, Idow and Rankane soils are not underlain by bedrock below the duripan. Hager and Wako soils have bedrock at 40 to 60 inches. Wendell soils do not contain a Bg horizon that has a continuous brittle matrix.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Snowmore soils are on summits, shoulders and side slopes of tablelands, calderas, structural benches, plateaus, mountains and hills. They formed in loess over residuum from basalt or rhyolite. Slopes are 0 to 30 percent. Elevations are 3,500 to 6.100 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 45 to 50 degrees F., and the frost-free season is 90 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Colthorp, Linkup, Ratsow, and Reina series. Colthorp and Reina soils are shallow to a duripan. Linkup soils are shallow over bedrock. Ratsow soils have greater than 35 percent clay in the argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow or medium runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, Sandberg bluegrass, Indian ricegrass, Webber ricegrass, Letterman needlegrass, and Nevada bluegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central Nevada and southwestern Idaho. MLRA 25, 24, 11. Snowmore soils are moderately extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Northwestern Elko County Area, Nevada. 1986.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Argillic horizon - The zone from 4 to 13 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Xerollic intergrades - Meets organic carbon requirement for "Xerollic"
Duripan - The zone from 22 to 28 inches (Bkqm horizon).
Lithic contact - The boundary at about 28 inches (2R horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 4 to 13 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 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.