LOCATION WATCHABOB NV+IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Pachic Ultic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Watchabob gravelly coarse sandy loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Al--0 to 5 inches; dark grayish brown (l0YR 4/2) gravelly coarse sandy loam, very dark brown (l0YR 2/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine and few medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; 20 percent pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
A2--5 to 9 inches; brown (l0YR 5/3) gravelly coarse sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (l0YR 3/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine, and few medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; 25 percent pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 9 inches thick.)
A3--9 to l5 inches; brown (l0YR 5/3) gravelly coarse sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (l0YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine, and few medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; 20 percent pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
Btl--l5 to 2l inches; grayish brown (l0YR 5/2) gravelly coarse sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (l0YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; few thin clay films on peds and lining pores; 25 percent pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.5); gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 9 inches thick.)
Bt2--2l to 26 inches; brown (l0YR 5/3) gravelly sandy clay loam, dark brown (l0YR 3/3) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; few thin clay films on peds and lining pores; 26 percent pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 8 inches thick)
C--26 to 28 inches; variegated color, extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam, variegated color, but dominantly dark yellowish brown (l0YR 3/4) moist, single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 75 percent pebbles; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
2R--28 inches; granite.
TYPE LOCATION: Elko County, Nevada, about l mile north and 2 miles west of Mountain City; l,800 feet north and 2,400 feet east of the southwest corner of section 27, T. 46 N., R. 53 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually moist, dry late July through mid October.
Soil temperature - 42 to 47 degrees F.
Thickness of solum and depth to bedrock - 20 to 40 inches.
Control section - Rock fragments: 20 to 30 percent, mainly pebbles.
Base saturation (in all or part of upper 75 cm by sum of cations - 50 to 75 percent.
A horizon - Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Rock fragments: l5 to 30 percent, mainly pebbles.
Reaction: Neutral through medium acid.
Bt horizon - Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 to 4.
Clay content: l8 to 30 percent.
Texture: Gravelly sandy clay loam or gravelly coarse sandy loam. Some pedons have thin subhorizons that are very gravelly sandy clay loam or very gravelly coarse sandy loam.
Reaction: Neutral through medium acid.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bauscher, Brinegar, DeMasters, and Pinehurst series. Bauscher soils are more than 60 inches to bedrock. Brinegar soils are moderately well drained and more than 60 inches to bedrock. DeMasters soils have bedrock at a depth of 40 to 60 inches. Pinehurst soils have 5YR hue.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Watchabob soils are on side slopes of hills. They formed in alluvium and colluvium from granite. Slopes are l0 to 40 percent. Elevations are 5,600 to 6,800 feet. The mean annual precipitation is l3 to l6 inches, most of which falls as snow or spring rain. The mean annual temperature is 43 to 45 degrees F., and the frost-free season is 70 to 90 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Bearskin soil. The Bearskin soil is less than 20 inches deep to bedrock and is on summits and toe-slopes of low hills.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium or rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is mainly mountain big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, Idaho fescue, bluebunch wheatgrass, basin wildrye, and lumpine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central Nevada and southwestern Idaho. Watchabob soils are not extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Elko County, Nevada, Duck Valley Indian Reservation, Idaho and Nevada, 1984.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 26 inches (A1, A2, A3, Bt1, Bt2 horizons)
Lithic contact - The boundary at 28 inches.
Argillic horizon - The zone from 15 to 26 inches (Bt1, Bt2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 15 to 26 inches.
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.