LOCATION ZIRAM              NV

ZIRAM SERIES

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, smectitic, frigid Typic Palexerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Ziram very cobbly clay loam, rangeland. (Colors
are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The surface is partially covered by 35 percent cobbles and 35 percent pebbles.

A1--0 to 3 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very cobbly clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate very thin platy structure; hard, very friable, sticky and plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine vesicular pores; 20 percent pebbles and
25 percent cobbles; mildly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick)

A2--3 to 7 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate very fine and
fine granular structure; hard, very friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine, fine, few medium roots; many very fine
interstitial pores; 30 percent pebbles; mildly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)

Bt1--7 to 10 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly clay, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure; very hard, very friable, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine, fine and few medium roots; common very fine
tubular pores; continuous moderately thick clay films lining pores and on ped faces; 25 percent pebbles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)

Bt2--10 to 18 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly clay, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure; hard, friable, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine and fine
roots; few very fine tubular pores; continuous moderately thick
clay films lining pores and on ped faces; 30 percent pebbles and 5 percent cobbles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 11 inches thick)
Btk1--18 to 23 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very gravelly clay, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure; very hard friable, very sticky and very
plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; continuous moderately thick pressure faces; few fine lime filaments; 40 percent pebbles, 15 percent cobbles; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)

Btk2--23 to 38 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) extremely cobbly clay, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak medium prismatic structure; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine, fine and medium roots; few very fine tubular pores; continuous moderately thick pressure faces; common fine and medium lime filaments; 40 percent pebbles, 30 percent cobbles and 5
percent stones; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH
8.4); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 19 inches thick)

Btk3--38 to 42 inches; brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) and yellowish red (5YR 4/6) extremely cobbly clay, dark yellowish brown (10YR
4/6) and dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist, (5YR hues are due to influence from parent material); weak medium angular blocky struc- ture; hard, friable, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine tubular pores; continuous moderately thick pressure faces; l5
percent pebbles and 50 percent cobbles; 5 percent stones; common
fine lime filaments; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)

2R--42 to 46 inches; tuffaceous sandstone.

TYPE LOCATION: Eureka County, Nevada; about 15 miles south and l0 miles east of Crescent Valley, Nevada, about 100 feet west and
1,000 feet south of the approximate northeast corner of section 25, T. 27 N., R. 48 E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture - Moist in the winter through early summer, dry in mid-July through October.

Soil temperature - 44 to 46 degrees F.

Mollic epipedon thickness - 7 to 11 inches.

Solum thickness and depth to bedrock - 40 to 60 inches.

Depth to carbonates - 16 to 27 inches.

Control section - Clay content: 45 to 55 percent.
Rock fragments: 40 to 55 percent, mainly pebbles and cobbles.

A horizon - Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Structure: Granular or platy.

Bt horizon - Hue: Some pedons reflect hue of the parent material
in their lower subhorizons.
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 to 6 dry, 3 to 6 moist.
Texture: Very gravelly clay, very cobbly clay, extremely cobbly
clay with a thin upper subhorizon of gravelly clay common in most pedons.
Rock fragments: 25 to 40 percent pebbles and 10 to 15 percent cobbles in the upper part; 15 to 40 percent pebbles and 35 to 55 percent cobbles and stones in the lower part.
Structure: Prismatic or angular blocky.
Consistence: Very hard or hard and very friable to firm.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Amboat, Aninto, Boneyard, Durfee
and Ebic series. The Amboat, Durfee and Ebic soils lack carbonates in the lower part of their argillic horizon. Also, Amboat soils
have 60 to 85 percent clay and 60 to 85 percent stones in the lower part of the Bt horizon. Aninto soils have a mollic epipedon extending into the Bt horizon. Boneyard soils are noncalcareous
and lack an abrupt A-B boundary. Durfee soils are 60 or more
inches deep. Ebic soils are 20 to 30 inches deep to bedrock.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ziram soils are on smooth mountain side
slopes. The soils formed in residuum and colluvium weathered from tuff, tuffaceous sandstone, quartzite and quartz latite. Slopes
are 15 to 50 percent. Elevations are 6,500 to 8,100 feet. The climate is cool and semiarid with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 12 to 16 inches; mean annual temperature is 42 to 45 degrees F., and the frost-free
season is 70 to 100 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bregar, Freznik,
and Softscrabble soils. Bregar soils are shallow to unweathered bedrock. Freznik soils are moderately deep to bedrock.
Softscrabble soils have less than 35 percent clay in their particle-size control section and have a thick mollic epipedon.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; very slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The vege- tation is mainly low sagebrush, lanceleaf rabbitbrush, lupine, locoweed, Sandberg bluegrass, Nevada bluegrass and bottlebrush squirreltail.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Nevada. These soils are not extensive.

MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Eureka County, Nevada, 1981.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Mollic epipedon - The zone from the surface to about 7 inches (A1,
A2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 7 to 42 inches (Bt1, Bt2, Btk1, Btk2, Btk3 horizons).

Abrupt textural boundary - The boundary at about 7 inches (A2--Bt1 horizon boundary).

Lithic contact - The boundary at about 42 inches (2R horizon).

Particle-size control section - The zone from 7 to 27 inches (Bt1, Bt2, Btk1 horizons and part of the Btk2 horizon).