LOCATION BRIER                   NV

Established Series
Rev. RWW/RLB/JBF
06/2016

BRIER SERIES

The Brier series consists of shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from volcanic rocks. Brier soils are on mountain slopes and hills. Slopes are 15 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 300 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 8 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Lithic Argixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Brier very cobbly loam--forestland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with approximately 30 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles and 2 percent stones.

A--0 to 10 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very cobbly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; common fine and medium vesicular and few very fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel, 30 percent cobbles and 2 percent stones; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 18 cm thick)

Bt--10 to 38 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very cobbly clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds, and lining pores and on rock fragments; 20 percent gravel, 25 percent cobbles and 2 percent stones; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (20 to 40 cm thick)

R--38 cm; hard, fractured welded rhyolitic tuff.

TYPE LOCATION: Nye County, Nevada; Grapevine Mountain Range; in an unsurveyed area, approximately 5,000 feet east of the Esmeralda County line and 250 feet north of the East-West boundary of the Death Valley National Monument; T. 10 S.; R 43 E.; Bonnie Clair SW USGS 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 37 degrees 1 minute 2 seconds N and longitude 117 degrees 8 minutes 52 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 37.0172222 latitude nye-117.1477778 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Moist in the winter and early spring months, and dry in summer and fall except for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October due to convection storms; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 9 to 12 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 18 to 38 cm.
Depth to bedrock: 36 to 50 cm.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.

Particle-size control section - Percent clay: Averages 18 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent, mainly cobbles.

A horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3 moist or dry.

Bt horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4 moist or dry.
Texture: Averages loam, clay loam, or sandy clay loam; some subhorizons have greater than 35 percent clay.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Argabak, Bellehelen, Duco, Horseflat, Nuhelen, Ocud, Orhood, Reywat, and Upatad series.

Argabak and Bellehelen soils are less than 36 cm to a lithic contact. Bellehelen soils are 18 to 36 cm deep to bedrock. Duco, Horseflat, Ocud, Orhood, Reywat, and Upatad soils all lack the 10 to 20 days summer precipitation.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Brier soils are on mountain slopes and hills. They formed in residuum and colluvium derived from volcanic rocks. Slopes are 15 to 75 percent. Elevations are 1,200 to 2,795 meters. The mean annual precipitation is 250 to 350 mm, the mean annual temperature is 8 to 10 degrees C, and the frost-free season is about 90 to 130 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Gabbvally, Stewval and Wahguyhe series. Gabbvally and Stewval soils lack a mollic epipedon. Wahguyhe soils lack an argillic horizon.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; medium or rapid runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Forestland. The present vegetation is mainly singleleaf pinyon and Utah juniper with an understory of Wyoming big sagebrush, ephedra, desert bitterbrush and bluegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 29, 30.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Esmeralda County, Nevada, 1984.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the surface to 38 cm (A and Bt horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 10 to 38 cm (Bt horizon).
Lithic Contact - The boundary at 38 cm (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 38 cm (Bt horizon).

Classification was updated to 11th edition on 07/2011 changed Lithic Argixerolls to Aridic Lithic Argixerolls.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.