LOCATION CLOWFIN                 NV

Established Series
Rev. OAC/RAF/RLB/JBF
06/2016

CLOWFIN SERIES

The Clowfin series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks. Clowfin soils are on inset fan piedmonts. Slopes are 0 to 4 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 150 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 8 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Typic Torriorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Clowfin sandy loam-rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted)

A--0 to 10 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; common fine and very fine vesicular pores; 10 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 15 cm thick)

AC--10 to 36 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few medium and fine roots; many fine and very fine interstitial pores; 25 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 30 cm thick)

C--36 to 102 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine and very fine roots; many fine and very fine interstitial pores; 50 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); gradual smooth boundary. (30 to 100 cm thick)

2C--102 to 152 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) extremely gravelly sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many fine and very fine interstitial pores; 70 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).

TYPE LOCATION: Eureka County, Nevada; approximately 12 miles south of Eureka; about 2,200 feet east and 900 feet south of the northwest corner of section 17, T. 17 N., R. 54 E.; USGS Pinto Summit SW 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 20 minutes 59 seconds N and longitude 115 degrees 55 minutes 09 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.3500000 latitude, -115.9191667 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry; moist for short periods in the winter and spring, dry late May through November; typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 12 degrees C.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent through violently effervescent in the surface layer, strongly effervescent or violently effervescent below.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 8 to l8 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 35 to 50 percent.

AC horizon
Structure: Platy or subangular blocky.
Consistence: Nonsticky or slightly sticky and nonplastic or slightly plastic wet.

C horizons
Consistence: Nonsticky or slightly sticky wet.
Texture: Averages sandy loam. Some pedons may be stratified with a combination of sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, loamy sand, and sand soil textures.
Texture modifiers: Averages very gravelly but may range to extremely gravelly in sub horizons of some pedons.
Rock fragments: Averages 35 to 60 percent.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Cliffdown, Clifterson, Defler, Dient, Myton and Trocken series.

Cliffdown soils are moist for short periods in the summer and fall and have a soil temperature of 12 to 15 degrees C. Clifterson soils have 18 to 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Defler soils have Bk and Bqk horizons and have 5 to 15 percent durinodes below 30 cm. Diant soils have 18 to 27 percent clay in the particle-size control section and are dominated by boulders and stones. Myton soils have clean sand and gravel below 64 cm. Trocken soils have a Bw horizon and have carbonate accumulations in Bk horizons.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Clowfin soils are on fan piedmonts. These soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks. Slopes are 0 to 4 percent. Elevations are 1,525 to 2,105 meters. The climate is cool, semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summer. The mean annual precipitation is 150 to 200 mm, mean annual temperature is 8 to 10 degrees C, and the frost-free season is 80 to l00 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Lien and Wholan soils. Lien soils have a duripan within a depth of 100 cm. Wholan soils have less that 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly winterfat and Indian ricegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 28B.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Eureka County Area, Nevada, 1983.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to a depth of 18 cm (A and part of AC horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (part of the AC and C1 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.