LOCATION FREZNIK NV+CA OR

Established Series
Rev. SES/TM-JVC-JBF
12/2019

FREZNIK SERIES

The Freznik series consist of moderately deep, moderately well drained or well drained soils that formed in colluvium and residuum derived from tuff and basalt. Freznik soils are on plateaus and mountains. Slopes are 2 to 30 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 280 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 6 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, frigid Xeric Paleargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Freznik stony clay loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The surface is covered with about 30 percent stones and cobbles.

A--0 to 8 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) stony clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate very fine granular structure; hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel and 10 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 18 cm thick)

Bt1--8 to 23 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; few fine distinct reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/8) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist iron mottles; strong medium prismatic structure; very hard, friable, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; many pressure cutans on faces of peds; 20 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 25 cm thick)

Bt2--23 to 38 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; few fine distinct reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/8) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist iron redox concentrations; many pressure cutans on faces of peds; 20 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 30 cm thick)

Bt3--38 to 53 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly clay, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine, fine and medium roots; few very fine tubular pores; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) and dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist organic stains; common fine distinct reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/8) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist iron redox concentrations; many pressure cutans on faces of peds; 15 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 23 cm thick)

Bt4--53 to 91 cm; reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) gravelly clay, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist; massive; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) and dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist organic stains; common fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) iron mottles; many pressure cutans on faces of peds; 30 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (13 to 25 cm thick)

R--91 cm; consolidated tuff.

TYPE LOCATION: Eureka County Nevada; about 14 miles south and 6 miles east of Crescent Valley; approximately 1,600 feet west and 1,600 feet north of the projected southeast corner of section 17, T. 27 N., R. 49 E.; USGS Buckhorn Mine 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 13 minutes 18 seconds N and longitude 116 degrees 27 minutes 54 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.2216667 latitude, -116.4650000 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Moist winter and spring, dry late June through October; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 7 to 8 degrees C.
Ochric epipedon thickness: 5 to 18 cm.
Depth to bedrock: 50 to 100 cm to a lithic contact.
Reaction: Neutral to moderately alkaline, commonly increasing with depth.
Other features: There is an abrupt clay increase of 15 to 25 percent within 2.5 cm between the A and Bt horizon.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 40 to 60 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent, mainly gravel.

A horizon
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 3, dry or moist.

Bt horizons
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 through 6, dry or moist.
Structure: Prismatic, angular blocky or subangular blocky in the upper part and blocky or massive in the lower part.
Effervescence: Noneffervescent in the upper part and noneffervescent or slightly effervescent in the lower part.
Mottles: Masses of iron occur in some pedons and may be relict redoximorphic features.
Other features: Some pedons have a BCt horizon 5 to 18 cm thick. It is clay loam or clay with 30 to 45 percent clay.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Coglin, Fourwheel, and Swaler series.

Coglin and Swaler soils are very deep. Fourwheel soils have 5 to 15 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section and have ochric epipedons 18 to 36 cm thick.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Freznik soils are on plateaus and mountains. These soils formed in colluvium and residuum derived mainly from tuff, basalt, and minor amounts of chert and quartz latite. Slopes are 1 to 30 percent. Elevations range from 1,415 to 2,135 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 250 to 400 mm, the mean annual temperature is 6 to 7 degrees C, and frost-free period is 50 to 100 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bregar, Duff, and Short Creek soils. Bregar soils are loamy-skeletal and shallow, Duff soils are fine-loamy and deep. Short Creek soils are clayey-skeletal and deep.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Moderately well drained or well drained; high or very high surface runoff; low saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Freznik soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is mainly low sagebrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, Thurber's needlegrass, and Nevada bluegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Nevada, northeastern California, and south-central Oregon. These soils are moderately extensive. The original series concept is in MLRA 25, while the main acreage occurs in MLRAs 23.

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 8 cm (A horizon).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 8 to 91 cm (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3, and Bt4 horizons).
Paleargid great group feature - The abrupt clay content increase of more than 15 percent at 8 cm (between the A and Bt1 horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 91 cm to underlying hard bedrock (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 8 to 58 cm (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3 and part of the Bt4 horizon).

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.