LOCATION GABBS                   NV+UT

Established Series
Rev. DMC/ELS/JBF
06/2016

GABBS SERIES

The Gabbs series consists of moderately deep to an indurated duripan, well drained soils that formed in colluvium derived from basalt, ignimbrite, volcanic ash and loess. Gabbs soils are on hills and mountains. Slopes are 15 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 175 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 12 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Haplodurids

TYPICAL PEDON: Gabbs extremely cobbly very fine sandy loam - rangeland (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 3 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) extremely cobbly very fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; 60 percent cobbles and a few 0.6 cm pan fragments; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 5 cm thick)

A2--3 to 8 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; strong thin platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine and fine vesicular pores; 25 percent gravel and few 0.6 cm pan fragments; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 15 cm thick)

Bw--8 to 20 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; 30 percent gravel including a few .6 cm pan fragments; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 25 cm thick)

Bk--20 to 51 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very gravelly fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine, and few fine and medium roots; many very fine tubular pores; 50 percent gravel including a few 0.6 to 2.5 cm pan fragments which are violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 46 cm thick)

Bqkm--51 to 81 cm; white (10YR 8/1) indurated duripan, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; many light gray (10YR 7/2) and very pale brown (10YR 7/3) carbonate concentrations and dark brown (10YR 3/3) and brown (10YR 4/3) organic stains on pan; massive; extremely hard, extremely firm; roots matted on pan.

TYPE LOCATION: Nye County, Nevada; 0.5 mile southwest of Red Mountain on a south slope; 0.4 mile south and 0.4 mile east of the northwest corner of section 2, T. 3 N., R. 42 E.; USGS Rays 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 8 minutes 46 seconds N and longitude 117 degrees 14 minutes 0 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.1462222 latitude, -117.2336111 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in some part for short periods during winter and early spring months and for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October due to convection storms; typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 10 degrees C.
Depth to duripan: 50 to 75 cm.
Effervescence: Noneffervescent except for pan fragments which are strongly effervescent to violently effervescent,
Calcium carbonate: 0 to 5 percent.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 5 to 14 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 55 percent. The gravel content is 15 to 30 percent and the cobble content is 10 to 30 percent.

A horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry and 3 or 4 moist and value of 5 dry and 3 moist only in the surface 3 to 5 cm.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.

Bw horizon
Chroma: of 2 or 3.
Structure: Weak or medium subangular blocky structure.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.

Bk horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y,
Value: 6 through 8 dry and 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Texture: Fine sandy loam or loam.
Modifiers: Very gravelly or very cobbly.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.

Bqkm horizon - Value: 7 or 8.
Chroma: 1 through 3.
Structure: Massive or has thick platy structure.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Specter series. Specter soils have more than 55 percent rock fragments in particle-size control sections.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Gabbs soils are on mountain slopes at elevations of 1,830 to 2,140 meters. Slope gradients are 15 to 50 percent. The soils formed in colluvium derived from basalt, ignimbrite, volcanic ash, and loess. The climate is warm, arid with a mean annual rainfall of 150 to 200 mm. The mean annual temperature is 7 to 9 degrees C. The frost-free season is 100 to 115 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Old Camp, Osobb, and Silverbow soils. Old Camp soils have argillic horizons and lack duripans. Osobb soils have duripans over bedrock within a depth of 50 cm. Silverbow soils have argillic horizons.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for livestock grazing. The vegetation is principally Bailey greasewood, shadscale, bud sagebrush, Nevada ephedra, desert needlegrass and galleta with some cacti.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Nevada. These soils are of small extent. MLRA 29.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Nye County (Big Smoky Valley Area), Nevada, 1972.

REMARKS: Gabbs soils were classified as Calcisols.
Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A1 and part Bw horizons).
Indurated duripan - The zone from 51 to 81 cm (Bqkm horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from the 25 to 51 cm (part of Bk horizon).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.