LOCATION GEER NV
Established Series
Rev. DJM/SBN/TM/JBF
03/2017
GEER SERIES
The Geer series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from welded tuff and reworked lacustrine deposits. The Geer soils are on alluvial flats, inset fans, fan skirts, and alluvial fans. Slopes are 0 to 4 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 175 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 12 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Typic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Geer fine sandy loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with 5 percent gravel.
A1--0 to 5 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak thick platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine vesicular and many very fine interstitial pores; 3 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 10 cm thick)
A2--5 to 15 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate thick platy structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 3 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 20 cm thick)
C1--15 to 33 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 5 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 48 cm thick)
C2--33 to 58 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 5 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (20 to 90 cm thick)
C3--58 to 97 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 5 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 50 cm thick)
C4--97 to 152 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) stratified fine sandy loam and very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 10 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Lincoln County, Nevada; approximately 1,000 feet east and 600 feet south of the northwest corner of section 18, T. 6 S., R. 64 E.; USGS Delamar 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 37 degrees 25 minutes 58 seconds N and longitude 114 degrees 51 minutes 48 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 37.4327778 latitude, -114.8633333 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 September due to summer convection storms; typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 12 to 15 degrees C.
Gravelly layers are in some pedons below 100 cm.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 5 to 18 percent.
Sand content: Averages 15 to 30 percent fine sand or coarser. Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent. Lithology of fragments is mainly welded tuff and reworked lacustrine deposits with minor amounts of basalt, limestone, and quartzite.
A horizons
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Mineralogy: 12 to 24 percent volcanic glass and other pyroclastic material in the 0.02 to 2 mm fraction and averages 0.01 to 0.09 percent Al plus 1/2Fe, extracted by ammonium oxalate.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent through strongly effervescent.
C horizons
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Stratified fine sandy loam to silt loam.
Mineralogy: 12 to 24 percent volcanic glass and other pyroclastic material in the 0.02 to 2 mm fraction and averages 0.01 to 0.09 percent Al plus 1/2Fe, extracted by ammonium oxalate.
Consistence: Soft or slightly hard, dry, nonsticky to moderately sticky and nonplastic to moderately plastic, wet.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline through very strongly alkaline.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.
Other features: Some fine or medium calcium carbonate segregations are in strata below 50 cm in some pedons. Few or common faint high chroma iron redox concentrations are below 100 cm in some cultivated areas.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Apron,
Fang,
Fruitland,
Ganaflan,
Jeddito,
Jenrid,
Kumiva,
Marcou,
Mazuma,
Moepitz,
Piltdown,
Shotnick,
Sodaspring,
Tooele,
Trachute,
Vanderhoff,
Wentridge, and
Worland series.
All except
Fang and
Mazuma soils lack a component of volcanic ash, glass, or pyroclastic materials. Also,
Apron soils have 2.5Y or 5Y hue and a sandy loam control section.
Fruitland,
Marcou and
Jeddito soils are not moist 10 to 20 days following summer convection storms.
Jenrid and
Shotnick have mean annual soil temperature of 8 to 11 degrees C.
Ganaflan,
Moepitz,
Vanderhoff,
Wentridge, and
Worland soils have a paralithic contact at a depth of 50 to 100 cm. Fang and Mazuma soils have a stratified fine sandy loam and sandy loam control section with more than 30 percent fine sand and coarser.
Tooele soils contain 15 to 35 percent sodium in the particle size control section.
Trachute soils have 7.5YR hues.
Kumiva soils have a Ck horizon.
Piltdown soils are not moist for 10 to 20 days in the summer and have mean annual summer temperature of 8.3 to 11.7 degrees C.
Sodaspring soils have a control section that averages gravelly coarse sandy loam.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Geer soils are on smooth, nearly level fan toe slopes and alluvial flat, inset fans, fan skirts, and alluvial fans. These soils formed in alluvium derived welded tuff and reworked lacustrine deposits. Slopes are 0 to 4 percent. Elevations are 910 to 1,980 meters. The mean annual precipitation is 150 to 200 mm, the mean annual temperature is 11 to 13 degrees C, and the frost-free season is about 130 to 170 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Alko,
Pahroc,
Penoyer, and
Seaman soils. Alko and Pahroc soils have an indurated duripan. Penoyer soils are coarse-silty. Seaman soils are thermic.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; low runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: Livestock grazing and cultivated crops. These soils are used for cultivated crops of alfalfa, small grains, and pasture. Potential native vegetation is Indian ricegrass, galleta, winterfat, bud sagebrush, and fourwing saltbush. This pedon is correlated to ecological site R029XY042NV, Coarse Silty 5-8 P.Z.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East-central and southeastern Nevada. These soils are extensive. MLRA 28A, 28B, and 29.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lincoln County (Pahranagat Valley Soil Conservation District), Nevada, 1940.
REMARKS: Type location was moved in 1990 to better reflect the series concept.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the surface to 18 cm (A1, A2 and part of C1 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (C1, C2, C3 and upper part of the C4 horizons).
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.