LOCATION GRAVIER NV

Established Series
Rev. DLK-DWW-RLB-JVC
11/2016

GRAVIER SERIES

The Gravier series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from limestone and welded tuff. Gravier soils are on fan skirts, summits of fan remnants, and beach plains. Slopes are 0 to 30 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, mesic Sodic Haplocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Gravier gravelly loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with approximately 30 percent gravel.

A--0 to 10 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak thick platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and many fine roots; many very fine and fine vesicular pores; secondary calcium carbonate segregated as concretions on bottom of rock fragments; 25 percent gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 13 cm thick)

Bk1--10 to 38 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) gravelly loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; secondary calcium carbonate segregated as concretions around rock fragments; 30 percent gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 38 cm thick)

Bk2--38 to 53 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) very gravelly loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; secondary calcium carbonate segregated as concretions around rock fragments; 45 percent gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 41 cm thick)

Bk3--53 to 86 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) extremely gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; secondary calcium carbonate segregated as concretions around rock fragments; 65 percent gravel; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear wavy boundary. (9 to 19 cm thick)

Bk4--86 to 127 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) gravelly fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; secondary calcium carbonate segregated as concretion around rock fragments; 25 percent gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 18 cm thick)

Ck--127 to 155 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) extremely gravelly loamy sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; secondary calcium carbonate segregated as concretions on bottom of rock fragments; 65 percent gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3).

TYPE LOCATION: Elko County, Nevada; about 7.5 miles east of Montello between Tecoma Valley and the Pilot Range; about 2,000 feet east and 1,600 feet south of the northwest corner of section 4, T. 39 N., R. 70 E.; USGS Tecoma 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 41 degrees 17 minutes 41 seconds N and longitude 114 degrees 03 minutes 12 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 41.2947222 latitude, -114.0533333 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist for short periods in winter and spring, dry late May through November; typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 12 to 15 degrees C.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline through strongly alkaline.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 8 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: Average 35 to 60 percent mainly gravel, with up to 10 percent cobbles. Lithology of fragments is mainly limestone.

A horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Sodicity (SAR): 1 to 5.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 10 percent in the less than 2mm fraction.

Bk horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Gravelly loam through extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam with thin strata of loamy sand to loamy fine sand common in pedons.
Structure: Weak or moderate, fine through coarse subangular blocky, single grain, or is massive.
Consistence: Loose, soft or slightly hard dry, very friable or friable moist, nonsticky or slightly sticky and nonplastic or slightly plastic.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 30 percent in the less than 2mm fraction.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: Occurs as coats or pendants on rock fragments.
Sodicity (SAR): 13 to 30.

Ck horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 dry.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Extremely gravelly loamy sand or extremely gravelly coarse sand.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 25 percent in the less than 2mm fraction.
Sodicity (SAR): 13 to 30.
Other features: Subhorizons of some pedons have textures of very fine sandy loam.

COMPETING SERIES: There are currently no other series in this family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Gravier soils are on fan skirts, inset fans, and beach plains. These soils formed in alluvium derived mainly from limestone and welded tuff. Slopes are 0 to 30 percent. Elevations range from 1,345 to 1,830 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 130 to 200 mm, mean annual temperature is 9 to 13 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 100 to 130 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Luap, Smaug, and Wiffo soils. Luap soils have a petrocalcic horizon. Smaug soils has less than 5 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section. Wiffo soils do not have calcic horizons.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; very low through medium surface runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Gravier soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly Indian ricegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, galleta, winterfat, shadscale, and bud sagebrush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Nevada. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 28A.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Elko County (Northeast Part), Nevada, 1986.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A and part of the Bk1 horizons).
Calcic horizon - The zone from 10 to 127 cm (Bk1, Bk2, Bk3, and Bk4 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (lower part of the Bk1, Bk2, Bk3, and upper part of the Bk4 horizons).

The revision of March 2003 updated the taxonomic class from Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Haplocalcids. Sodium adsorption ratios are greater than 13 and qualify the series for the Sodic subgroup of Haplocalcids.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.