LOCATION HOLBORN                 NV

Established Series
Rev. STD-DWW-RLB-JBF
01/2019

HOLBORN SERIES

The Holborn series consists of very shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from tuff and sedimentary rocks. The Holborn soils are on hills and rock piedmont remnants. Slopes are 4 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 300 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 7 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic, shallow Xeric Torriorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Holborn gravelly loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with 25 percent gravel.

A1--0 to 3 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist, weak thin platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine, common fine and few medium tubular pores; 30 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)

A2--3 to 8 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine, common fine and few medium roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; 15 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 8 cm thick)

Bk--8 to 18 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine and very fine, few medium roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; 25 percent gravel; thin carbonate coats on undersides of rock fragments; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 15 cm thick)

Cr--18 to 33 cm; soft weathered sandstone.

TYPE LOCATION: Elko County, Nevada; approximately 7 miles west of Montello, about 2,500 feet west and 2,600 feet south of the northeast corner, sec. 5, T. 39 N., R. 68 E.; USGS Montello Canyon 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 41 degrees 17 minutes 45 seconds N and longitude 114 degrees 18 minutes 23 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 41.2958333 latitude, -114.3063889 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually dry, moist in winter and spring, dry June through October; aridic soil moisture bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C.
Depth to paralithic contact: 15 to 25 cm.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: Averages 5 to 30 percent.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 18 to 30 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent, mainly gravel.

A horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Other features: Combined thickness of the A horizon is 5 to 15 cm.

Bk horizons
Hue: 2.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Texture: Gravelly loam, gravelly clay loam.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Coppereid, Foxcan, Grina, Hundraw, Jacratz, Puett, Stu, Tert and Whilphang series.

Coppereid, Hundraw, Puett and Stu soils have 10 to 18 percent clay in their particle-size control section. Foxcan soils contain less than 18 percent clay in the particle size control section. Grina soils are 36 to 50 cm to a paralithic contact and lack Bk horizons with segregated carbonates. Jacratz soils are noneffervescent or slightly effervescent A horizons and contain more than 20 percent soft platy gravel in their particle-size control section. Tert and Whilphang soils have mean annual soil temperatures of 12 to 15 degrees C; Tert soils also lack Bk horizons and Whilphang soils have 10 to 18 percent clay in the particle-size control sections.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Holborn soils are on hills and rock piedmont remnants. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from tuff, sandstone and other similar sedimentary rocks. Slopes are 4 to 50 percent. Elevations are 1,620 to 2,075 meters. The climate is cool, semiarid with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 250 to 360 mm; mean annual temperature is 7 to 10 degrees C, and the frost-free season is 100 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Hopeka and Izar series. These soils have more than 35 percent rock fragments in their control section and are shallow to hard bedrock.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly black sagebrush, little rabbitbrush, bluebunch wheatgrass and Indian ricegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeast Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 25, 28A and 28B.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Elko County, Nevada, northeast part, 1986.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm; (A1, A2 and Bk horizons).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at about 18 cm (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from the surface of the soil to about 18 cm (A1, A2 and Bk horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.