LOCATION JAMES CANYON            NV+CA UT

Established Series
Rev. JBF-JVC
11/2016

JAMES CANYON SERIES

The James Canyon series consist of very deep, poorly drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks. James Canyon soils are on flood plains and alluvial fans. Slopes are 0 to 8 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 250 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Cumulic Endoaquolls

TYPICAL PEDON: James Canyon fine sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 20 cm; dark gray (10YR 4/1) fine sandy loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; moderate medium platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, fine and common medium roots; many very fine interstitial, common very fine and common fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 25 cm thick)

A2--20 to 58 cm; very dark gray (2.5Y 3/1) gravelly loam, black (2.5Y 2.5/1) moist; strong coarse prismatic structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, common fine, and few medium roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; 15 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (20 to 58 cm thick)

A3--58 to 64 cm; gray (10YR 5/1) gravelly silt loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; weak thin platy structure; hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine and few medium roots; many very fine, fine and common medium tubular pores; 15 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 13 cm thick)

A4--64 to 84 cm; dark gray (5Y 4/1) gravelly silt loam, black (5Y 2.5/1) moist; strong medium prismatic structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine, fine, common medium and few coarse tubular pores; 20 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 25 cm thick)

C1--84 to 114 cm; light olive gray (5Y 6/2) gravelly loam, dark gray (5Y 4/1) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; one discontinuous stratum of gravelly coarse sand; many medium prominent brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) masses of iron accumulation; 20 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (20 to 30 cm thick)

C2--114 to 152 cm; gray (5Y 5/1) fine sandy loam, very dark gray (5Y 3/1) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; few fine prominent brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) masses of iron accumulation; many fine and medium distinct black (2.5Y 2.5/1) organic stains; 5 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).

TYPE LOCATION: Elko County, Nevada; about 9 miles southeast of the Ruby Ranger Station; approximately 1,600 feet south and 400 feet east of the northwest corner of section 34, T. 32 N., R. 60 E.; USGS Smith Well 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 40 degrees 36 minutes 49 seconds north latitude and 115 degrees 11 minutes 51 seconds west longitude; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.6136111 latitude, -115.1975000 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually saturated to the surface for 1 to 2 months during late winter or early spring unless drained; aquic soil moisture regime during time periods of saturation and reduction and xeric moisture regime otherwise.
Mean annual soil temperature: 9 to 12 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 60 to 90 cm.
Reaction: Slightly acid through moderately alkaline.
Salinity (EC): 0 to 2 mmhos/cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 18 to 27 percent.
Sand content: Averages 20 to 40 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent, mainly gravel.

A horizons
Hue: 10YR through 5Y.
Value: 3 through 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 1 or 2, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 1 to 4 percent.

C horizons
Hue: 10YR through 5Y.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 1 or 2, dry or moist.
Texture: Stratified gravelly loam to silt loam or stratified gravelly loam to clay loam; some pedons have strata of fine sandy loam, sandy loam, gravelly sandy loam, or very gravelly sandy loam below 84 cm.
Rock fragments: averages 15 to 35 percent.
Consistence: Slightly hard or moderately hard dry, very friable or friable moist.
Redoximorphic features: Redox concentrations of iron and gleyed subhorizons are in some pedons.
Organic matter content: 0.5 to 2 percent.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Coland, Glencoe, Gus, Keddie, Kimmerling, Konner, Lundlake, McClave, Roundval, Shandep, and Wenas series. Potential competitors in similar families are the Comfrey, Delft, Excello, Gielow, Nosal, Peoh, and Romnell series.

Comfrey, Coland, Delft, Glencoe, Lundlake, and Shandep soils are more moist in the moisture control section in the 120 days following the summer solstice. Excello soils have mean annual soil temperature of 12 to 15 degrees C. Gielow soils have mean annual soil temperature of 13 to 15 degrees C. Gus soils have less than 15 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section and are more moist in the moisture control section in the 120 days following the summer solstice. Keddie soils average 40 to 50 percent sand in the particle-size control section. Kimmerling and Konner soils have 27 to 35 percent clay and less than 15 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section. McClave soils have less than 15 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section. Nosal soils have 27 to 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section and have subhorizons between 40 and 60 cm with very gravelly or extremely gravelly textures. Peoh soils average less than 10 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section. Romnell soils have 1 to 4 percent gypsum and 10 to 20 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in the particle-size control section. Roundval soils have less than 15 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section and have mean annual soil temperature of 13 to 15 degrees C. Wenas soils have less than 15 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section and have sandy material between 100 and 152 cm.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: James Canyon soils are on flood plains and alluvial fans. These soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks. Slopes are O to 8 percent. Elevations range from 1,280 to 1,830 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 410 mm, mean annual temperature is 7 to 10 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 90 to 160 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Brockliss, Franktown, Holbrook, and Ramelli soils. Brockliss soils are sandy-skeletal and have thin mollic epipedons. Franktown soils are loamy-skeletal and are very shallow and shallow to lithic contacts. Holbrook soils are loamy-skeletal and are not saturated. Ramelli soils are clayey over loamy.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained; low or medium surface runoff; moderate permeability. A seasonal high water table is present between 40 and 100 cm (Shallow to Deep free water occurrence classes). Cumulative annual duration classes are Common or Persistent (December through June). Drained phases have water tables between 155 and 152 cm. These soils are susceptible to flooding and some phases have rare, very brief periods, year-long or occasional, brief periods from March through May.

USE AND VEGETATION: James Canyon soils are used for irrigated cropland, pasture, and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is mainly basin wildrye, alkali sacaton, bluegrass, mat muhly, and rubber rabbitbrush. Some of the drained areas are cultivated with alfalfa, small grains, and legume-grass pasture as the primary crops.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Nevada, western Utah, and northeastern California. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRAs 21, 26, 28A, and 28B.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Box Elder Area (East Part), Utah, 1969.

REMARKS: The type location was moved in January 2000 to an area that better represents the series concept.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 84 cm (A1, A2, A3, and A4 horizons).
Endosaturation feature - The condition of ground water with an upper boundary between 40 and 100 cm during winter or spring in normal years.
Aquic conditions - The conditions of endosaturation, reduction, and redoximorphic features in a horizon between 40 and 50 cm from the soil surface for some time in normal years (A2 horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (A3, A4 and parts of the A2 and C1 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.