LOCATION PAHRANGE NV
Established Series
Rev. OWB/JBF/WED
04/2017
PAHRANGE SERIES
The Pahrange series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived mainly from rhyolitic rock. Pahrange soils are on mountains and have slopes of 15 to 70 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 280 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Pahrange very stony sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 10 cm, brown (10YR 5/3) very stony sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial and tubular pores; 25 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, and 10 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 15 cm thick)
A2--10 to 28 cm, brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and medium roots; many very fine and medium tubular pores; 35 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (13 to 23 cm thick)
Bt1--28 to 50 cm, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; strong medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; many faint clay films on ped faces, in the pores and coating rock fragments; 20 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); gradual smooth boundary. (20 to 43 cm thick)
Bt2--50 to 66 cm; brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) gravelly clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; many clay films on ped faces, in the pores and coating rock fragments; l5 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 20 cm thick)
Cr--66 to 99 cm; soft weathered rock with very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist in fractures. (25 to 38 cm thick)
R--99 cm; hard, fractured, silica and clay coated rhyolitic bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Washoe County, Nevada; approximately 1,400 feet south and 2,600 feet east of the northwest corner of section 26, T. 23 N., R. l2 E.; USGS Pah Rah Mountain 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 50 minutes 12 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 28 minutes 39 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.8366667 latitude, -119.4775000 longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist during the winter and spring, aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 12 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon: 20 to 30 cm thick.
Depth to base of argillic: 50 to 100 cm.
Depth to bedrock: 50 to 100 cm.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: 27 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: Average l5 to 35 percent.
A horizons
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: of 2 or 3.
Bt horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 4 or 6.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bissel,
Bjork,
Cowiche,
Dodes,
Fernpoint,
Hullsgulch,
Indiano,
Jerusalem,
Madras,
Margerum,
Noslo,
Orr,
Quiero,
Ralls,
Shoebend,
Simcoe,
Springmeyer,
Truax,
Uhaldi and
Wenatchee series.
Bissel,
Cowiche,
Fernpoint, Hillsgulch,
Jerusalem,
Margerum,
Orr,
Ralls,
Springmeyer,
Truax and
Wenatchee soils are deeper than 100 cm.
Bjork,
Noslo and
Shoebend soils have less than 15 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section and lack an abrupt AB boundary.
Dodes and
Uhaldi soils lack hard rock within 100 cm and do not have an abrupt AB boundary.
Indiano,
Madras and
Quiero soils have less than 25 cm of soft weathered rock above the hard rock.
Simcoe soils have less than l5 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Pahrange soils are on mountain slopes at elevations of 1,375 to 2,135 meters. Slopes are 15 to 70 percent. These soils formed in colluvium and residuum derived from weathered rhyolitic rock. The climate is semiarid with cold winters and hot summers. The mean annual precipitation is 250 to 300 mm; mean annual temperature is 7 to 10 degrees C, and the frost-free season is 80 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Lemm,
Skedaddle and
Duco soils. Lemm soils are deeper than 100 cm. Skedaddle and Duco soils are less than 50 cm deep.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; rapid runoff; moderately slow permeability; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for range. The native vegetation is low sagebrush, green ephedra, dwarf rabbitbrush, Nevada bluegrass, desert needlegrass, and Sandberg bluegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada. The series is of small extent. MLRA 26.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Washoe County, Nevada, South Part, 1980.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 28 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 28 to 66 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 66 cm to underlying bedrock (Cr layer).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 99 cm (R horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 28 to 66 cm (Bt1 and part of the Bt2 horizons).
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.