LOCATION RAVENDOG                NV

Established Series
Rev. JBF-TRM-JVC
06/2012

RAVENDOG SERIES

The Ravendog series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks. Ravendog soils are on stream terraces and inset fans. Slopes are 2 to 8 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 250 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 12 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Torrifluventic Haploxerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Ravendog loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 20 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR3/2) moist; weak thin platy structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine, and few medium roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores, and many very fine and fine vesicular pores; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 41 cm thick)

Bw--20 to 41 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine, common medium, and few coarse roots; many very fine and common fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (20 to 69 cm thick)

Bqk1--41 to 69 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) silt loam, with discontinuous lenses of very gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, few fine and medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; 12 percent hard durinodes; few distinct secondary calcium carbonate concretions on faces of peds; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary.

Bqk2--69 to 152 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) stratified silt loam to sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; 10 percent hard durinodes; few distinct secondary calcium carbonate seams, few distinct secondary calcium carbonate concretions around rock fragments; 10 percent gravel; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8). (Combined thickness of the Bqk horizons is 25 to 119 cm.)

TYPE LOCATION: White Pine County, Nevada; about 2,000 feet north of the intersection of Blue Mass scenic area road and Pleasant Valley road; approximately 1,500 feet south and 1,775 feet east of the northwest corner of section 34, T. 22 R. 69 E.; USGS Blue Mass Canyon 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 44 minutes 33.8 seconds N and longitude 114 degrees 10 minutes 1 seconds W; NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Moist in winter and spring, dry in summer and fall, except for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July to September due to convection storms; aridic soil moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 25 to 41 cm; includes the Bw horizon in some pedons.
Depth to identifiable secondary carbonates: 41 to 100 cm.
Other features: There is an irregular decrease in organic carbon content between 25 and 125 cm. Some pedons have C horizons below the Bqk horizon.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 8 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 5 to 35 percent, mainly gravel. Lithology of fragments is mixed rocks.

A horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Clay content: 8 to 15 percent.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline through moderately alkaline.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.
Effervescence: Noneffervescent to strongly effervescent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 3 percent.

Bw horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, or loam, or silt loam.
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent, with some pedons containing rock fragments that range up to 35 percent.
Consistence: Soft or slightly hard, dry; very friable or friable, moist, slightly sticky or moderately sticky and slightly plastic or moderately plastic, wet.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline through strongly alkaline.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent or strongly effervescent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 3 percent.

Bqk horizons
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Stratified and dominated by fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or very fine sandy loam but includes strata of loamy coarse sand to paragravelly silt loam in some pedons.
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 0 to 15 percent, mainly gravel; individual strata range from 0 to 65 percent.
Structure: Subangular blocky or massive.
Consistence: Nonsticky through moderately sticky and nonplastic through moderately plastic.
Durinodes: 5 to 15 percent weakly to strongly cemented durinodes.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent through violently effervescent.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: Occur as few to common, fine or medium coats on faces of peds, rock fragments, or durinodes.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent.

C horizons (when present)
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Stratified and dominated by fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or very fine sandy loam but includes strata of loamy coarse sand to silt loam in some pedons.
Structure: Subangular blocky or massive.
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 10 to 35 percent, mainly gravel; individual strata range from 0 to 65 percent.
Consistence: Soft or slightly hard dry, nonsticky or slightly sticky and nonplastic or slightly plastic.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent through violently effervescent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Cleman, Dressler, Kimberly, Kodak, and Sheepskin series.

Cleman soils lack durinodes and identifiable secondary carbonates and are not intermittently moist in some part between July and October due to convection storms. Dressler soils have endosaturation and redoximorphic features within 152 cm of the soil surface, do not have horizons with durinodes and identifiable secondary carbonates, and are not intermittently moist in some part between July and October due to convection storms. Kimberly, Kodak, and Sheepskin soils are not intermittently moist in some part between July and September due to convection storms.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ravendog soils are on stream terraces and inset fans. These soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed sources. Slopes are 2 to 8 percent. Elevations range from 1,675 to 2,350 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 360 mm, the mean annual temperature is 10 to 13 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 110 to 130 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Chainlink, Linoyer, Lodar, and Veet soils. Chainlink soils are loamy and shallow to duripans. Linoyer soils are coarse-silty and have ochric epipedons. Lodar soils are loamy-skeletal, shallow to lithic contacts, and have calcic horizons. Veet soils are loamy-skeletal and have ochric epipedons.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; high saturated hydraulic conductivity. These soils are susceptible to rare flooding for very brief periods year-round.

USE AND VEGETATION: Ravendog soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, rabbitbrush, Indian ricegrass, thickspike wheatgrass, and basin wildrye.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Nevada. These soils are moderately extensive. The main acreage currently occurs in MLRA 28A. Other acres of this series are mapped in MLRA 28B.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona.

SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Pine County, Nevada, East Part, 2004.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 41 cm (A and Bw horizons).
Durinodes and identifiable secondary carbonates - The zone from 41 to 152 cm (Bqk horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (Bqk1 horizon and parts of the Bw and Bqk2 horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: The type location was moved from Lincoln County to White Pine County in 2004 to a pedon that better represents the series concept. This series replaces the soil previously correlated as Sevenmile in the Lincoln County, North Part and White Pine County, East Part soil survey areas in Nevada.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.