LOCATION SHUTTLE                 NV

Established Series
Rev. DWW-RLB-JVC-JBF
12/2019

SHUTTLE SERIES

The Shuttle series consists of deep to a duripan, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks. Shuttle soils are on fan skirts. Slopes are 2 to 8 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 150 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Duric Haplocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Shuttle silt loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with 20 percent gravel.

A1--0 to 8 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate very thin platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine vesicular pores; 10 percent gravel; violently effervescent (8 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)

A2--8 to 15 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak very thin platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 5 percent gravel; violently effervescent (10 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 13 cm thick)

Bk--15 to 48 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; few very fine interstitial pores; 10 percent gravel; secondary calcium carbonate segregated as few coats on mineral grains and rock fragments; violently effervescent (14 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (20 to 38 cm thick)

Bqk1--48 to 71 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) silt loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; massive; hard, firm and brittle, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine interstitial pores; 10 percent durinodes; 5 percent gravel; secondary calcium carbonate segregated as few coats on mineral grains and rock fragments; violently effervescent (20 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (18 to 38 cm thick)

Bqk2--71 to 114 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) silt loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; massive; hard, firm and brittle, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine interstitial pores; 15 percent durinodes; 10 percent gravel; secondary calcium carbonate segregated as few coats on mineral grains and rock fragments; violently effervescent (18 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (13 to 64 cm thick)

Bqkm--114 to 152 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) duripan, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; moderate thick platy structure; very hard, very firm; indurated with several continuous 1 to 3 mm thick laminae of silica throughout and with common thick alternating layers of weakly cemented very gravelly sandy loam; secondary calcium carbonate segregated on plates; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5).

TYPE LOCATION: Elko County, Nevada; about 7 miles southeast of Montello; 2,000 feet east and 100 feet north of the southwest corner of section 14, T. 38 N., R. 69 E.; USGS Pilot Peak NW 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 41 degrees 10 minutes 08 seconds N and longitude 114 degrees 07 minutes 58 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 41.1688278 latitude, -114.1327778 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in winter and spring, dry late May and through early November; typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 12 to 14 degrees C.
Depth to calcic horizon: 8 to 15 cm.
Depth to horizons with firm, brittle matrix: 25 to 50 cm.
Depth to duripan: 100 to 150 cm.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 8 to 15 percent.
Rock fragments: 5 to 15 percent, mainly gravel. Lithology of fragments is conglomerate, limestone, shale, tuff, and quartzite.

A horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.

Bk horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Silt loam, very fine sandy loam, or gravelly silt loam.
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent.
Structure: Massive or weak subangular blocky.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: Occurs as few coats on mineral grains and rock fragments.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent.
Salinity (EC): 4 to 16 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 13 to 30.

Bqk horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Silt loam, very fine sandy loam, or gravelly silt loam.
Clay content: 5 to 15 percent.
Consistence: Firm when moist with a brittle manner of failure.
Durinodes: Subhorizons have up to 30 percent.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: Occurs as few coats on mineral grains and rock fragments.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 10 to 20 percent.
Salinity (EC): 16 to 32 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 13 to 45.
Gypsum content: 1 to 5 percent.

Bqkm horizon
Cementation class: Indurated or very strongly cemented.

COMPETING SERIES: At present, there are no other series in this family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Shuttle soils are on fan skirts. These soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks. Slopes are 2 to 8 percent. Elevations range from 1,465 to 1,620 meters. The climate is arid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 130 to 200 mm, mean annual temperature is 8 to 11 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 100 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Jericho and Wiffo soils. Jericho soils are loamy-skeletal, shallow to indurated duripans with overlying calcic horizons, and have an aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric. Wiffo soils are loamy-skeletal, have an aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric, and do not have diagnostic subsurface horizons.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Shuttle soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly winterfat, Indian ricegrass, and bottlebrush squirreltail.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Nevada. These soils are not extensive with about 5,500 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRA 28A.

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

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

REMARKS: The revision of 2/2000 eliminates the Very Deep depth class and recognizes the presence of a calcic horizon. The phase of Shuttle which lacks duripans within 150 cm needs correlation to another series in the subgroup of Durinodic Haplocalcids. Total extent of this phase is about 1,700 acres.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A1, A2 and part of the Bk horizons).
Calcic horizon - The zone from 15 to 114 cm (Bk, Bqk1, and Bqk2 horizons).
Duric feature - The zone from 48 to 114 cm (Bqk1 and Bqk2 horizons).
Duripan - The zone from 114 to 152 cm (Bqkm horizon).
Particle size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (Bqk1 horizon and parts of the Bk and Bqk2 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.