LOCATION SYCOMAT                 NV

Established Series
Rev. JR-JRD-WED-JBF
11/2015

SYCOMAT SERIES

The Sycomat series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks. The Sycomat soils are on axial stream terraces, drainageways, stream terraces, fan skirts, and fan remnants. Slopes are 0 to 8 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 180 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Durinodic Haplocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Sycomat gravelly sandy loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with approximately 60 percent gravel.

A--0 to 8 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate thin platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine vesicular pores; 15 percent calcium carbonate equivalent of the less than 2 mm fraction; 30 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 15 cm thick)

Bk1--8 to 33 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 2 percent hard medium cylindrical secondary calcium carbonate cemented nodules; common fine secondary calcium carbonate masses around rock fragments; 25 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 38 cm thick)

Bk2--33 to 53 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 2 percent hard medium cylindrical secondary calcium carbonate cemented nodules; many fine secondary calcium carbonate masses around rock fragments; 25 percent gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 25 cm thick)

Bqk1--53 to 79 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate thick platy structure; slightly hard, firm and brittle, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; continuous brittle matrix; 20 percent very pale brown (10YR 8/2) hard coarse secondary calcium carbonate nodules throughout; few hard durinodes; 30 percent gravel; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear smooth boundary. (23 to 38 cm thick)

Bqk2--79 to 122 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate thick platy structure; hard, firm and brittle, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; continuous brittle matrix; 20 percent very pale brown (10YR 8/2) hard coarse secondary calcium carbonate masses throughout; few hard durinodes; 30 percent gravel; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 58 cm thick)

2Ck--122 to 152 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly loamy sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; common thin secondary calcium carbonate coats on sides and bottoms of rock fragments; common (3 percent) hard cemented secondary calcium carbonate nodules; 50 percent gravel and 2 percent cobbles; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8).

TYPE LOCATION: White Pine County, Nevada; approximately 4.5 miles south of Tippett Ranch in Antelope Valley, about 2,300 feet north and 1,700 feet west of the southeast corner of section 11, T. 22 N., R. 67 E; latitude 39 degrees 47 minutes 49 seconds N and longitude 114 degrees 22 minutes 2 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.7969444 latitude, -114.467222 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in some part for short periods during winter and early spring and for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October following convection storms; typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 12 degrees C.
Depth to calcic horizon: 5 to 15 cm.
Depth to continuous brittle matrix: 25 to 66 cm.
Effervescent: Strongly effervescent through violently effervescent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 30 percent of the less than 2 mm fraction.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 5 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent.

A horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.

Bk horizons
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Clay content: 5 to 18 percent.
Texture: Sandy loam, loam or silt loam.
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent.
Structure: Weak to moderate subangular blocky.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline through very strongly alkaline.
Consistence: Very friable or friable, moist; nonsticky or slightly sticky, nonplastic or slightly plastic, wet.
Carbonates: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.
Other features: Secondary calcium carbonate cemented soil masses may be absent in some pedons.

Bqk horizons
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, or loam.
Clay content: 5 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent.
Structure: Medium or thick platy, subangular blocky or massive.
Consistence: Slightly hard or hard, dry, nonsticky or slightly sticky and nonplastic or slightly plastic, wet.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline through very strongly alkaline.
Other features: Discontinuous weak cementation by secondary silica and secondary calcium carbonate, with 20 to 80 percent weakly to strongly cemented plates and durinodes.

2Ck horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Stratified sandy loam through sand, averages loamy sand or sand.
Clay content: 2 to 5 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 35 to 60 percent, mainly gravel.
Structure: Massive or single grain.
Consistence: Loose or soft, slightly hard dry and loose to friable moist.
Other features: Some pedons have thin strata of nongravelly sand or sandy loam.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sycomat soils are on beach plains, axial stream terraces, drainageway, stream terraces, fan skirts and fan remnants. These soils formed in alluvium from mixed rock sources. Slopes are 0 to 8 percent. Elevations are 1,560 to 1,990 meters. The climate is cool, semiarid with warm, dry summers and cold, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 125 to 200 mm, mean annual temperature is 9 to 11 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 100 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Eastmore, Gravier, and Linoyer series. Eastmore soils are found on upper fan piedmonts and have duripans within 50 cm. Gravier soils are found adjacent to drainageways and remnants and have greater than 35 percent coarse fragments in the particle-size control section. Linoyer soils are found on inset fans and lack a calcic horizon.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly shadscale, douglas rabbitbrush, nevada ephedra, squirreltail, winterfat, indian ricegrass, bud sagebrush, and snakeweed.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Nevada. MLRA 29 and 28A. These soils are not extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Nye County (Northeast Part) Nevada, 1991.

REMARKS: Classification was changed from Typic Calciorthids to Duric Calciorthids in 1990 after Duric subgroup was added to Soil Taxonomy.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the surface to 18 cm (A andpart of Bk1 horizons).
Calcic horizon - The zone from 8 to 122 cm (Bk1, Bk2, Bqk1 and Bqk2 horizons).
Duric feature -- The brittle zone from 53 to 122 cm (Bqk1 and Bqk2 horizons)
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (lower Bk1, Bk2, Bqk1 and upper part of Bqk2 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.