LOCATION TRACTUFF                NV

Established Series
Rev. PWB/TM/JBF
03/2012

TRACTUFF SERIES

The Tractuff series consists of shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from quartzite. The Tractuff soils are on mountains. Slopes are 15 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 300 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 7 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Aridic Lithic Argixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Tractuff extremely cobbly loam - forestland (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered by 40 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles and 10 percent stones.

A--0 to 8 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) extremely cobbly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 45 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles and 10 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)

Btk1--8 to 30 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, fine, common medium and few coarse roots; many very fine, fine interstitial and tubular pores; 45 percent gravel; few faint clay films on faces of peds; few distinct secondary calcium carbonate threads; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 28 cm thick)

Btk2--30 to 41 cm thick; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, fine, common medium and few coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; 50 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; few faint clay films on faces of peds; common distinct secondary calcium carbonate coats on rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 15 cm thick)

Btk3--41 to 48 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely cobbly sandy clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very coarse and coarse roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; 15 percent gravel, 50 percent cobbles; common faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; few distinct secondary calcium carbonate coats on bottom of rock fragments and pockets of disseminated secondary calcium carbonate that are violently effervescent; strongly effervescent matrix; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrubt wavy boundary. (8 to 18 cm thick)

R--48 to 53 cm; hard, slightly fractured quartzite.

TYPE LOCATION: White Pine County, Nevada. About 2.5 miles north of Osceola, 1650 feet east and 450 feet north of the southwest corner of section 30 T. 15 N., R. 68 E.; latitude 39 degrees 07 minutes 54 seconds N and longitude 114 degrees 23 minutes 13 seconds W; NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in winter and spring; dry from June through October except for 10 to 20 days cumulative due to convection storms between July and October; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 7 to 8 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon: 25 to 36 cm, includes the upper part of the argillic horizon.
Depth to lithic contact: 36 to 50 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 18 to 27 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 45 to 65 percent, mainly quartzite gravel. The upper part has 40 to 60 percent, mainly gravel; and the lower part has 60 to 80 percent, mainly cobbles.

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

Btk1 horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Loam or sandy clay loam.
Rock fragments: 40 to 60 percent, mainly quartzite gravel
Structure: Fine or medium subangular blocky.
Consistence: Slightly hard or hard dry, very friable or friable moist.

Btk2 horizon
Value 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Loam or sandy clay loam.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent, mainly quartzite gravel.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 3 percent

Btk3 horizon
Value 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Loam or sandy clay loam.
Rock fragments: 60 to 80 percent, mainly quartzite cobbles.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent.
Other features: Cobbles are mainly fragments of fractured bedrock with little displacement from the original rock structure.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Anaud, Cleavage, Cleavmor, Cropper, Gaciba, Granquin, Grosschat, Horsetrack, Mascamp, Pernty, Shalper, Slatter, and Tractuff series.

Anaud soils have 25 to 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Cleavage, Cleavmor, Gaciba, Mascamp, Pernty, Shalper, and Slatter soils are dry in the soil moisture control section from July through October. Additionally Cleavage, Gaciba, Pernty, Shalcleav, and Shalper soils lack secondary carbonate. Cleavmor soils have mollic epipedons 36 to 50 cm thick. Cropper and Horsetrack soils have 27 to 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section and lack secondary carbonate. Granquin soils have rock fragments derived from welded tuff. Grosschat soils are less than 36 cm to bedrock.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Tractuff soils are on convex backslopes of mountains. They formed in residuum and colluvium derived from quartzite. Slopes are 15 to 75 percent. Elevations are 1,830 to 2,500 meters. The mean annual precipitation is 300 to 360 mm and mean annual temperature is 6 to 7 degrees C. The frost free season is 80 to 100 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Grube series. Grube soils are very deep.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Forestland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly singleleaf pinyon, Utah juniper with an understory of mountain big sagebrush, bluebunch wheatgrass and Thurber needlegrass. This pedon is correlated to Ecological Site F028AY076NV, PIMO/ARTRV-PSSPS.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Nevada. These soils are of small extent. MLRA 28A.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Pine County, Nevada, East Part, 2004. The name is coined.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 30 cm (A and Bt horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 8 to 48 cm (Bt, Btk1 and Btk2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 8 to 48 cm (Bt, Btk1 and Btk2 horizons).

Classification was updated to 11th edition on 07/2011 changed Lithic Argixerolls to Aridic Lithic Argixerolls.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.