LOCATION ULTRAMONT NV

Established Series
Rev JVC/JBF
12/2019

ULTRAMONT SERIES

The Ultramont series consists of very deep, somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from andesite. Ultramont soils are on inset fans, fan skirts, and fan aprons. Slopes are 2 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 230 mm and the mean annual temperature is 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Durinodic Xeric Haplocambids

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

A--0 to 10 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) coarse sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; few fine vesicular and interstitial pores; 5 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 15 cm thick)

Bq--10 to 38 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) coarse sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common fine, few medium and coarse roots; common fine and medium interstitial pores; 10 percent gravel; 10 percent hard, firm and brittle durinodes 3 to 5 cm long and 1.2 to 2.5 cm in diameter in the lower part; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (25 to 38 cm thick)

Bqk--38 to 109 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) gravelly coarse sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; common fine and medium interstitial pores; 15 percent gravel; 25 percent hard, firm and brittle durinodes 3 to 3 cm long and 1.2 to 2.5 cm in diameter; secondary calcium carbonates segregated as few distinct coats on bottoms of rock fragments and as few fine threads; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (50 to 76 cm thick)

C--109 to 152 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) stratified extremely gravelly loamy coarse sand through very gravelly coarse sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; many fine and medium interstitial pores; 65 percent fine gravel; slightly to strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).

TYPE LOCATION: White Pine County, Nevada; approximately 2.5 miles east of the intersection of Marble Wash road and the Utah road; about 790 feet north and 2,500 feet east of the southwest corner of section 25, T. 20 N., R. 69 E.; USGS Government Peak 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 33 minutes 54 seconds N and longitude 114 degrees 09 minutes 46 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.5650000 latitude, -114.1627778 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in winter and early spring and for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October due to convection storms; aridic soil moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 5 percent.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 8 to 18 percent.
Sand content: 40 to 50 percent medium sand through very coarse sand.
Rock fragments: 10 to 15 percent, mainly fine (2 to 5 mm diameter) gravel. Lithology of fragments is mainly coarse-grained andesite.

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

Bq horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Texture: Coarse sandy loam or sandy loam.
Rock fragments: 5 to 15 percent.
Durinodes: 5 to 15 percent in the lower part of most pedons.

Bqk horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Texture: Gravelly coarse sandy loam, gravelly sandy loam, or coarse sandy loam.
Rock fragments: 10 to 20 percent.
Durinodes: 20 to 40 percent.

C horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Texture: Stratified extremely gravelly loamy coarse sand to very gravelly coarse sand.
Clay content: 2 to 8 percent.
Rock fragments: 45 to 75 percent.
Consistence: Loose to slightly hard, dry; loose to friable, moist.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Enko, Kerrfield, Linco, Orovada, Patter, and Prineville series.

Enko and Orovada soils are not moist in the upper part of the moisture control section for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October. Kerrfield soils are moderately deep to paralithic contacts. Linco soils have more than 15 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section. Patter soils are not dominated by rock fragments which are fine gravel, have less than 40 percent medium sand through very coarse sand, and are strongly alkaline in the cambic horizon. Prineville soils are deep to paralithic contacts and have 5 to 30 percent sand-size pumiceous ash grains in the upper part of the soil.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ultramont soils are on inset fans, fan skirts, and fan aprons. These soils formed in alluvium derived from coarse-grained andesite. Slopes are 2 to 15 percent. Elevations range from 1,830 to 2,200 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm, the mean annual temperature is 7 to 10 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 100 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Tarnach and Poobaa soils. Tarnach soils are shallow to lithic contacts and have calcic horizons. Poobaa soils have argillic and calcic horizons and are moderately deep to lithic contacts.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat excessively drained; very low or low surface runoff; moderate saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Ultramont soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is Wyoming big sagebrush, Indian ricegrass, and spiny hopsage.

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

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

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

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A and part of the Bq horizons).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 10 to 38 cm (Bq horizon).
Durinodes - The zone from 10 to 109 cm (Bq and Bqk horizons).
Identifiable secondary carbonates - The zone from 38 to 109 cm (Bqk horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (parts of the Bq and Bqk horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: Previous authors and editors include: GWM-PNL-TM.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.