LOCATION UPSEL                   NV

Established Series
Rev. CS/GJS/JBF
01/2020

UPSEL SERIES

The Upsel series consists of very deep, somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from granitic rocks. The Upsel series are on mountain side slopes. Slopes are 30 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 360 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 7 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, frigid Torripsammentic Haploxerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Upsel gravelly loamy coarse sand--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with 25 percent gravel and 1 percent boulders.

A1--0 to 5 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) gravelly loamy coarse sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 15 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 10 cm thick)

A2--5 to 18 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loamy coarse sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 3 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 18 cm thick)

A3--18 to 33 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) loamy coarse sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 3 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8) clear smooth boundary. (10 to 20 cm thick)

Bw1--33 to 56 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) loamy coarse sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable; nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine, few medium roots; common very fine, few fine and medium tubular pores; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 30 cm thick)

Bw2--56 to 152 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) loamy coarse sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine and fine, few medium tubular pores; neutral (pH 6.8). (81 to 107 cm thick)

TYPE LOCATION: Pershing County, Nevada; approximately 4 mile southeast of Cowles Ranch headquarters in the Selenite Range, in an unsurveyed area; about 2,000 feet north and 2,500 feet east of the southwest corner of section 3, T. 29 N., R. 24 E.; USGS Betty Creek 7.5-minute topographic quadrangle;; latitude 40 degrees 24 minutes 48.4 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 14 minutes 43.1 seconds W;WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.4023333 latitude, -119.2453056 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Moist in winter and spring, dry from early July through October; aridic soil moisture regime bordering xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 7 to 8 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 56 to 152 cm.
Depth to bedrock: Over 152 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 5 to 10 percent.
Rock fragments: Up to 20 percent, mainly gravel.

A1 horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 3 or 4 dry.
Chroma: 2 or 3.

A2 and A3 horizons
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 3 or 4 dry.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Texture: Loamy coarse sand or gravelly loamy coarse sand.

Bw horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Texture: Loamy coarse sand or gravelly loamy coarse sand.
Structure: Weak or moderate subangular blocky.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Contact series. The Contact series has a mollic epipedon 25 to 46 cm thick and a control section with 20 to 35 percent gravel.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Upsel soils are located on convex mountainsides. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from granitic rocks. Slopes are 30 to 75 percent. Elevations are 1,740 to 2,475 meters. The climate is cold, semiarid with cold, moist winters and warm dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 300 to 400 mm, the mean annual temperature is 6 to 7 degrees C, and the frost free season is about 70 to 100 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Selbit series. Selbit soils have a sandy skeletal particle size control section and are shallow to a paralithic contact.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat excessively drained; rapid runoff; high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly mountain big sagebrush, current, bottlebrush squirreltail, rabbitbrush, antelope bitterbrush, green ephedra, Thurber needlegrass and cheatgrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Nevada. These soils are not extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Pershing County, Nevada, West Part, 1988, proposed 1986 in Pershing County, Nevada, West Part.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this pedons are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 152 cm (A1, A2, A3, Bw1 and Bw2 horizons).
Particle size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (A2, Bw1 and part of A1 and Bw2 horizons.

ADDITIONAL DATA: NASIS pedon and site ID 07NV761Y066jbf.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.