LOCATION ABGESE                  NV+ID

Established Series
Rev. JBF/PWB/RLB
11/2016

ABGESE SERIES

The Abgese series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium and colluvium from volcanic and sedimentary rocks. Abgese soils are on terraces, fan remnants, and low hills. Slopes are 0 to 40 percent. The mean annual precipitation is 230 mm and the mean annual temperature is 8 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Xeric Haplargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Abgese sandy loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 13 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common fine, medium and coarse roots; common very fine and fine vesicular pores; 10 percent fine gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 20 cm thick)

Bt1--13 to 36 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine, medium and coarse roots; common fine interstitial and tubular pores; few faint clay films lining pores; 10 percent fine gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 30 cm thick)

Bt2--36 to 51 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly sandy clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine, medium and coarse roots; common fine interstitial and tubular pores; few faint clay films lining pores; 15 percent fine and medium gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 33 cm thick)

2Btk--51 to 89 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and medium roots; common fine interstitial and tubular pores; few faint clay films bridging sand grains; 40 percent fine gravel; violently effervescent; common seams of carbonate and carbonate-coated gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear irregular boundary. (30 to 53 cm thick)

3Ck--89 to 152 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) very gravelly loamy sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; 35 percent gravel; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).

TYPE LOCATION: Nye County, Nevada; in an unsurveyed area about 2,500 feet southeast of the northwest corner of section 25, T.10 N., R.53 E., about 2.5 miles northeast of main trail across Sand Spring Wash on the east side of channel; USGS Portuguese Mountain NW 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 42 minutes 7.8 seconds N and longitude 115 degrees 57 minutes 52.2 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.7021667 latitude, -115.9645000 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist late fall through spring, dry from summer through mid-fall; aridic bordering xeric soil moisture regime
Mean annual soil temperature: 8.3 to 11.1 degrees C.
Depth to carbonates: 36 to 60 cm.

Particle-size control section - Average clay content: 18 to 25 percent.
Rock fragments: Average 15 to 35 percent, mainly gravel.
Sand content: More than 35 percent medium and coarse sand.

A horizon
Value: 5 through 7 dry.
Chroma: 2 or 3.

Bt horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4 moist.
Clay content: Averages 18 to 30 percent.
Texture: Averages gravelly sandy loam or gravelly sandy clay loam.
Rock fragments: Averages 15 to 35 percent, mainly gravel.
Structure: Subangular blocky, massive in the lower part, some pedons are prismatic.
Consistence: Slightly hard or hard dry, slightly sticky or sticky and slightly plastic or plastic wet.

Btk horizon
Value: 6 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Clay content: Averages 5 to 10 percent.

Ck horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4 moist.
Texture: Very gravelly loamy sand or very gravelly sandy loam.
Gravel content: Average 35 to 60 percent, mainly gravel.
Other features: Few silica cemented masses are in some pedons.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Ackley, Blacknest, Bluelight, Colbar, Eusbio, Greenbrae, Hardtrigger, Harsan, Hoosegow, Hoye, Lankbush, Morfitt, Nosser, Shawave, Sidlake, Turria and Windypoint series.

Ackley soils are 64 to 100 cm deep to carbonate, have less than 15 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section and Bk horizons with less than 35 percent rock fragments. Bluelight, Colbar, Nosser and Sidlake soils have bedrock at 50 to 100 cm. Blacknest soils have less than 35 percent medium and coarse sand in the particle-size control section. Eusbio soils are moderately deep to a paralithic contact and contain less than 15 percent gravels. Greenbrae, Hoosegow, Lankbush and Morfitt soils are noncalcareous and are greater than 100 cm to sand and gravel. Hardtrigger soils are 36 to 75 cm to the base of the Bt and contain less than 35 percent rock fragments in the C horizon. Harsan soil contain less than 15 percent gravel in the particle-size control section, Bk horizon is greater than 76 cm and have a duripan at depths of 100 to 150 cm. Shawave soils contain less than 15 percent gravel in the particle-size control section. Turria soils have noncalcareous neutral sola with clay loam argillic horizons, lack Bk horizons and have medium textured C horizons. Windypoint soils contain 25 to 30 percent clay in the particle-size control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Abgese soils are on alluvial fans, terraces, fan piedmont remnants and low hills. These soils formed in mixed alluvium and colluvium from volcanic and sedimentary rocks. Slopes are dominantly 0 to 8 percent but range up to 40 percent in Idaho. Elevations of 1,860 to 2,140 meters in Nevada and 790 to 1,220 meters in Idaho. The climate is cool, semiarid. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm; mean annual temperature is 7 to 11 degrees C; and the frost-free season is 100 to 130 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Portmount soils. Portmount soils have coarse-loamy argillic horizons.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well-drained; medium or rapid runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The dominant vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, rabbitbrush, Indian ricegrass and bottlebrush squirreltail.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East-central Nevada and southern Idaho. These soils are of moderate extent. MLRA 28B, 11.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Duckwater BLM planning unit, 1974.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 13 cm (A1, A2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 13 to 89 cm (Bt1, Bt2, Btk horizons).
Particle-size control section- The zone from 13 to 63 cm (Bt1, Bt2, Upper part of 2Btk horizon).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.