LOCATION ABOTEN                  NV

Established Series
Rev. MJZ/TEB/RLB/JBF
06/2017

ABOTEN SERIES

The Aboten series consist of shallow over duripan, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks with a component of loess and volcanic ash. Aboten soils are on erosional fan piedmont remnants. Slopes are 2 to 30 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 150 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 11 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic, shallow Natrargidic Natridurids

TYPICAL PEDON: Aboten very gravelly silt loam. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with 35 percent gravel and 3 percent cobbles.

A--0 to 8 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate thick platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many fine and few medium vesicular pores; 30 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)

V--8 to 18 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to strong thin platy; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many fine and few medium tubular and vesicular pores; 5 percent gravel; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 18 cm thick)

2Btnk--18 to 38 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak fine and medium prismatic structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel, 2 percent cobbles; common thin clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; thin lime coatings on undersides of rock fragments; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 25 cm thick)

2Bqkm--38 to 69 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) strongly cemented duripan with a thin discontinuous silica laminar cap, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; massive; very hard, very firm; common very fine roots in some widely spaced fractures; 50 percent gravel, 2 percent cobbles in the matrix; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 53 cm thick)

3Bk--69 to 152 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) extremely gravelly sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; common fine interstitial pores; 55 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; lime disseminated throughout the horizon; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).

TYPE LOCATION: Pershing County, Nevada; approximately 30 miles northwest of Lovelock, in Sage Valley, 200 feet north and 400 feet east of the southwest corner of section 23, T. 29 N., R. 29 E.; latitude 40 degrees 21 minutes 40 seconds N and longitude 118 degrees 41 minutes 4 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.3631667 latitude , -118.685556 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist late fall through early spring, dry from May through early November, typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 12 to 14 degrees C.
Other features: Bk horizons are above the Bqkm in some pedons.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 25 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 5 to 15 percent, mainly gravel.

A and E horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.

2Btnk horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Texture: Loam, clay loam, or sandy clay loam.
Structure: Prismatic, subangular blocky, or the horizon may be massive when wet.
Consistence: Slightly hard or hard dry; friable or firm moist.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Sodicity (SAR): 13 to 90.

2Bqkm horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 7 or 8 dry, 5 through 7 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Rock fragments: 50 to 70 percent, mainly gravel imbedded in the matrix.
Structure: Platy, or horizon is massive.
Consistence: Hard or very hard dry.
Reaction: Strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline.

3Bk and 3Bqk horizons
Value: 7 or 8 dry, 5 through 7 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Texture: Sandy loam, loamy sand, loamy coarse sand or coarse sand.
Clay content: 3 to 8 percent.
Modifiers: Extremely gravelly or very gravelly.
Rock fragments: 50 to 70 percent, mainly gravel.
Structure: Horizon is massive or single grained.
Consistence: Slightly hard, soft, or loose dry.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Silica cementation: When present below the duripan, it is either weak and discontinuous cemented or consists of up to 25 percent durinodes in a friable matrix.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Monte Cristo series. Monte Cristo soils have within 100 cm unconformable sandy material with less than 40 percent rock fragments immediately below the duripan.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Aboten soils are on erosional fan piedmont remnants. These soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks with a component of loess and volcanic ash. Slopes are 2 to 30 percent. Elevations are 1,250 to 1,900 meters. The climate is cool, arid with cool, moist winters and hot, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 100 to 200 mm; mean annual temperature is 9 to 13 degrees C., and the frost-free season is 110 to 130 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bluewing, Dorper and Jerval series. These soils are very deep.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly shadscale, Bailey greasewood, bud sagebrush, bottlebrush squirreltail and bluegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 27.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Pershing County, Nevada, West Part, 1988.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the surface to 18 cm (A and E horizons)
Natric horizon - The zone from 18 to 38 cm (2Btnk horizon).
Duripan - The zone from 38 to 69 cm (2Bqkm).
Haplic feature - duripan is strongly cemented.
Particle-size control section - The zone from 18 to 38 cm (Btnk horizon).

ADDITIONAL DATA: User Pedon ID: 2007NV027101.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.