LOCATION ACANA                   NV+UT

Established Series
Rev. BKP/PWB/JBF
05/2016

ACANA SERIES

The Acana series consists of shallow to a duripan, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from welded tuff and mixed lacustrine deposits. Acana soils are on pediment remnants and fan remnants. Slopes range from 2 to 30 percent; the mean annual precipitation is about 230 mm and the mean annual air temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic, shallow Haploxeralfic Argidurids

TYPICAL PEDON: Acana gravelly coarse sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 8 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; medium coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine interstitial pores; 25 percent gravel; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 10 cm thick)

Bt--8 to 25 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly coarse sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium prismatic structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and few coarse roots; common fine interstitial and tubular pores; 22 percent gravel; few faint clay bridges between sand grains, few faint clay films on ped faces and lining pores; calcium carbonate equivalent in the less than 2mm fraction is 6 percent; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); abrupt smooth boundary. (15 to 25 cm thick)

2Bqk--25 to 43 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) gravelly sandy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine, and few medium roots; many very fine and medium interstitial pores; few very thin (1 mm or less) discontinuous silica laminae; violently effervescent with many very pale brown (10YR 8/2) calcium carbonate bridges between sand grains and coating sand grains and gravel; 20 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 18 cm thick)

2Bqkm--43 to 61 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) stratified weakly through strongly cemented material throughout, pale brown (10YR 6/3) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; platy; hard through extremely hard, very friable through extremely firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silica laminae 1 to 3 mm thick as a laminar cap and as few thin laminae within the horizon; many very pale brown (10YR 8/2) calcium carbonate concretions forming laminae at the top of the horizon, and coating gravel and bridging between sand grains throughout the horizon; 30 percent gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); abrupt wavy boundary. (15 to 23 cm thick)

3B'qk--61 to 81 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) gravelly coarse sandy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) and light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; massive; hard, friable and very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine, and few medium interstitial pores; thin discontinuous weakly silica and calcium carbonate-cemented lenses that are very hard and firm; many very thin (3 mm thick) light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silica concretions coating gravel and bridging sand grains; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) calcium carbonate concretions on gravel; violently effervescent; 35 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (18 to 36 cm thick)

4Bk1--81 to 100 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) gravelly coarse sandy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and fine, and few medium interstitial pores; calcium carbonate is finely disseminated throughout the matrix; 30 percent gravel; calcium carbonate equivalent in the less than 2mm fraction is 9 percent; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.7); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 46 cm thick)

4Bk2--100 to 152 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly loamy coarse sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; few thin discontinuous hard and friable very pale brown (10YR 8/3) weakly cemented calcium carbonate lenses, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; 35 percent gravel; calcium carbonate equivalent in the less than 2mm fraction is 1 percent; strongly effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.4).

TYPE LOCATION: Lincoln County, Nevada; USGS Condor Canyon, NV 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; about 1,320 feet south and 1,000 feet west of the northeast corner of section 9, T.2S., R.69E; USGS Condor Canyon 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 37 degrees 47 minutes 30 seconds N and longitude 114 degrees 16 minutes 00 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 37.7916667 latitude, -114.2666667 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in the winter and spring, dry in summer and fall except intermittently moist for 10 to 20 days in the summer due convection storms; aridic soil moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 7 to 11 degrees C.
Mean summer soil temperature: 23 to 26 degrees C.
Depth to argillic horizon: 5 to 10 cm.
Depth to duripan: 25 to 50 cm.
Carbonate development stage: Stage III.
Other features: Bqk horizons in some pedons are too thin to qualify as calcic horizons.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 12 to 18 percent.
Rock Fragments: 15 to 35 percent gravel; lithology is welded tuff.

A horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Reaction: Neutral to slightly alkaline.
Mineralogy: 12 to 24 percent volcanic glass in the 0.02 to 2 mm fraction and averages 0.01 to 0.09 percent Al plus 1/2Fe, extracted by ammonium oxalate.

Bt horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR,
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist,
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Texture: Sandy loam or loam.
Clay percent: 12 to 18 percent.
Structure: Weak or moderate, fine to coarse, prismatic or subangular blocky structure.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 10 percent in the less than 2 mm fraction.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline.
Mineralogy: 12 to 24 percent volcanic glass in the 0.02 to 2 mm fraction and averages 0.01 to 0.09 percent Al plus 1/2Fe, extracted by ammonium oxalate.

Bqk horizons (when present)
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 5 through 7 moist,
Chroma: 2 through 4 dry and moist.
Texture: Sandy clay loam or sandy loam.
Clay content: 18 to 35; carbonate clay ranges from 10 to 20 percent.
Structure: Massive or has weak or moderate, fine or medium subangular blocky structure.
Silica accumulations: Few to many, thin (1 to 3 mm) discontinuous laminae coating gravel and bridging sand grains.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 20 to 35 percent in the less than 2 mm fraction.
Carbonate accumulations: Many very pale brown (10YR 8/2) calcium carbonate bridges between sand grains and coats on sand grains and gravel.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline through very strongly alkaline.
Mineralogy: 15 to 24 percent volcanic glass in the 0.02 to 2 mm fraction and averages 0.05 to 0.09 percent Al plus 1/2Fe, extracted by ammonium oxalate.

Bqkm horizon
Value of 6 through 8 dry, 5 through 7 moist,
Chroma: 2 through 4 dry and moist.
Texture: Coarse sandy loam or cemented, in some pedons lenses of coarse sandy loam matrix are surrounded by cemented material.
Structure: stratified moderate medium platy or massive.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 25 percent in the less than 2 mm fraction.
Cementation: Silica laminae up to 3 mm thick and calcium carbonate laminae 1 to 10 mm thick cap layers are weakly through strongly cemented with calcium carbonate and silica.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline through very strongly alkaline.
B'qk horizons - Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 7 moist,
Chroma: 2 through 4 dry and moist.
Texture: Loamy sand or coarse sandy loam.
Clay content: 5 to 10 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent gravel, with some pedons containing thin sub-horizons that average 35 to 55 percent rock fragments.
Consistence: Soft through hard.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent in the less than 2 mm fraction.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent through violently effervescent.
Carbonate accumulations: Finely disseminated throughout the matrix and discontinuous cemented lenses.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline through very strongly alkaline.

Bk horizons
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 7 moist,
Chroma: 2 through 4 dry and moist.
Texture: Loamy coarse sand or coarse sandy loam.
Clay content: 5 to 10 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 55 percent gravel, with 15 to 35 percent rock fragments in some pedons.
Consistence: Soft through hard.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 10 percent in the less than 2 mm fraction.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent through violently effervescent.
Carbonate accumulations: Finely disseminated throughout the matrix and discontinuous cemented lenses.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline through very strongly alkaline.
Other: Bk horizons consist of lacustrine sediments of varying textures and composition that differ with changes in the depositional environment.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Diawell, Mickey, Muni, and Zadvar series.

Diawell soils do not have the 10 to 20 days of moisture from summer convection storms, 18 to 30 percent clay in the particle-size control section, and are noncalcareous throughout the argillic horizon. Mickey soils have particle-size control sections with 27 to 35 percent clay and are noncalcareous throughout the argillic horizon. Muni soils have a 25 to 60 cm thick duripan, 18 to 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section, and average less than 15 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section. Zadvar soils have mean annual soil temperatures ranging from 11 to 15 degrees C., and 18 to 27 percent clay in the particle-size control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Acana soils are on the shoulders and backslopes of fan remnants and pediment remnants. These soils formed in alluvium derived from welded tuff and mixed lacustrine deposits. Elevations range from 1,500 to 1,800 meters. Slopes are 2 to 8 percent. The climate is cool, semiarid, with a mean annual precipitation of 200 to 300 mm. The mean annual temperature is 7 to 11 degrees C, and the mean annual soil temperature is 8 to 12 degrees C. The frost free period is 100 to 130 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are competing Minu series, and the Linco and Armespan soils. Armespan soils do not have argillic horizons above the duripan. Linco soils do not have duripans.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is black sagebrush, low Douglas rabbitbrush, Utah juniper, Nevada ephedra, squirreltail, needleandthread, and Indian ricegrass. This pedon is correlated to ecological site number R029XY014NV, Shallow Calcareous Slope 8-12 P.Z.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East central Nevada. The soils are of moderate extent. MLRA 29.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lincoln County (Meadow Valley Area), Nevada, 1971.

REMARKS: These soils were formerly classified as Sierozems.

Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the surface to 8 cm (A horizon).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 8 to 25 cm (Bt horizon).
Calcic horizon - The zone from 25 to 43 cm (2Bqk horizon).
Duripan - The zone from 43 to 61 cm (2Bqkm horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 8 to 25 cm (Bt horizon).

ADDITIONAL DATA: U.S.D.A. Soil Survey Investigation Report Number 23, Laboratory Pedon ID# 66NV017023.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.