LOCATION AKERUE                  NV

Established Series
Rev. OAC-RAF-GJS-JBF
11/2016

AKERUE SERIES

The Akerue series consists of well drained soils that are shallow to a duripan. These soils formed in residuum derived from andesite, rhyolite, and quartzite. Akerue soils are on hills and mountains. Slopes are 4 to 30 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 250 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 7 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, smectitic, frigid, shallow Xeric Argidurids

TYPICAL PEDON: Akerue very cobbly loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 15 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very cobbly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common medium, fine, and very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 20 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles and 10 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 15 cm thick)

Bt1--15 to 30 cm; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) extremely cobbly clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine and very fine angular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many fine and very fine roots; many fine and very fine tubular pores; common distinct pressure faces on peds; 20 percent gravel, 30 percent cobbles and 10 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 18 cm thick)

Bt2--30 to 46 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very cobbly clay, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium and fine angular blocky structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common medium, fine, and very fine roots; common fine and very fine tubular pores; many distinct pressure faces on peds; 20 percent gravel and 30 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 23 cm thick)

Bqkm--46 to 51 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) and white (10YR 8/1) indurated cobbly duripan with a continuous laminar silica cap cementing the cobbles and stones, light gray (10YR 7/2), very pale brown (10YR 8/2) and very pale brown (10YR 7/4) moist; massive; extremely hard; common fine roots matted on the surface of the duripan; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 15 cm thick.)

R--51 cm; andesite.

TYPE LOCATION: Eureka County, Nevada; about 36 miles northwest of Eureka in Monitor Valley; approximately 500 feet east and 200 feet south of the northwest corner of section 15, T 21N, R 48E; USGS Shagnasty 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 41 minutes 33 seconds N and longitude 116 degrees 34 minutes 12 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.6925000 latitude, -116.5700000 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in winter and spring; dry early June through October; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 7 to 8 degrees C.
Depth to duripan: 36 to 50 cm.
Depth to bedrock: 38 to 66 cm to a lithic contact.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline, increasing with depth.
Other features: Silica and carbonate pendants on rock fragments in the lower part of the Bt horizon of some pedons.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 35 to 45 percent;
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent, mostly cobbles and stones.

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

Bt horizons
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Texture: Very cobbly clay loam or very cobbly clay.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Akerue soils are on hills and mountain side slopes. These soils formed in residuum derived from andesite, rhyolite, and quartzite. Slopes are 4 to 30 percent. Elevations are 1,865 to 2,135 feet. The climate is cool, semiarid with moist winters and dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is about 200 to 300 cm; mean annual temperature is 6 to 7 degrees C., and the frost-free season is about 80 to 100 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Robson and Simpark soils. Robson soils lack a duripan. Simpark soils have a loamy-skeletal particle-size control section.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Akerue soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly black sagebrush, Sandberg's bluegrass, and Thurber's needlegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central Nevada. These soils are moderately extensive. The series concept and main acreage is in MLRA 28B, while other acreage occurs in MLRA 24.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Eureka County Area, Nevada, 1983.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 15 cm (A horizon).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 15 to 46 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Duripan - The zone from 46 to 51 cm (Bqkm horizon).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 51 cm to underlying hard bedrock (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 15 to 46 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.