LOCATION ALLEY                   NV

Established Series
Rev. ELS/MJZ/RLB/JBF
11/2016

ALLEY SERIES

The Alley series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in loess over alluvium and colluvium derived from andesite, basalt and tuff with some influence from loess. Alley soils are on side slopes and shoulders of low mountains, foothills, plateaus, and fan piedmont remnants. Slopes are 2 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 200 mm and the mean annual air temperature is about 9 degrees C.

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

TYPICAL PEDON: Alley cobbly fine sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 18 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) cobbly fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak medium platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and common fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores; 15 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2); c1ear smooth boundary. (5 to 25 cm thick)

Bt1--18 to 30 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many fine tubular pores; few faint clay film in pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 20 cm thick)

Bt2--30 to 46 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine and medium roots; common fine tubular pores; common faint clay bridges between sand grains and common faint clay films in pores; 20 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 30 cm thick)

Bk--46 to 71 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly fine sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; many fine and medium distinct very pale brown (10YR 8/2) carbonate filaments; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel; few faint clay bridges between sand grains; matrix is slightly effervescent with strongly effervescent carbonate filaments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 30 cm thick)

Bqk--71 to 86 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) gravelly fine sandy loam; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; very few very fine roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; 30 percent gravel; discontinuous weakly silica and carbonate cemented very pale brown (10YR 7/3) thin (less than 2 millimeter) silica laminae that are 8 to 10 cm apart; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); gradual wavy boundary. (15 to 112 cm thick)

2Bk--86 to 155 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) very cobbly fine sandy loam; brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; soft and slightly hard, very friable and friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; very few very fine roots; common fine interstitial pores; 45 percent gravel and cobbles; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4)

TYPE LOCATION: Eureka County, Nevada; 2 1/2 miles southwest of the Dunphy Ranch; approximately 1,850 feet north and 550 feet east of the apparent southwest corner of Sec. 35, T. 33 N., R. 48 E.; USGS Dunphy 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 41 minutes 17 seconds N and longitude 116 degrees 32 minutes 12 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.6875000 latitude, -116.5366667 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in the winter and spring months, dry spring and fall; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C.
Depth to weakly silica and carbonate cemented strata: 40 to 76 cm.
Depth to carbonates: 40 to 56 cm.
Other features: Few to many, fine to coarse carbonate segregations are common in most pedons where depth to the Bqk horizon is greater than 56 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 18 to 30 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 25 percent, mainly gravel.

A horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.
Other features: When mixed, the surface 18 cm has color values greater than 5.5 dry and 3.5 moist.

Bt horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Texture: Loam, clay loam or sandy clay loam.
Structure: Weak or moderate, fine to coarse subangular blocky.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Consistence: Soft to hard, very friable or friable, slightly sticky and sticky, slightly plastic and plastic.

Bqk horizons
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 4.
Texture: Fine sandy loam or sandy loam.
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent, mainly gravel or cobbles.
Consistence: Hard or very hard.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Silica cementation: Few thin, or very thin discontinuous silica laminae are common in some pedons. Some pedons commonly have durinodes in a friable matrix below the weakly cemented horizons.

2Bk horizons (when present)
Rock fragments: 40 to 60 percent, when mixed, mostly gravel and cobbles, few stones in some pedons.
Texture: Fine sandy loam, sandy loam or loamy coarse sand.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Aladshi, Allor, Chime, Cleghorn, Glyphs, Igert, Nevador, Qwynn, Wedertz, Wedlar and Zevadez series.

Aladshi soils have 1 to 5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in the argillic horizon. Allor soils lack carbonates within a depth of 100 cm. Cleghorn soils contain less than 15 percent coarse fragments. Chime and Igert soils are less than 100 cm deep to bedrock. Glyphs soils have thick continuous weakly cemented layers extending below 100 cm. Nevador soils have argillic horizons that contain less than 15 percent rock fragments and have Bqk horizons with durinodes in a friable matrix. Qwynn and Wedertz soils have an E horizon above the argillic horizon and have less than 15 percent rock fragments in the argillic horizon. Wedlar soils have less than 15 percent rock fragments in the argillic horizon and are moistened for 10 to 20 days in July and August by convection storms. Zevadez soils have less than 15 percent rock fragments and have carbonates at 60 to 90 cm.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Alley soils are on mountain and foothill shoulders and side slopes, plateaus, and fan piedmont remnant summits adjacent to hills and mountains. These soils formed in alluvium and colluvium derived from andesite, rhyolite, basalt and tuffs with some influence from loess. Slopes are 2 to 75 percent. Elevations are 1,190 to 2,256 meters. The climate is cool semiarid with warm dry summers, and cool, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm, mean annual air temperature ranges from 8 to 10 degrees C, and the frost-free season is about 100 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Brock, Tenabo, and Whirlo soils. Brock and Tenabo soils have shallow indurated duripans. Whirlo soils have cambic horizons and a loamy-skeletal particle-size control section.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. Vegetation consists mainly of Wyoming big sagebrush, spiny hopsage, Sandberg bluegrass, winterfat and downy rabbitbrush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern and North central Nevada. MLRA 25, 28B. These soils are of limited extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Eureka County, (Tuscarora Mountain Area) Nevada, 1977.

REMARKS: The Alley and Allor concept are not well defined. Distinction will be made during the MLRA update

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A horizon).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 18 to 46 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Xeric intergrade - Meets organic carbon requirement for xeric.
Discontinuous weak brittle matrix - The zone from 71 to 86 cm (Bqk horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 18 to 46 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.