LOCATION ASHART                  NV

Established Series
Rev. DWW-GJS-JVC-JBF
02/2018

ASHART SERIES

The Ashart series consists of shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum derived from tuff. Ashart soils are on hills. Slopes are 2 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 280 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 8 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy, glassy, mesic, shallow Vitrixerandic Haplargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Ashart ashy sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with 30 percent gravel.

A--0 to 8 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) ashy sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial and few fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)

E--8 to 18 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) ashy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak medium platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial, few fine and medium tubular pores; common light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) uncoated sand grains on faces of peds; 5 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)

Bt1--18 to 28 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) ashy clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common fine tubular pores; common faint clay films lining pores and coating mineral grains; many distinct light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt coats on tops of prisms; 5 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 15 cm thick)

Bt2--28 to 38 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) ashy clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common fine tubular pores; many faint clay films on faces of peds and common prominent clay films lining pores; 5 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 15 cm thick)

Cr--38 to 43 cm; soft fractured vitric tuff; strong thick plates with fine coats of secondary carbonates along fractures; violently effervescent.

TYPE LOCATION: Elko County, Nevada; about 29.5 miles east-southeast of Jackpot; 1,500 feet north and 1,000 feet east of the southwest corner of section 26, T. 47 N., R. 69 E.; USGS Nile Spring 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 41 degrees 55 minutes 57 seconds N and longitude 114 degrees 06 minutes 31 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 41.9325000 latitude, -114.1086111 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry; moist in winter and spring, dry from late June through October; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C.
Depth to base of argillic horizon: 30 to 50 cm.
Depth to bedrock: 30 to 50 cm to a paralithic contact. The paralithic materials below the contact are vitric tuff.
Volcanic glass content: 40 to 60 percent in coarse silt through fine sand fractions.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 20 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent, mainly gravel. Lithology of fragments are tuff.

A horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Structure: Thin to thick platy.

E horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Texture: Ashy loam or ashy sandy loam.
Clay content: 10 to 20 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent.
Other features: Has uncoated sand grains with value of 6 or 7 dry.

Bt horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Ashy loam or ashy clay loam.
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Saraph series. Saraph soils do not have albic horizons.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ashart soils are on hills. These soils formed in residuum derived from vitric tuff. Slopes are 2 to 15 percent. Elevations range from 1,590 to 1,710 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 250 to 300 mm, mean annual temperature is 7 to 9 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 100 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bluehill, Tomsherry, and Zark soils. Bluehill soils are ashy, moderately deep to paralithic contacts, and have cambic and calcic horizons. Tomsherry soils are ashy, moderately deep to duripans, and have mollic epipedons and calcic horizons. Zark soils are ashy, moderately deep to paralithic contacts, and have mollic epipedons and horizons with secondary silica.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Ashart soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, Douglas rabbitbrush, needleandthread, Indian ricegrass, bluebunch wheatgrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 25.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Elko County (Northeast Part), Nevada, 1986.

REMARKS: This revision changes particle-size class, mineralogy class, and subgroup to better reflect this series physical and climatic properties. The assignment of the ashy substitute class and glassy mineralogy class is based on properties of associated soils and the vegetative community.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A and E horizons).
Albic horizon - The zone from 8 to 18 cm (E horizon).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 18 to 38 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 38 cm to underlying soft bedrock (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section and substitute class with glassy mineralogy - The zone from 18 to 38 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.