LOCATION AUTOMAL                 NV

Established Series
Rev. ARW-PWB-WED-JBF
11/2016

AUTOMAL SERIES

The Automal series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from limestone, dolomite and shale. Automal soils are on fan remnants and beach plains. Slopes are 2 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 250 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 8 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Durinodic Xeric Haplocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Automal gravelly loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with approximately 35 percent gravel.

A1--0 to 5 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate thin platy structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, few fine through coarse roots; many very fine vesicular pores; 15 percent gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)

A2--5 to 10 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly silt loam; brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, few fine through coarse roots; common very fine tubular pores; 15 percent gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 18 cm thick)

AB--10 to 15 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, few fine through coarse roots; common very fine tubular pores; many thin secondary calcium carbonate pendants on bottom of rock fragments; 20 percent gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 10 cm thick)

Bk--15 to 20 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly silt loam; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, few fine through medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; many thin to moderately thick secondary calcium carbonate pendants on bottom of rock fragments; 40 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 23 cm thick)

2Bqk1--20 to 74 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) extremely gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; very hard, very firm and brittle, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 40 percent discontinuous weak carbonate cemented in vertical bands; continuous brittle matrix; many thin to moderately thick secondary calcium carbonate pendants on bottom of rock fragments; 55 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary.(15 to 76 cm thick)

2Bqk2--74 to 124 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard, firm and brittle, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine tubular pores; 10 percent discontinuous strong secondary calcium carbonate and silica cementation in vertical bands; continuous brittle matrix; common thin to moderately thick secondary calcium carbonate pendants on bottom of rock fragments; common fine soft masses of carbonate; 55 percent gravel; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.9); clear wavy boundary. (25 to 75 cm thick.)

3Bqk--124 to 152 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely gravelly loamy coarse sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine interstitial pores; 50 percent discontinuous weak secondary calcium carbonate and silica cementation; common thin to moderately thick secondary calcium carbonate pendants on bottom of rock fragments; 70 percent gravel, 5 percent stones; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).

TYPE LOCATION: Elko County, Nevada; approximately 10 miles south of Currie, about 3200 feet south and 2400 feet east of the northwest corner of section 17, T. 26 N., R.64 E.; USGS McDermid Ranch 7.5 minute quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 07 minutes 36.84 seconds N and longitude 114 degrees 46 minutes 50 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.1269222 latitude, -114.7808333 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in winter and spring, dry June through October; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C.
Depth to calcic horizon: 13 to 30 cm.
Depth to continuous brittle matrix: 13 to 50 cm.
Profile reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: averages 8 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 40 to 80 percent, of which 35 to 60 percent are gravel and 5 to 20 percent are cobbles and stones.

A horizons and AB horizon (when present)
Value: 6 or 7, dry; 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.

Bk horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Consistence: Very friable or friable moist; slightly sticky or moderately sticky, wet.
Other features: Some pedons have few secondary calcium carbonate and silica cemented concretions.

2Bqk horizons
Value: 6 through 8 dry; 4 through 7 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Sandy loam or coarse sandy loam.
Modifiers: Very gravelly or extremely gravelly.
Consistence: Hard or very hard, firm or very firm.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.

3Bqk horizon (when present)
Texture modifiers: Very gravelly or extremely gravelly.
Consistence: Slightly hard or friable.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Armespan, Dakent, Morbench, Pyrat and Sugarcreek series.

Armespan and Dakent soils have appreciable summer moisture, Bw horizons, and mean annual soil temperature of 12 to 14 degrees C. Morbench soils contain 8 to 13 percent clay, and are moist 10 t0 20 days during July to September due to summer convection storms. Pyrat soils are 36 to 50 cm deep to calcic horizon and 56 to 80 cm deep to the weakly cemented layer. Sugarcreek have bedrock at 50 to 100 cm.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Automal soils are on fan piedmont remnants and beach plains. These soils formed in alluvium from limestone, dolomite and shale. Slopes are 2 to 50 percent. Elevations are 1,590 to 2,170 meters. The climate is cool, semiarid with cold, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 20 to 300 mm, mean annual temperature is 7 to 9 degrees C, and the frost-free season is 100 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Eastwell, Okan and Wintermute series. Eastwell soils are shallow to a duripan. Okan soils lack calcic horizons. Wintermute soils are dry in all parts of the moisture control section more than three-fourths of the time (cumulative) that the soil temperature is 5 degrees C. or higher at a depth of 50 centimeters.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly black sagebrush and bluegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 28B

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Pine County, Nevada, West Part, 1990.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to a depth of 18 cm (A1, A2, AB and part of the Bk horizons).
Calcic horizon - The zone from 15 cm to a depth of 124 cm (Bk and Bqk horizons).
Duric feature - The zone from 20 to 124 cm (Bqk1 and Bqk2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 cm to 100 cm (parts of the 2Bqk1 and 2Bqk2 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.