LOCATION AYMATE                  NV

Established Series
Rev.DJM/RLB
04/2015

AYMATE SERIES

The Aymate series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in mixed alluvium from volcanic tuffs and limestone. The Aymate soils are on fan piedmont remnants. Slopes are 0 to 8 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 8 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 57 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Ustalfic Petrocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Aymate gravelly sandy loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with 2 percent cobbles and 22 percent pebbles.

A--0 to 3 inches; reddish brown (7.5YR 5/4) gravelly sandy loam, reddish brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate thin platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 22 percent pebbles; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)

AB--3 to 13 inches; brown (5YR 5/4) sandy loam, dark brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial and few very fine tubular pores; few thin clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 5 percent pebbles; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)

Btk1--13 to 19 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) gravelly clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; common moderately thick clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; common thin lime coats on undersides of rock fragments; common fine lime filaments and threads; 1 percent cobbles, 15 percent pebbles; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)

Btk2--19 to 28 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) gravelly sandy clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; strong fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; many moderately thick clay films on faces of peds and lining pores and bridges between sand grains; many thin lime coats and pendants on vertical and undersides of rock fragments; common fine lime filaments, threads, and seams; 2 percent cobbles, 28 percent pebbles; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 11 inches thick)

Bk--28 to 35 inches; pink (5YR 7/3) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, light reddish brown (5YR 6/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial and common very fine tubular pores; many moderately thick lime coats and pendants on vertical and undersides of rock fragments; many large soft lime masses, filaments, and seams; common discontinuous weakly to strongly lime cemented masses and lenses; 2 percent cobbles, 45 percent pebbles; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)

Bkqm--35 inches; white (10YR 8/1) indurated petrocalcic horizon, light gray (10YR 7/2) moist.

TYPE LOCATION: Lincoln County, Nevada; approximately 1 mile east of Tule Desert Well; about 1250 feet east and 225 feet north of the southwest corner of section 5, T. 10 S., R. 69 E.; 37 degrees, 5 minutes, and 33 seconds north latitude, 114 degrees, 18 minutes, and 12 seconds west longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture - Usually dry, moist in late summer and for short periods in winter and spring. (Ustic-Aridic)

Soil temperature - 59 to 64 degrees F.

Depth to petrocalcic horizon - 20 to 40 inches.

Reaction - Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.



Control section - Clay content: Averages 18 to 30 percent.

Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent, predominantly pebbles.



A horizon - Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.

Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.

Chroma: 2 through 4.



Btk horizons - Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR.

Value: 4 through 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.

Chroma: 2 through 6.

Texture: Gravelly clay loam, gravelly sandy clay loam, or gravelly loam.

Structure: Moderate to strong subangular blocky.

Other features: Rock fragments commonly contain thin to thick lime coats and pendants on vertical and undersides.



Bk horizon (when present) - Hue: 5YR or 10YR

Value: 6 or 7 dry, 3 through 6 moist.

Chroma: 3 or 4 .

Texture: Very gravelly coarse sandy loam, gravelly coarse sandy loam, or gravelly sandy loam.



Bkqm horizon - Cementation: Very strongly lime cemented or indurated petrocalcic horizon with discontinuous accessory silica cementation.

Thickness: 3 to 6 feet observed.

Other features: Very gravelly or extremely gravelly matrix.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Aymate soils are on fan piedmont remnants. These soils formed in mixed alluvium from volcanic tuffs and limestone. Slopes are 0 to 8 percent. Elevations are 2600 to 3400 feet. The climate is semiarid with hot, intermittently moist summers and cool, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 5 to 8 inches; the mean annual temperature is 58 to 65 degrees F., and the frost-free season is 190 to 240 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Arizo, Geta, and Canutio series. Arizo soils are commonly flooded and have a sandy-skeletal particle-size control section. Geta soils have a coarse-loamy particle-size control section and lack an argillic horizon and a petrocalcic horizon. Canutio soils have a loamy-skeletal particle-size control section and lack an argillic horizon and a petrocalcic horizon.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderately slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly creosotebush, big galleta, Anderson wolfberry, spiny hopsage, cheeseweed burrobrush, bush muhly, desert needlegrass, Nevada ephedra, and banana yucca.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 30.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: PHOENIX, ARIZONA

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lincoln County, Nevada, South Part, 1992.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 13 inches (A and AB horizon).

Argillic horizon - The zone from 13 inches to 28 inches (Btk1 and Btk2 horizons).

Calcic horizon - the zone from 13 to 35 inches (Btk1, Btk2 and Bk horizon).

Petrocalcic horizon - The boundary at 35 inches (Bkqm horizon).

Particle-size control section - The zone 13 inches to 28 inches (Btk1 and part of the Btk2 horizons).

Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 4/2015. The last revision to the series was 5/1997. ET

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.