LOCATION ADELAIDE                NV

Established Series
Rev. LIL-MJZ-DD-JBF
02/2016

ADELAIDE SERIES

The Adelaide series consists of shallow to duripan, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks, with a mantle of loess high in volcanic ash. Adelaide soils are on fan piedmont remnants. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 200 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic, shallow Cambidic Haplodurids

TYPICAL PEDON: Adelaide silt loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 5 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) slightly micaceous silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak thin platy structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and few fine vesicular pores; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 13 cm thick)

Bw--5 to 20 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and few fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 18 cm thick)

Bq--20 to 28 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak thick platy structure; very hard, firm, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots in the matrix, but common in fractures; many very fine and fine tubular pores; common thin platy pale brown (10YR 6/3) silica films in bands and pores, and as bridges between sand grains; 10 percent gravel; continuous brittle matrix; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)

Bqkm--28 to 36 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) and pale brown (10YR 6/3) strongly silica cemented duripan, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) and dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive parting to moderate fine angular and subangular blocky structure; extremely hard, firm and very firm; common very fine and few fine exped roots; common very fine interstitial pores; many thin silica films coat peds and pores and occur as laminae; many medium and fine prominent very pale brown (10YR 8/2) carbonate veins and coatings; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)

Btkb--36 to 58 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate fine angular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular, and many very fine interstitial pores; many thin clay films on peds and in pores; many fine distinct very pale brown (10YR 8/2) carbonate coatings and filaments; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 25 cm thick)

2Bqkb--58 to 76 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular and common very fine interstitial pores; 20 percent gravel; 20 percent very hard and firm durinodes; common fine distinct very pale brown (10YR 8/2) carbonate veins; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 25 cm thick)

3Bqkm--76 to 102 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) extremely gravelly loamy sand that is indurated in the upper 0.3 to 0.6 cm and weakly cemented below, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; extremely hard, extremely firm in the upper part, and slightly hard, friable in the lower part; common very fine interstitial pores; 80 percent gravel; many very fine very pale brown (10YR 8/2) carbonate coatings on indurated material, and on discontinuous silica laminae in lower part of horizon, and completely coats gravel in upper part of horizon and coats undersides of gravel in lower part; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (18 to 36 cm thick)

4Bk--102 to 152 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) extremely gravelly loamy sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; single grained; loose; many fine interstitial pores; 80 percent gravel; the undersides of some gravel are coated with very pale brown (10YR 8/2) carbonate; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).

TYPE LOCATION: Pershing County, Nevada; approximately 11 miles south of Winnemucca, 0.2 mile north of the county road and 0.6 mile west of the Sonoma Ranch house, about 700 feet north and 300 feet west of the southeast corner, sec. 18, T. 34 N., R. 38 E.; USGS Sonoma Canyon 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 48 minutes 56 seconds N and longitude 117 degrees 44 minutes 20 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.8155556 latitude, -117.7388889 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in winter and spring, dry early June through October; typic aridic soil temperature regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 9 to 11 degrees C.
Depth to duripan: 25 to 38 cm.
Depth to buried indurated pan: 66 to 100 cm.
Other features: Silt plus very fine sand ranges from 65 to 80 percent.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 6 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 5 percent or less.

A horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.

Bw horizon
Value: 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Texture: Loam, silt loam or very fine sandy loam.
Consistence: Very friable or friable, moist, nonplastic or slightly plastic wet.
Structure: Massive or weak fine or medium subangular blocky or thin to thick platy structure in some pedon.
Other features: This is considered a cambic horizon when its base is below 25 cm.

Bq horizon
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Consistence: Slightly hard, hard or very hard dry; very friable, friable or firm moist; nonplastic or slightly plastic wet.
Structure: Platy or is massive.

Bqkm horizon
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Structure: Platy or is massive.
Consistence: Extremely hard or very hard.
Other features: Carbonate coatings on 10 to 30 percent of the faces of peds and on silica laminae or is disseminated. The matrix is slightly through strongly effervescent.

Btkb horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 through 6
Clay content: 27 to 40 percent.
Rock fragments: Up to 5 percent.
Structure: Moderate or strong, fine or medium, subangular blocky or is massive.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline through very strongly alkaline.
Carbonates: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.
Other features: Up to 50 percent of the various horizons of the buried soil have white carbonate coatings on silica laminae, faces of peds or gravel; very hard and firm durinodes are in some pedons.

3Bqkm horizon
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Structure: Moderate or strong, thin or medium, platy or is massive.
Thickness: 0.3 to 15 cm laminated strata separated by less strongly cemented materials.

4Bk horizon
Structure: Massive or is single grain
Consistence: Slightly hard dry, very friable moist or is loose.
Rock fragments: 15 to 80 percent, mainly gravel.
Other features: Up to 20 percent weak silica cemented, lenses and pendants of carbonate and silica on rock fragements are in some pedons.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Belcher, Blackhawk, Timper and Truhoy series.

Belcher and Timper soils are calcareous above the duripan. Blackhawk soils also lack an indurated duripan that is below a buried argillic horizon. Truhoy soils contain 15 to 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section and is moist 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Adelaide soils are on smooth to convex fan piedmont remnants. These soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks with a loess mantle high in volcanic ash. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. Elevations are 1,220 to 1,650 meters. The climate is cool, semiarid with cool, moist winters and hot, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 180 to 250 mm, mean annual temperature is 8 to 10 degrees C, and the frost-free season is 100 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Golconda and Weso soils and the competing Blackhawk soils. Golconda soils have natric horizons. Weso soils have weakly cemented Cqk horizons and lack a buried argillic horizon.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, Sandberg bluegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, cheatgrass, pepperweed and other annuals.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central Nevada. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 24.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Pershing County, Nevada, east part, 1974.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A and part of the Bw horizons).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 5 to 20 cm (Bw horizon).
Strongly cemented duripan - The zone from 28 to 36 cm (Bqkm horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from the soil surface to 28 cm (A, Bw and Bq horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: Soil Survey Investigations Report No. 23.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.