LOCATION BARFAN                  NV

Established Series
Rev. JVC/JBF
11/2016

BARFAN SERIES

The Barfan series consists of very shallow and shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum derived from ash flow tuff with an admixture of calcareous loess. Barfan soils are on rock pediments and low hills. Slopes are 2 to 8 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 200 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 8 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy, glassy, calcareous, mesic Lithic Xeric Torriorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Barfan gravelly ashy sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted). The soil surface is partially covered with approximately 40 percent gravel.

A--0 to 5 cm; light gray (10YR 7/1) gravelly ashy sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, few fine roots; common vesicular and few very fine irregular pores; 15 percent gravel; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 10 cm thick)

AC--5 to 28 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) ashy sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, common fine, few medium roots; few very fine irregular pores; 5 percent gravel; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (13 to 30 cm thick)

R--28 cm; fractured tuff; many distinct carbonate and silica pendants coating fractures.

TYPE LOCATION: White Pine County, Nevada; about 6 miles southwest of Blackjack; approximately 2,200 feet east and 960 feet south of the northwest corner of section 13, T. 12 N., R. 60 E.; USGS Badger Hole Spring 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 54 minutes 22 seconds N and longitude 115 degrees 10 minutes 47 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.9061111 latitude, -115.1797222 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in winter and early spring, dry late spring through early fall; aridic soil moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C.
Depth to bedrock: 18 to 36 cm to a lithic contact.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Volcanic glass content: 30 to 75 percent in coarse silt through fine sand fractions.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 5 to 15 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 20 percent, dominantly fine gravel (2 to 5 mm diameter). Lithology of fragments is ash flow tuff.

A horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 3, dry or moist.
Structure: Fine to coarse subangular blocky.

AC horizon
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 5 or 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Gravelly ashy sandy loam or ashy sandy loam.

COMPETING SERIES: There are currently no other series in this family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Barfan soils are on rock pediments and low hills. These soils formed in residuum weathered from ash flow tuff with an admixture of calcareous loess. Slopes are 2 to 8 percent. Elevations range from 1,830 to 2,140 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm, the mean annual temperature is 8 to 11 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 100 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Palinor and Tulase soils. Palinor soils are loamy-skeletal and are shallow to an indurated duripan. Tulase soils are coarse-silty and very deep.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Barfan soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly pigmy sagebrush, phlox, rabbitbrush, bluegrass, and Indian ricegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East-central Nevada. These soils are not extensive with about 1,400 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRA 28B.

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

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

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 AC horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 28 cm to underlying hard, unweathered bedrock (R layer).
Particle-size control section and ashy substitute class with glassy mineralogy - The zone from the soil surface to 28 cm (A and AC horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: Previous authors and editors include: IJR-PWB-WED.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.