LOCATION BARRIER                 NV

Established Series
Rev. JVC/JBF
11/2016

BARRIER SERIES


The Barrier series consists of shallow to a duripan, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from volcanic and sedimentary rocks. Barrier soils are on fan remnants. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 250 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 7 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid, shallow Xereptic Haplodurids

TYPICAL PEDON: Barrier fine sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 13 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate medium platy structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; many medium and fine vesicular pores; 5 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (13 to 18 cm thick)

Bqk--13 to 38 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) paragravelly fine sandy loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common medium, fine, and very fine roots; many fine and very fine interstitial pores; 15 percent durinodes; 10 percent gravel; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (13 to 33 cm thick)

Bqkm1--38 to 43 cm; white (10YR 8/1) cemented material, light gray (10YR 7/2) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, strongly cemented by opaline silica; common medium, fine, and very fine roots matted on the upper surface; very few fine interstitial pores; violently effervescent; few thin discontinuous indurated laminae; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 38 cm thick)

Bqkm2--43 to 114 cm; white (10YR 8/1) cemented material, light gray (10YR 7/2) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, strongly cemented layers 5 to 10 cm thick alternating with weakly cemented layers of gravelly sandy loam; common fine and very fine interstitial pores; 15 percent gravel; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).

TYPE LOCATION: Eureka County, Nevada; about 14 miles northwest of Eureka in Kobeh Valley; approximately 1,880 feet north and 600 feet west of the southeast corner of section 35, T. 21 N., R. 51 E.; USGS West of Whistler Mountain 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 38 minutes 25 seconds N and longitude 116 degrees 11 minutes 50 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.6402778 latitude, -116.1972222 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in winter and spring, dry each June through October; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 7 to 8 degrees C.
Depth to duripan: 25 to 50 cm.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.
Other features: Some pedons have continuous weakly cemented and noncemented strata below the duripan.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 8 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 10 to 35 percent, mainly gravel.

A horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry; 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.

Bqk horizon
Value: 7 or 8 dry, 5 to 7 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture of fine earth: Sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam.

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

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Barrier soils are on fan remnants. These soils formed in alluvium derived from volcanic and sedimentary rocks. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. Elevations are 1,800 to 2,565 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 300 mm, the mean annual temperature is 7 to 8 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 70 to 100 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Rubyhill soil. Rubyhill soils are moderately deep to the duripan.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Barrier soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly black sagebrush, small rabbitbrush, spiny hopsage, and Indian ricegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Nevada. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 28B.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Eureka County Area, Nevada, 1983.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A horizon and part of the Bqk horizons).
Durinodes - The zone from 13 to 38 cm (Bqk horizon).
Duripan - The zone from 38 to 114 cm (Bqkm1 and Bqkm2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 38 cm (part of the Bqk horizon).

ADDITIONAL DATA: Previous authors and editors include: OAC/RAF/GJS.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.