LOCATION BEEOX                   NV

Established Series
Rev. TM/DD/RLB/JBF
02/2016

BEEOX SERIES

The Beeox series consists of very deep, moderately well drained soils that formed in alluvium from mixed rock sources that are thinly mantled by loess and volcanic ash. The Beeox soils are on fan piedmonts. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 180 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Durinodic Natrargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Beeox cobbly silt loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with 5 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles.

A1--0 to 8 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) cobbly silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium and thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine and medium roots; common very fine vesicular and interstitial pores; slightly effervescent; 5 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 15 cm thick)

A2--8 to 20 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure that parts to strong thin platy; slightly hard, very friable, sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine and medium mainly exped roots; common very fine, fine and medium vesicular pores; 5 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 20 cm thick)

Bq--20 to 30 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist, few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) mottles; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to strong thin platy; hard, friable, very sticky; and slightly plastic; common very fine, few fine and medium mainly exped roots; common very fine, fine and medium vesicular pores; many thin silica coats on horizontal faces of peds; few very thin laminar carbonate and silica coats on horizontal and vertical faces of peds; few fine prominent manganese stains in lower part of the horizon; 5 percent gravel; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 25 cm thick)

2Btnkb--30 to 53 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) clay, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist; common fine faint dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) mottles; moderate medium prismatic structure; very hard, friable, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine, fine and medium mainly exped roots; common very fine tubular pores; common moderately thick clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; many moderately thick light gray (10YR 7/2) skeletans capping prisms and extending down vertical faces of peds; few coarse prominent manganese bands and stains in the upper part; SAR 17; few medium and fine soft carbonate filaments; 10 percent gravel; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear irregular boundary. (15 to 39 cm thick)

2Bqkb1--53 to 112 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; 50 percent strongly silica cemented durinodes and irregular masses; few fine white (N 8/) gypsum masses on undersides of rock fragments; many coarse soft carbonate filaments and lenses; strongly effervescent; 10 percent gravel; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (12 to 35 cm thick)

3Bqkb2--112 to 152 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) stratified extremely gravelly coarse sand to extremely cobbly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; many moderately thick carbonate and silica pendants on rock fragments; many thick discontinuous strongly silica-carbonate cemented lenses; violently effervescent; 40 percent gravel 20 percent cobbles; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).

TYPE LOCATION: Humboldt County, Nevada; approximately 2 miles south of Golconda, about 1,100 feet north and 600 feet east of the SW corner of section 9, T. 35 N., R. 40 E.; USGS Golconda 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle 40 degrees, 55 minutes, 10 seconds north latitude and 117 degrees, 29 minutes, 18 seconds west longitude; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.919444 latitude, -117.4883333 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in late winter and spring, dry late May through November. Typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Soil temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C.
Depth to Btn horizons: 23 to 46 cm.
Depth to unconformable gravel and cobbles: 40 to 50 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 35 to 55 percent.
Rock fragments: Up to 15 percent, mainly gravel.

A horizons
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.

Bq horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Texture: Silt loam or very fine sandy loam.
Clay content: 10 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: Up to 15 percent, mainly gravel.
Structure: Prismatic or platy.
Consistence: Hard or slightly hard, dry.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline.
Cementation: Common to many thin silica coats on horizontal ped faces, commonly increasing with depth. Discontinuous strongly cemented lenses are common in some pedons.
Mottles: Few to many, faint to distinct.
Other features: In most pedons, this layer is high in volcanic ash.

2Btnkb horizons
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 through 6.
Texture: Clay or clay loam.
Clay content: 35 to 55 percent.
Rock fragments: Up to 15 percent, mainly gravel.
Structure: Prismatic or columnar.
Consistence: Hard or very hard, dry.
Reaction: Strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline.
Sodium absorption ratio: 13 to 70 percent.
Mottles: The upper part of the horizon commonly has mottles or iron-manganese concretions.
Other features: Some pedons do not have filaments and soft masses of secondary carbonate. Brittle material capping the tops of prisms is present in some pedons.

2Bqkb horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through moist.
Chroma: 2 through 6.
Texture: Loam, fine sandy loam, or sandy loam.
Clay content: 15 to 25 percent.
Rock fragments: 5 to 25 percent, mostly gravel.
Structure: Prismatic, subangular blocky or the horizon is massive.
Consistence: Slightly hard or hard, dry.
Reaction: Strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline.
Cementation: 20 to 60 percent durinodes or more than 30 percent discontinuously weakly silica cemented.
Other features: Some pedons do not have filaments of soft, secondary gypsum.

3Bqkb horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 3 through 6.
Texture: Stratified sandy loam to coarse sand.
Clay content: 5 to 10 percent.
Rock fragments: 45 to 70 percent, mainly gravel and cobbles.
Structure: The horizon is massive or single grained.
Reaction: Strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline.
Cementation: Thin to very thick lenses of discontinuous weak to strong silica-carbonate cementation is common in most pedons.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Dorper and Oxcorel series. Dorper and Oxcorel lack Bq horizons with silica accumulations over natric horizons. Dorper soils have subhorizons with 40 to 75 percent rock fragments directly underlying the natric horizon. Oxcorel soils also have very gravelly textures immediately below the natric horizon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Beeox soils are on fan piedmonts and fan remnants. These soils formed in alluvium from mixed rock sources that are thinly mantled by loess and volcanic ash. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. Elevations are 1,280 to 1,680 meters. The climate is cool, arid with hot, dry summers and cold, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 150 to 200 mm; mean annual temperature is 7 to 10.0 degrees C, and the frost-free season is 100 to 130 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Oxcorel and the Golconda and Sodhouse series. Golconda soils have a strongly silica cemented duripan at depths of 50 to 100 cm. Sodhouse soils are shallow to a duripan and lack a natric horizon.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Moderately well drained; slow or medium runoff; low saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly shadscale and bottlebrush squirreltail with a few scattered spiny hopsage and bud sagebrush plants.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 24.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Humboldt County, Nevada, East Part. 1993.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric horizon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A1 and part of the A2 horizon).
Natric horizon - The zone from 30 to 53 cm (Btnkb horizon).
Duric feature - Silica accumulation as durinodes and cemented masses in the zone from 53 cm to 112 cm (Bkq1b horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 30 to 53 cm (Btknb horizon).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.