LOCATION BEOWAWE                 NV

Established Series
Rev. CEJ/GJS/JVC/JBF
02/2016

BEOWAWE SERIES

The Beowawe series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from volcanic rocks with surficial mantles of loess and volcanic ash. Beowawe soils are on fan remnants. Slopes are 0 to 8 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 180 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Durinodic Natrargids

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

A1--0 to 8 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate thick platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many fine vesicular pores; slightly effervescent in places within the matrix; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 15 cm thick)

A2--8 to 23 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate thick platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and few fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 20 cm thick)

2Btn--23 to 41 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak medium and coarse subangular blocky; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many medium fine and very fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (13 to 28 cm thick)

2Bqk1--41 to 58 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard, firm and brittle, many very fine and few fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; common faint silica coats lining pores, bridging sand grains, and as discontinuous laminae; many coarse coats and seams of secondary carbonate; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); diffuse wavy boundary. (13 to 30 cm thick)

2Bqk2--58 to 89 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) paragravelly coarse sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; many very fine interstitial and common very fine tubular pores; 25 percent coarse (6 to 12 mm diameter) durinodes; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (20 to 36 cm thick)

2Bqk3--89 to 152 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) coarse sandy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; hard, firm and brittle, common very fine roots; many fine interstitial and few very fine tubular pores; continuous weak cementation by secondary silica and carbonate; few faint silica coats lining pores and bridging sand grains; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6)

TYPE LOCATION: Eureka County, Nevada; about 5 miles southeast of Beowawe; approximately 1,500 feet west and 200 feet north of the southeast corner of section 3, T. 30 N., R. 49 E.; USGS Tumbleweed Flat 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 25 minutes 45 seconds N and longitude 116 degrees 26 minutes 29 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.4958333 latitude, -116.4413889 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in some part for short periods from November to June; typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 12 degrees C.
Depth to base of natric horizon and upper boundary of Bqk horizons: 28 to 60 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 18 to 25 percent;
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent gravel. Lithology of fragments are volcanic rocks such as tuff, andesite, rhyolite, and basalt.

A horizons
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Structure: Weak or moderate platy or prismatic.
Other features: Some pedons are effervescent due to recharge from calcareous dust.

2Btn horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Silt loam or loam.
Structure: Weak or moderate prismatic or columnar that parts to weak or moderate, fine to coarse angular blocky or subangular blocky.
Salinity (EC): 4 to 8 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 13 to 45.
Other features: Some pedons are slightly effervescent; some pedons have few to common, fine and medium coats or masses of identifiable secondary carbonates.

2Bqk horizons Value: 5 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Coarse sandy loam or loam.
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent gravel.
Consistence: Hard or very hard, dry, friable or firm moist.
Salinity (EC): 8 to 16 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 31 to 90.
Secondary silica: Brittle matrix which is not root-limiting caused by very weak silica bonding; silica coats are present as pore linings, bridges on sand grains, and very thin discontinuous laminae. Horizons with friable consistence contain 20 to 40 percent durinodes.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: Common to many, coarse to very coarse coats on silica laminae.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent.
Other features: Some pedons have discontinuous zones and thin strata of slightly hard and friable material.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Beoska, Genegraf, Jerval, Nyserva, and Ricert series.

Beoska, Genegraf, and Ricert soils have 25 to 35 percent clay in the natric horizon. Jerval soils do have Bqk horizons with a brittle matrix. Nyserva soils are intermittently moist for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October and do not have Bqk horizons with a brittle matrix.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Beowawe soils are on fan remnants. They formed in alluvium derived from volcanic rocks with surficial mantles of loess and volcanic ash. Slopes are 0 to 8 percent. Elevations range from 1,370 to 1,585 meters. The climate is arid with cool, moist winters and hot, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 150 to 200 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 Broyles and Tenabo soils. Broyles soils are coarse-loamy and have cambic horizons. Tenabo soils are loamy, very shallow and shallow to indurated duripans, and have natric horizons.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderately slow permeability; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Beowawe soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is mainly bud sagebrush, shadscale, cheatgrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, and mustards.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central Nevada. These soils are not extensive with about 7,700 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRA 24.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Tuscarora Mountain Area, Nevada, 1974.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 23 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).
Natric horizon - The zone from 23 to 41 cm (2Btn horizon).
Durinodes and duric feature - The zone from 41 to 152 cm (2Bqk1, 2Bqk2, and 2Bqk3 horizons).
Identifiable secondary carbonates - The zone from 41 to 152 cm (2Bqk1, 2Bqk2, and 2Bqk3 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 23 to 41 cm (2Btn horizon).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.