LOCATION BERIT NV
Established Series
Rev. WMA-RLB-JVC-JBF
02/2017
BERIT SERIES
The Berit series consists of very shallow and shallow, somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from granitic rocks. Berit soils are on hills and mountains. Slopes are 4 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 300 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 8 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic, shallow Xeric Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Berit extremely cobbly loam--forestland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 8 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) extremely cobbly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 20 percent stones, 30 percent cobbles, and 30 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 13 cm thick)
Bt1--8 to 13 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) extremely cobbly sandy clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine and many very fine roots; few fine and common very fine tubular pores; many faint clay bridges between mineral grains; 10 percent stones, 20 percent cobbles, and 40 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 8 cm thick)
Bt2--13 to 18 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) extremely cobbly clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; strong medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common medium and fine, and many very fine roots; few fine and common very fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 10 percent stones, 20 percent cobbles, and 40 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)
Crt--18 cm; soft weathered granitic rock; illuvial clay and roots in fractures.
TYPE LOCATION: Lyon County, Nevada; about 17.5 miles southeast of Wellington; approximately 2,500 feet west and 2,550 feet north of the southeast corner of section 36, T. 9 N., R. 25 E.; USGS Nye Canyon 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 35 minutes 49.7 seconds N. and longitude 119 degrees 8 minutes 9.5 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.5972222 latitude, -119.1361111 longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist from late fall through mid- spring; dry June through October; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature; 8 to 12 degrees C.
Depth to bedrock: 10 to 30 cm to a paralithic contact. The paralithic materials below the contact are weathered granitic rock.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly acid.
Other features: The upper 18 cm mixed has value of 6 dry, 4 or more moist.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: 25 to 35 percent;
Rock fragments: 50 to 80 percent.
A horizon
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Bt horizons
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Abalan,
Alcan,
Armoine,
Bouncer,
Entero,
Flex,
Ginex,
Harvan,
Penelas,
Ravenell,
Sedsked,
Soar,
Stodick, and
Zyzzi series.
Abalan soils have identifiable secondary carbonates in the argillic horizon and are intermittently moist in some part for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October due to convection storms.
Alcan,
Armoine,
Entero,
Ravenell, and
Zyzzi soils are moist for 10 to 20 days in the summer and contain less than 60 percent coarse fragments in the control section. In addition, Ravenell soils have a Bt horizon with 35 to 45 percent clay.
Bouncer soils are influenced by volcanic ash and have less than 25 percent clay in the argillic horizon.
Flex soils have less than 50 percent rock fragments.
Ginex soils contain a secondary carbonate accumulation in the Bt horizon and is slightly to strongly effervescent throughout.
Harvan soils have desic materials at 30 to 50 cm.
Penelas soils are slightly alkaline through strongly alkaline in the solum, have soft shale fragments, and have less than 35 percent sand.
Sedsked soils have paralithic materials of weathered metasedimentary bedrock in the series control section.
Soar soils have less than 25 percent clay in the particle-size control section and contain less than 60 percent rock fragments.
Stodick soils have a paralithic contact at a depth of 36 to 50 cm and 35 to 50 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Berit soils are on hills and mountains. They typically occur on plane or convex footslope and backslope positions. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from granitic rocks. Slopes are 4 to 75 percent. Elevations range from 1,460 to 2,500 meters. The mean annual precipitation is 250 to 300 mm, the mean annual temperature is 7 to 9 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 80 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Hunewill,
Saralegui, and
Wile series. Hunewill soils are very deep and lack rock fragments in the Bt horizon, and are on fans. Saralegui soils are very deep soils on fans, lack rock fragments, and have less than 18 percent clay in the Bt horizon. Wile soils have more than 35 percent clay in the argillic horizon and have a mollic epipedon.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat excessively drained; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: Berit soils are used for wildlife habitat, livestock grazing, and recreation. The vegetation is a forest canopy of singleleaf pinyon with an understory of big sagebrush and antelope bitterbrush. Eroded phases of this soil have desert needlegrass, antelope bitterbrush, big sagebrush, and green ephedra.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 26.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lyon County Area, Nevada, 1981.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 8 cm (A horizon).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 8 to 18 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 18 cm to underlying soft, weathered bedrock (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A, Bt1, and Bt2 horizons).
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.