LOCATION BIDDLEMAN NV

Established Series
Rev. JBF-SCH
05/2016

BIDDLEMAN SERIES

The Biddleman series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks over lacustrine deposits. Biddleman soils are on beach terraces. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 125 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 12 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Natrargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Biddleman gravelly sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with a desert pavement of about 80 percent rounded basalt gravel.

A1--0 to 5 cm; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) gravelly sandy loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; moderate medium and thick platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many fine and medium vesicular pores; 15 percent gravel and 5 percent cobble; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)

A2--5 to 10 cm; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) gravelly sandy loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; moderate medium and thick platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; many fine vesicular pores; 20 percent gravel and 2 percent cobble; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 10 cm thick)

Btn1--10 to 25 cm; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) gravelly sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many fine and medium vesicular pores; 20 percent gravel; common faint clay films on faces of peds and many faint clay films lining pores; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 20 cm thick)

Btn2--25 to 38 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak fine and medium subangular blocky; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine, and few medium and coarse roots; few fine and medium tubular pores; 30 percent gravel; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and few distinct clay films bridging sand grains; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 20 cm thick)

2Bk--38 to 61cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) stratified very gravelly loamy coarse sand, sand, and gravel, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; single grain; loose, loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine, and few medium and coarse roots; many fine, medium, and coarse interstitial pores; 70 percent rounded gravel and 2 percent cobble; slightly effervescent matrix with violently effervescent carbonate coats on bottoms of gravel; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); gradual wavy boundary. (15 to 30 cm thick)

2C--61 to 152 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) stratified sand to gravel, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine, medium, and coarse interstitial pores; 80 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).

TYPE LOCATION: Lyon County, Nevada; about 7.25 miles southeast of Fernley; 2,000 feet north and 1,870 feet west of the southeast corner of section 25, T. 26 N, R. 27E, Mount Diablo meridian; USGS Hazen 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 34 minutes 5.7 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 7 minutes 28.3 seconds W: WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.5682500 latitude, -119.124528 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually intermittently moist in winter and spring, dry from late May through November, typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 12 to 14 degrees C.
Depth to base of natric horizon and upper boundary of strongly contrasting horizons: 38 to 61 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 20 to 30 percent in the upper part and 2 to 10 percent in the contrasting lower part.
Rock fragments: Averages 15 to 35 percent in the upper part and 40 to 80 percent in the contrasting lower part. Fragments are mainly gravel of mixed lithologies.

A horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 3 through 5 moist.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline through strongly alkaline.

Btn horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Structure: Fine or medium prismatic, often parting to angular blocky or subangular blocky.
Consistence: Slightly sticky or moderately sticky, slightly plastic or moderately plastic.
Texture: Loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline through strongly alkaline.
Salinity (EC): 0 to 16 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 13 to 30.
Other features: Btnk horizons with carbonate coats on undersides of rock fragments are present in some pedons; thin subhorizons of sandy loam are present in some pedons.

2Bk and 2C horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Loamy fine sand, loamy coarse sand, or sand.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline through strongly alkaline.
Other features: Discontinuous weakly to strongly cemented lithoid tufa (a conglomerate cemented by calcium carbonate) occurs below depths of 61 cm in some pedons.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Appian, Bighat, and Cakehill series.

Appian soils have 0 to 5 percent gravel in the natric horizon and 5 to 15 percent gravel in the underlying contrasting horizons. Bighat soils have dominantly stones and cobbles in the natric horizon and upper part of the strongly contrasting horizons. Cakehill soils are moderately deep to paralithic contacts.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Biddleman soils are on beach terraces. They formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks over lacustrine deposits. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. Elevations range from 1230 to 1335 meters. The climate is arid with cool, moist winters and hot, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 100 to 150 mm, the mean annual temperature is 10 to 13 degrees C., and the frost-free period is 120 to 140 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bluewing, Bango and Trocken soils. Bluewing soils are sandy-skeletal and do not have natric horizons. Bango soils are fine-loamy and have natric horizons. Trocken soils are loamy-skeletal and do not have natric horizons.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Biddleman soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is mainly Bailey's greasewood, shadscale, Nevada dalea, littleleaf horsebrush, Indian ricegrass, and bottlebrush squirreltail.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 27.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lyon County (Fallon-Fernley Area), Nevada, 1971.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 10 cm (A horizons).
Natric horizon - The zone from 10 to 38 cm (Btn1 and Btn2 horizons).
Identifiable secondary carbonates - The zone from 38 to 61cm (2Bk horizon).
Major lithologic discontinuity - The abrupt change to sandy material at 38 cm (between the Btn2 and 2Bk horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 100 cm (Btn1, Btn2, and 2Bk horizons and part of the 2C horizon).

ADDITIONAL DATA: Type location was moved because original type was destroyed as part of a gravel pit.
Previous authors and editors include: MAT-MJZ-JVC.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.