LOCATION BUCKAROO                NV

Established Series
Rev. CEJ/WED/RLB/JBF
02/2017

BUCKAROO SERIES

The Buckaroo series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed volcanic rocks. Buckaroo soils are on fan piedmont remnants and lake terrace remnants. Slopes are 2 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 150 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 11 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Typic Natrargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Buckaroo gravelly fine sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with approximately 30 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles and stones.

A--0 to 8 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial and tubular pores; 25 percent gravel; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 10 cm thick)

V--8 to 10 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; moderate thick platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine, fine, medium and coarse vesicular pores; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.9); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 10 cm thick)

Btn--10 to 15 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to strong very fine angular blocky; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine and common fine roots; few fine tubular and many very fine, fine and medium interstitial pores; continuous moderately thick clay films on faces of peds; slightly effervescent; few fine lime filaments and threads; strongly alkaline (pH 8.7); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 23 cm thick)

Btnk--15 to 41 cm; brown (7.5YR 4/4) clay, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine and medium prismatic structure parting to strong fine angular blocky; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; many very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; continuous moderately thick clay films on faces of peds and in pores; common fine lime filaments and threads; l5 percent of ped faces coated with very pale brown (10YR 8/2) lime masses; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.7); gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 30 cm thick)

Bqk--41 to 69 cm; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gravelly loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few fine and medium tubular pores; 15 percent durinodes; 20 percent gravel; common fine filaments and threads of lime; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.9); gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 23 cm thick)

2Bk--69 to 152 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few fine and medium vesicular pores; 35 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; lime is disseminated; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.9).

TYPE LOCATION: Churchill County, Nevada, approximately 30 miles southeast of Fallon, about 250 feet west and 400 feet north of the southeast corner of Section 1, T15N., R. 30 E.; latitude 39 degrees 11 minutes 08.6 seconds N and longitude 118 degrees 34 minutes 14.9 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.1857222 latitude, -118.5708056 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist for short periods during spring and winter, dry from summer to mid-fall, typic aric soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 12 to 15 degrees C.
Depth to base of natric horizon: 25 to 50 cm.
Reaction: Strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 35 to 50 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent, mainly gravel.

A horizon
Value: 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Effervescence: Noneffervescent to strongly effervescent.

V horizon
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent through violently effervescent.
Structure: Moderate or strong, thin to thick platy.

Btn horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 through 6.
Texture: Clay loam or clay.
Sodicity (SAR): 31 to 90.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent or strongly effervescent.

Btnk horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 through 6.
Texture: Clay loam or clay.
Sodicity (SAR): 31 to 90.
Carbonates: common lime filaments, threads or soft masses; rock fragments commonly have pendants.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.

Bk horizon and Bqk when present
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Texture: Sandy loam, fine sandy loam or loam.
Rock fragments: 15 to 50 percent, mainly gravel, increasing with depth, with up to 60 percent in the lower subhorizon.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.
Other features: Up to l5 percent durinodes are common in some subhorizons.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Calneva, Effington, Kleinbush, Meeteetse, Ultra, and Uvada series.

Calneva soils have silty clay or silty clay loam, Btn horizons and contain less than 15 percent sand. Effington soils have weak structure in the Btn horizon, lack a Btnk horizon and have a Bz horizon. Kleinbush soils are 50 to 100 cm deep to the base of the natric horizon and have 15 to 35 percent exchangeable sodium. Meeteetse soils have an accumulation of gypsum in the lower B and C horizons and have a mean annual soil temperature of 8 to 11 degrees C. Ultra soils have fine textured substrata with accumulations of gypsum. Uvada soils have silty clay loam or silty clay Btn horizon with silt loam to clay loam C horizon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Buckaroo soils are on fan piedmont remnants. These soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed volcanic rocks. Slopes are 2 to 15 percent. Elevations are 1,005 to 1,615 meters. The climate is cool, semiarid with hot, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 100 to 175 mm, mean annual temperature is 9 to 12 degrees C, and the frost-free season is 120 to 140 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bluewing, Genegraf and Rednik soils. Bluewing and Rednik soils have more than 35 percent rock fragments throughout their particle-size control sections. Genegraf soils have 25 to 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly Bailey greasewood, shadscale, bud sagebrush, Indian ricegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail and galleta.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Nevada, Lahontan Basin. MLRA 27. The soils are not extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mineral County Area, Nevada, 1985.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are.
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 10 cm. (A and V horizons).
Natric horizon - The zone from 10 to 41 cm (Btn and Btnk horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 41 cm (Btn and Btnk horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: NASIS Pedon and Site ID 07NV770Y017jbf.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.