LOCATION BUFFARAN NV+CA OR

Established Series
Rev. EWB-WED-JVC-JBF
02/2016

BUFFARAN SERIES

The Buffaran series consists of shallow to a duripan, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks. Buffaran soils are on fan remnants and ballenas. Slopes are 0 to 30 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 250 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey, smectitic, mesic, shallow Xeric Argidurids

TYPICAL PEDON: Buffaran gravelly loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered by approximately 50 percent gravel, 3 percent cobbles, 2 percent stones.

A--0 to 5 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; 25 percent gravel, 2 percent stones, and 3 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.3); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 18 cm thick)

Bt1--5 to 15 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and few fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; few faint clay films bridging sand grains; 15 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.3); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 15 cm thick)

Bt2--15 to 25 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and bridging sand grains; 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.3) clear wavy boundary. (8 to 20 cm thick)

Bt3--25 to 36 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate very fine and fine angular blocky; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; many prominent clay films on faces of peds; 15 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.3); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 18 cm thick)

Btq--36 to 41 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; few faint clay films on surfaces along pores; 25 percent 1 to 4 centimeter detached pieces of strongly cemented duripan; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 5 cm thick)

Bqkm1--41 to 60 cm; cemented material; massive; extremely hard, extremely firm; alternate strong cementation and indurated silica laminae; 60 percent gravel. (10 to 58 cm thick)

Bqkm2--60 to 152 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) cemented material; many thin strongly cemented laminae with weakly cemented material between the laminae; 30 percent gravel and 30 percent cobbles; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).

TYPE LOCATION: Washoe County, Nevada; about 1 mile southeast of Smoke Creek Ranch; approximately 500 feet south and 500 feet east of the northwest corner of section 5, T. 31 N., R. 18 E.; USGS Smoke Creek Ranch 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 35 minutes 01 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 58 minutes 11 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.5836111 latitude, -119.9697222 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in the moisture control section in winter and spring, dry early June through October; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C.
Depth to base of argillic horizon: 36 to 50 cm.
Depth to duripan: 36 to 50 cm.
Duripan thickness: 100 to 114 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 35 to 50 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 5 to 20 percent, mainly gravel.

A horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist; the upper 18 cm of soil mixed has a dry value of 6.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Reaction: Neutral through moderately alkaline.

Bt horizons
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 6, dry or moist.
Texture: Gravelly clay loam, gravelly clay, clay, clay loam, or silty clay loam.
Rock fragments: 5 to 25 percent.
Structure: Prismatic, subangular blocky, or angular blocky.
Consistence: Slightly hard or hard dry, very friable or friable moist, slightly plastic or moderately plastic wet.
Reaction: Neutral through moderately alkaline.

Btq horizon (when present)
Texture: Gravelly clay loam or gravelly loam.
Clay content: 25 to 40 percent.
Rock fragments: 20 to 40 percent strongly cemented detached pieces of the underlying duripan.
Consistence: Slightly hard or hard dry, very friable to firm moist, slightly sticky or moderately sticky and slightly plastic or moderately plastic, wet.
Reaction: Neutral through moderately alkaline
Effervescence: Noneffervescent through strongly effervescent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 5 percent.

Bqkm horizons
Cementation: The Bqkm1 horizon has a strongly cemented or very strongly cemented matrix and very strongly cemented or indurated laminae.
The Bqkm2 horizon has a weakly cemented or moderately cemented matrix and strongly cemented laminae.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Indian Creek, Lud, Midraw, and Norfork series.

Indian Creek soils have duripans less than 100 cm thick. Lud, Midraw and Norfork soils have lithic contacts within 100 cm of the soil surface.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Buffaran soils are on fan remnants and ballenas. They formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks. Slopes are 0 to 30 percent. Elevations range from 1,250 to 2,200 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 300 mm, the mean annual temperature is 7 to 10 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 80 to 110 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bombadil and Corral soils. Bombadil soils are loamy, very shallow and shallow to lithic contacts, and do not have duripans. Corral soils are loamy, shallow to paralithic contacts, and do not have duripans.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; very high surface runoff; moderately low saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Buffaran soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, bottlebrush squirreltail, and Thurber needlegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western and northern Nevada, southern Oregon, and northeastern California. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRAs 23, 24, 25, 27, and 28B.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lander County (South Part), Nevada, 1985.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 5 cm (A horizon).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 5 to 41 cm (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3, and Btq horizons).
Duripan - The zone from 41 to 152 cm (Bqkm1 and Bqkm2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 5 to 41 cm (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3, and Btq horizons).

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.