LOCATION BLIMO                   NV

Established Series
Rev. ARW/PWB/JVC/JBF
11/2016

BLIMO SERIES

The Blimo series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks. Blimo soils are on inset fans, fan skirts, beach plains, barrier beaches, and alluvial flats. Slopes are 0 to 8 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 230 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 8 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Duric Torriorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Blimo gravelly loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted). The soil surface is partially covered with approximately 20 percent gravel.

A--0 to 8 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate to strong medium platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, many fine, and common medium roots; common fine vesicular and tubular pores; 15 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 18 cm thick)

Bk--8 to 20 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, many fine, and common medium roots; common fine tubular pores; 15 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 15 cm thick)

Bqk1--20 to 53 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, common fine, and few medium roots; common fine tubular pores; 15 percent gravel; 50 percent weak discontinuous zones of silica cementation; 20 to 30 percent durinodes; secondary calcium carbonate segregated in few fine filaments and soft masses; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 38 cm thick)

Bqk2--53 to 91 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard, firm and brittle, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and very fine and few medium roots; common fine tubular pores; 25 percent gravel; continuous brittle matrix due to secondary silica; secondary calcium carbonate segregated as few fine soft masses; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (23 to 50 cm thick)

Bqk3--91 to 152 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; very hard, firm and brittle, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; common fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; continuous brittle matrix due to secondary silica; secondary calcium carbonate segregated in common fine and medium, soft masses and filaments; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6)

TYPE LOCATION: White Pine County, Nevada; in Butte Valley about 6 miles southeast of Hunter Flat; 2,000 feet west and 175 feet south of the projected northeast corner of section 30, T. 20 N., R. 62 E.; USGS Combs Creek 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 34 minutes 47 seconds N and longitude 115 degrees 2 minutes 14 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.5797222 latitude, -115.0372222 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist late fall through early spring, dry mid spring through mid-fall; aridic soil moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C.
Depth to horizons with durinodes and a continuous brittle matrix: 25 to 64 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 12 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent. Lithology of fragments are rocks of mixed origin.

A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 5 throuh 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.

Bk horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Structure: Weak coarse subangular blocky or massive.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 30 percent.

Bqk horizons
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 5 or 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Gravelly sandy loam or sandy loam.
Structure: Subangular blocky or massive.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Secondary silica: Silica accumulation may form discontinuously brittle sub-horizons not continuously brittle due to silica accumulation, contain an accumulation of durinodes that range from 20 to 60 percent durinodes in the horizon, or are 20 to 50 percent discontinuous weakly silica-cemented.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: Averages 5 to 15 percent, with some pedons containing sub-horizons that can range up to 30 percent.
Secondary calcium carbonate: Averages 2 to 5 percent filaments and soft masses, with some pedons containing sub-horizons that range up to 20 percent.
Other features: Some pedons have texture of stratified extremely gravelly loamy coarse sand to gravelly coarse sandy loam between 100 and 150 cm.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Beryl, Bubus, Coldent, Linco, Nyak, Okan, and Valmy series.

Beryl soils do not have horizons with durinodes, are salt-affected, and average less than 15 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section. Bubus and Nyak soils do not have horizons with a brittle matrix and average less than 15 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section. Coldent soils average 4 to 10 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Linco soils have stratified particle-size control sections and do not have horizons with durinodes. Okan soils do not have horizons with a brittle matrix, have 0 to 20 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section, and are underlain by stratified extremely gravelly loamy sand or loamy sand. Valmy soils have a typic aridic moisture regime.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Blimo soils are on inset fans, fan skirts, beach plains, barrier beaches, and alluvial flats. These soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks. Slopes are 0 to 8 percent. Elevations range from 1,770 to 2,080 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm, mean annual temperature is 7 to 9 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 100 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Arbidge, Pyrat, and Zerk soils. Arbidge soils have duripans and argillic horizons. Pyrat soils are loamy-skeletal and have calcic horizons. Zerk soils are sandy-skeletal and have calcic horizons.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; medium or high surface runoff; high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Blimo soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, Indian ricegrass, winterfat, cheatgrass, and bottlebrush squirreltail.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Nevada. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 28B.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Pine County (Western Part), Nevada, 1990.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A and part of Bk horizons).
Durinodes and duric feature - The zone from 20 to 152 cm (Bqk1, Bqk2 horizons and Bqk3 horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (Bqk2 horizon and parts of the Bqk1 and Bqk3 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.