LOCATION CALPEAK                 NV

Established Series
Rev: EWB/WED/JBF
05/2016

CALPEAK SERIES

The Calpeak series consists of very shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from welded tuff. Calpeak soils are on hills and mountains. Slopes are 8 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 200 to 300 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 12 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic, shallow Xeric Torriorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Calpeak very gravelly sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. The surface is covered with 30 percent gravel.

A1--0 to 5 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak thin platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 45 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)

A2--5 to 13 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine through coarse roots; common very fine and fine interstitial and few very fine tubular pores; 40 percent gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 18 cm thick)

Cr--13 cm; highly weathered tuff; roots and calcium carbonate in fractures.

TYPE LOCATION: Mineral County, Nevada; in the Gabbs Valley Range, approximately 200 feet south and 2,000 feet west of the northeast corner of section 25, T. 10 N., R. 33 E.; latitude 38 degrees 42 minutes 18 seconds N and longitude 118 degrees 15 minutes 2 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.7050000 latitude, -118.2505556 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Moist in winter and spring dry in summer and fall except for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October due to convection storms; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 12 to 14 degrees C.
Depth to weathered bedrock: 10 to 25 cm.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent through violently effervescent throughout with some lime in fractures of bedrock.
Calcuim carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent.

Particle=size control section - Clay content: 10 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 55 percent, predominantly 2 to 5 mm gravel.

A horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry or moist.
Structure: Weak or moderate subangular blocky or platy.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Kaffur, Kzin, and Weepah series.
Kaffer and Kzin soils are intermittently not moist for 10 to 20 days from July to October from summer convective storms. Weepah soils have calcium carbonate equivalents of 15 to 35 percent and are dominated by gravel that are over 5 mm in diameter.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Calpeak soils are on eroded hills and mountains. They formed in residuum and colluvium derived from welded tuffs. Slopes are 8 to 50 percent. Elevations are 1,460 to 2,080 meters. The climate is cool, semi-arid with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 300 mm, mean annual termperature are 10 to 12 degrees C, and the frost-free season is 100 to 130 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Gabbvally and Tejabe soils. Gabbvally soils have an argillic horizon above hard bedrock. Tejabe soils have hard bedrock at 10 to 25 cm.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The principal vegetation is Wyoming big sagebrush, Indian ricegrass, galleta and Nevada ephedra.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West Central Nevada. These 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 13 cm (A1 and A2 hoeizons).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 13 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from the soil surface to 13 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.