LOCATION CAMEEK NV

Established Series
Rev. JVC/JBF
12/2014

CAMEEK SERIES

The Cameek series consists of shallow to a duripan, moderately well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks with eolian additions of loess and volcanic ash. Cameek soils are on fan remnants. Slopes are 2 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 280 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 7 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey, smectitic, frigid, shallow Argiduridic Durixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Cameek silt loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with 30 percent gravel.

A--0 to 5 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate thick platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine and fine vesicular pores; 5 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 18 cm thick)

Bty--5 to 20 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate thin platy structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine, fine and common medium roots; common fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds, lining pores, and bridging mineral grains; common fine gypsum masses; 5 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 15 cm thick)

Btqy1--20 to 38 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; strong medium and coarse prismatic structure; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common fine and medium roots; few fine tubular pores; few very fine and fine masses of manganese accumulation on faces of peds; many pressure cutans and many prominent clay films lining pores and bridging mineral grains; secondary gypsum segregated as common fine and few medium filaments and masses; many medium silica coats on bottoms of gravel; 10 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 18 cm thick)

Btqy2--38 to 48 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly clay, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium subangular blocky; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common fine roots; few fine tubular pores; few medium faint brown (10YR 5/3) masses of iron accumulation, common medium organic stains, and few very fine and fine masses of manganese accumulation on faces of peds; 20 percent discontinuous weak silica cementation; many medium silica coats on bottoms of gravel; many pressure cutans and many prominent clay films lining pores and bridging mineral grains; secondary gypsum segregated as common fine and medium filaments and masses; 30 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 15 cm thick)

Bqm1--48 to 61 cm; duripan; strong thick platy structure; strongly cemented by secondary silica and has a 0.5 to 1.0 millimeter thick discontinuous laminar cap; common very fine and fine masses of manganese accumulation on horizontal plate surfaces; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 13 cm thick)

Bqm2--61 to 107 cm; duripan; massive; indurated by secondary silica and has a 2 to 7 mm thick continuous laminar cap; abrupt wavy boundary. (18 to 46 cm thick)

2Cy--107 to 150 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely cobbly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine interstitial pores; secondary gypsum segregated as many very fine and few fine filaments and masses; 50 percent gravel and 35 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8)

TYPE LOCATION: Elko County, Nevada; about 25 miles north of the Cottonwood Ranch in O'Neil Basin; about 2,000 feet north and 2,500 feet east of the southwest corner of section 30, T. 45 N., R. 61 E.; USGS Buckhorn Ridge 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 44 degrees 45 minutes 40 seconds north latitude and 115 degrees 07 minutes 09 seconds west longitude, NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Moist in the winter and spring, dry late June through October; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 6 to 8 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 18 to 30 cm, includes the Bty horizon.
Depth to duripan: 36 to 50 cm.
Salinity (EC): 0 to 2 mmhos/cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 35 to 55 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 10 to 35 percent. Lithology of fragments are mixed.

A horizon
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Structure: Moderate or strong, medium or thick platy structure. It is subangular blocky in the lower part of some pedons.
Organic matter content: 2 to 4 percent.

Bty horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 through 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Clay loam or gravelly clay.
Clay content: 30 to 45 percent.
Rock fragments: 5 to 25 percent.
Structure: Platy or subangular blocky.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.
Secondary gypsum: Masses and/or filaments are present in most pedons.
Gypsum content: 1 to 5 percent.

Btqy horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Clay, gravelly clay, or gravelly sandy clay.
Clay content: 40 to 60 percent.
Rock fragments: 10 to 35 percent.
Structure: Prismatic, angular blocky, or subangular blocky.
Secondary silica: Undersides of gravel are coated with silica; the lower subhorizons have up to 30 percent discontinuous weak silica cementation.
Redoximorphic features: Redox concentrations of iron are present in some pedons as few faint masses of iron or manganese accumulation.
Secondary gypsum: Masses and filaments are present in most pedons.
Gypsum content: 1 to 5 percent.

Bqm horizons
Cementation class: Indurated throughout except some pedons have thin upper subhorizons which are strongly cemented.
Laminar cap thickness: 0.5 to 7.0 mm.

2Cy horizon (when present)
Rock fragments: 35 to 50 percent gravel, 25 to 35 percent cobbles.
Secondary gypsum: Masses and filaments are present in most pedons.
Gypsum content: 1 to 10 percent.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Wagontire series. Wagontire soils do not have secondary gypsum or redoximorphic features in the argillic horizon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cameek soils are on fan remnants. They typically occur on summit and backslope positions. These soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks with eolian additions of loess and volcanic ash. Slopes are 2 to 15 percent. Elevations range from 1,525 to 2,135 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 250 to 300 mm, mean annual temperature is 5 to 7 degrees C., and the frost-free period is 80 to 100 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bilbo, Donna, and Kleckner soils. Bilbo and Kleckner soils are clayey-skeletal, very deep, and do not have duripans. Donna soils are very fine, moderately deep to indurated duripans, and have an abrupt increase in clay in the upper part of the argillic horizon.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Cameek soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly basin big sagebrush, Douglas rabbitbrush, bottlebrush squirreltail, Sandberg's bluegrass, phlox, and lupine.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Nevada. These soils are not extensive with about 3,000 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRA 25.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Elko County (Central Part), Nevada, 1986.

REMARKS: This revision of March 2001 updates the taxonomic class from Clayey, smectitic, frigid, shallow Aridic Durixerolls and corrects the geographic coordinates of the type location.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 20 cm (A and Bty horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 5 to 48 cm (Bty, Btqy1, and Btqy2 horizons).
Duripan - The zone from 48 to 107 cm (Bqm1 and Bqm2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 5 to 48 cm (Bty, Btqy1, and Btqy2 horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: Previous authors and editors include: MDD-TSB-RLB.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.