LOCATION CANDELARIA              NV

Established Series
Rev. EWB/WED/JBF
11/2016

CANDELARIA SERIES

The Candelaria series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks. Candelaria soils are on ballenas and fan piedmonts. Slopes are 0 to 30 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 150 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 12 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed, mesic Durinodic Haplocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Candelaria extremely gravelly fine sandy loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with 1 percent stones, 10 percent cobbles and 65 percent gravel.

A1--0 to 3 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) extremely gravelly fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; strong thick platy structure parting to strong medium platy; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many fine and medium vesicular pores; 50 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 18 cm thick)

A2--3 to 10 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) gravelly fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; strong thick platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many fine and medium vesicular pores; 15 percent gravel, carbonate pendants on rock fragments; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.7); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 10 cm thick)

Bk--10 to 25 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) gravelly sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; strong thin and medium platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine through medium roots; few very fine tubular and common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 30 percent gravel; carbonate pendants on rock fragments, 15 percent weak silica-carbonate cemented plates; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.7); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 23 cm thick)

2Bqk--25 to 41 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) extremely gravelly sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; moderately hard, brittle and firm; nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine through medium roots; common very fine through medium interstitial and few very fine tubular pores; 55 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; 35 percent strong to weak discontinuous silica and carbonate cemented plates; few gypsum coatings on undersides of rock fragment; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.7); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 50 cm thick)

3Ck--41 to 97 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) extremely gravelly loamy sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; single grain; loose; nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; many very fine through medium interstitial pores; 65 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; common carbonate pendants on rock fragments; few gypsum coats on undersides of rock fragment; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.7); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 56 cm thick)

3C1--97 to 137 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) extremely gravelly sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; single grain; loose; nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine through medium interstitial pores; 65 percent gravel; few thin carbonate pendants on rock fragments; few gypsum coats on undersides of rock fragment; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.7); clear wavy boundary. (25 to 90 cm thick)

3C2--137 to 152 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very gravelly loamy sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; single grain; loose; nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine through medium interstitial pores; 50 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.7).

TYPE LOCATION: Mineral County, Nevada; approximately 2,500 feet west and 1,300 feet north of the southeast corner of section 12, T. 4 N., R. 35 E.; USGS Candelaria 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 12 minutes 49 seconds north and longitude 118 degrees 1 minute 56 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.2134444 latitude, -118.0322222 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in some part for short periods during winter and spring, and for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October due to convection storms, typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 12 to 15 degrees C.
Depth to calcic horizon: 3 to 18 cm.
Reaction: Strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 4 to 10 percent.
Rock fragments: Average 50 to 70 percent, predominantly gravel with some strata having 40 to 80 percent in some pedons.

A horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Effervescence: Noneffervescent through strongly effervescent.

Bk horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Texture (less than 2mm fraction): Sandy loam or fine sandy loam
Structure: Platy through prismatic, parting to subangular blocky in some pedons.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.
Rock fragment: 15 to 35 percent.
Consistence: Soft or slightly hard dry, nonsticky to slightly sticky wet.

2Bqk horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Clay content 8 to 15 percent.
Texture (less than 2 mm fraction): Loamy sand, sandy loam, fine sandy loam.
Rock fragments: 45 to 65 percent, predominantly gravel.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 10 to 25 percent.
Consistence: Nonsticky to slightly sticky, nonplastic to slightly plastic
Other features: 20 to 60 percent strong to weak silica-carbonate cemented plates.

3Ck horizon (when present)
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Texture (less than 2mm fraction): Sand, loamy sand or loamy coarse sand.
Rock fragments: Averages 50 to 75 percent with some strata having 40 to 80 percent in some pedons; predominantly gravel.
Structure: Massive or single grained.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.
Other features: Some pedons have few thin carbonate and silica cemented plates and nodules in this horizon.

3C horizon (when present)
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Texture (less than 2mm fraction): Sand, loamy sand or loamy coarse sand.
Rock fragments: Averages 50 to 70 percent.
Structure: Massive or single grain.
Calcium carbonate effervescent: Less than 5 percent.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.
Consistence: Soft or loose dry, very friable or loose moist.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Zerk series. Zerk soils are not moist for 10 to 20 days in the summer and have soil temperatures of less than 11 degrees C.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Candelaria soils are on fan piedmonts, fan remnants and ballenas. These soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks. Slopes are 0 to 30 percent. The climate is cool, arid with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. Elevations are 1,340 to 2,147 meters. The mean annual precipitation is 100 to 200 mm, mean annual temperature is 11 to 15 degrees C, and the frost-free season is 120 to 160 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Izo, Gynelle and Wardenot soils. These soils all lack a calcic horizon.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly shadscale, spiny menodora, kochia, Cooper wolfberry, bud sagebrush and galleta.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West-central Nevada. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 27, 28B and 29.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Esmeralda County, Nevada, 1984.

REMARKS: As a result of the recent addition of the Duric Calciorthids subgroup, the classification of this soil is being changed from Typic to Duric in 1991.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the surface to 18 cm. A1, A2 and part of Bk horizons).
Calcic horizon - The zone from 10 to 97 cm (Bk, 2Bqk and 3Ck horizons).
Duric feature - The zone from 25 to 41 cm (2Bqk horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (2Bqk, 3Ck and part of the 3C1 horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: NASIS User Site ID 2007NV021031.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.