LOCATION CHARNOCK NV

Established Series
Rev. DMC-ELS-JVC-JBF
06/2016

CHARNOCK SERIES

The Charnock series consists of very deep, somewhat poorly drained soils that formed in alluvium and lacustrine deposits derived from mixed sources. Charnock soils are on lake terraces. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 125 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Duric Halaquepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Charnock fine sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 13 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; strong very thick platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and medium roots; many very fine vesicular pores; violently effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 23 cm thick)

A2--13 to 28 cm; light gray (10YR 7/1) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; strong thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine, few medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6) clear smooth boundary. (10 to 23 cm thick)

C--28 to 48 cm; light gray (10YR 7/1) loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and medium roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (15 to 50 cm thick)

Cqk--48 to 69 cm; light gray (10YR 7/1) loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; strong thin and medium platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 50 percent of horizon is discontinuous weakly cemented plates (1 to 10 mm thick) that are hard and firm when moist; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 64 cm thick)

Ck--69 to 152 cm; light gray (10YR 7/1) loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; many fine faint brown (10YR 4/3) moist masses of iron accumulation; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8).

TYPE LOCATION: Nye County, Nevada; in Big Smoky Valley about 3.5 miles northeast of Carvers; about 2,100 feet north and 500 feet west of the southeast corner of section 9, T. 11 N., R. 43 E.; USGS Carvers 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 49 minutes 33 seconds N and longitude 117 degrees 08 minutes 47 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.8258333 latitude, -117.1463889 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in the moisture control section in winter and spring, dry in summer and fall; usually moist below a depth of 50 cm; typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 10 to 13 degrees C.
Depth to durinodes: 25 to 80 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 18 to 27 percent.

A horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 through 8 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Reaction: Strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline (up to pH 11.0)
Electrical conductivity (EC): 4 to 32 mmhos/cm.
Sodium absorption ratio (SAR): 13 to 90.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 25 percent.

C horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 5 through 7 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 4, dry or moist.
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent.
Reaction: Strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline (up to pH 11.0)
Electrical conductivity (EC): 4 to 32 mmhos/cm.
Sodium absorption ratio (SAR): 13 to 90.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 25 percent.

Cqk horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Texture: Stratified sandy loam to clay loam.
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent.
Durinodes: 25 to 50 percent weakly cemented platy nodules that are firm or very firm when moist. Some pedons have rounded nodules about 1 cm in diameter.
Electrical conductivity (EC): 4 to 32 mmhos/cm.
Sodium absorption ratio (SAR): 13 to 90.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 25 percent.

Ck horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Texture: Stratified sandy loam to clay loam.
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent.
Electrical conductivity (EC): 0 to 4 mmhos/cm.
Sodium absorption ratio (SAR): 0 to 12.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Reese series. Reese soils have a horizon that has a matrix with firm consistence when moist and a brittle manner of failure.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Charnock soils are lake terraces and flood plains. These soils formed from a wide variety of rocks including tuff, granite, and shale. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. Elevations range from 1,650 to 1,770 meters. The climate is arid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 100 to 150 mm, mean annual temperature is 9 to 12 degrees C., and the frost-free period is 105 to 125 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Lahontan, Orizaba, and Settlemeyer soils. Lahontan soils have a fine particle-size control section. Orizaba soils lack durinodes. Settlemeyer soils have mollic epipedons.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat poorly drained; medium surface runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity. Endosaturation is present with an apparent seasonal high water table between 90 and 150 cm (moderately deep or deep free water occurrence classes) between March and June. Cumulative annual duration class is Common. These soils are susceptible to rare flooding for very brief periods year-round.

USE AND VEGETATION: Charnock soils are used for livestock grazing. The vegetation is mainly black greasewood, big rabbitbrush, inland saltgrass, alkali sacaton, and basin wildrye.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Nevada. These soils are not extensive with about 4,000 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRA 28B, 29.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Nye County (Big Smoky Valley Area), Nevada, 1972.

REMARKS: The revision of July 2003 updated the taxonomic class from Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Aeric Halaquepts.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A1 and part of the A2 horizons).
Duric feature - The zone from 48 to 69 cm (Cqk horizon).
Endosaturation feature - The condition of ground water with an upper boundary between 90 and 150 cm at certain times during normal years (part of the Ck horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (C and Cqk horizons and parts of the A2 and Ck horizons).

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.