LOCATION CHIEFRANGE NV
Established Series
Rev. DHZ/TM/JBF
06/2016
CHIEFRANGE SERIES
The Chiefrange series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in colluvium and residuum derived from quartzite. Chiefrange soils are on mountains. Slope ranges from 15 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 225 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 8 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Xeric Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Chiefrange extremely cobbly loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with 20 percent gravel, 40 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones.
A--0 to 10 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely cobbly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, common fine, and few medium roots; many very fine and fine vesicular pores; 30 percent gravel and 40 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (7 to 13 cm thick)
Bt--10 to 34 cm; brown (7.5YR 4/4) very cobbly clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine and few medium tubular pores; few faint clay films on surfaces along pores and between sand grains; very few distinct sand coats on bottom surfaces of rock fragments and faces of peds; 20 percent gravel and 25 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.3); clear smooth boundary. (20 to 35 cm thick)
2Btk--34 to 57 cm; strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) very gravelly clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; moderately hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and common fine roots; common very fine and fine and few medium tubular pores; few faint clay films on surfaces along pores and between sand grains; few fine secondary calcium carbonate masses on bottom surfaces of rock fragments, 1 to 2 percent (by volume); 35 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5). (20 to 55 cm thick)
2R--57 cm; indurated quartzite.
TYPE LOCATION: Lincoln County, Nevada; located about 300 meters north and 300 meters east of the southwest corner of section 30, T.3S., R.67, E; USGS Chief Mountain 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 37 degrees 39 minutes 9 seconds N and longitude 114 degrees 31 minutes 56 seconds W; UTM zone 11, 0717778e, 4170212n; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 37.6525000 latitude, -114.5322222 longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in winter and spring, dry in summer and fall except intermittently moist for 10 to 20 days between July and September due to convection storms; aridic soil moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C.
Ochric epipedon: 7 to 13 cm thick.
Depth to argillic horizon: 7 to 13 cm.
Depth to the base of argillic horizon and to lithic contact: 50 to 100 cm.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: 27 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent. Lithology of the fragments is quartzite.
A horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Bt horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4 moist.
Texture: Clay loam or sandy clay loam.
Clay content: 27 to 35 percent.
Dry consistence: Slightly hard through hard.
Moist consistence: Friable or firm.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent with 20 to 35 percent gravel and 10 to 30 percent cobbles.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.
Btk horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 4 through 6, dry or moist.
Texture: Clay loam or sandy clay loam.
Clay content: 27 to 35 percent.
Structure: Medium or coarse subangular blocky.
Dry consistence: Slightly hard through hard.
Moist consistence: Friable or firm.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent mainly gravel with 0 to 15 percent cobbles.
Effervescence: Noneffervescent or very slightly effervescent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 3 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Bairs,
Basket,
Breko,
Cowgil,
Drino,
Hefed,
Huilepass,
Hunewill,
Jungo,
Kayo,
Lithgow,
Plush,
Schader,
Stucky, and
Washoe series.
Bairs,
Basket,
Breko,
Cowgil,
Hefed,
Huilepass,
Hunewill,
Jungo,
Kayo,
Plush,
Stucky, and
Washoe soils are very deep.
Drino soils average 15 to 27 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
Lithgow soils do not have secondary calcium carbonate in the profile.
Schader soils have a mean annual soil temperature range of 13 to 15 degrees C and 60 to 75 percent gravel in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Chiefrange soils are on mountains. They typically are on backslope positions. These soils formed in colluvium and residuum derived from quartzite. Slope ranges from 15 to 75 percent. Elevations range from 1,500 to 2,000 meters. The climate is cool, semiarid with a mean annual temperature of 7 to 11 degrees C. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm. The frost-free period is 100 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Checkett soils. Checkett soils are shallow to a lithic contact.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; very high surface runoff; moderately low saturated hydraulic conductivity;.
USE AND VEGETATION: Chiefrange soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Potential native vegetation is Wyoming big sagebrush, galleta, blue grama, snakeweed, bottlebrush squirreltail, and Utah juniper. This pedon has been correlated to ecological site number R029XY167NV, Gravelly Loam 8-10 P.Z.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 29.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lincoln County, (Meadow Valley Area) Nevada, 2010. The name is from a local mountain range.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 10 cm (A horizon).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 10 to 57 cm (Bt and Btk horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 57 cm (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 57 cm (Bt and Btk horizons).
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.