LOCATION CHUCKLES                NV+CA

Established Series
Rev. CEJ/WED/JVC/JBF
06/2017

CHUCKLES SERIES

The Chuckles series consists of very deep, moderately well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks over lacustrine sediments. Chuckles soils are on lake plains, lake terraces, and lagoons. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 150 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 11 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Sodic Haplocambids

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

A--0 to 8 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate medium platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; very few roots; common medium and coarse vesicular pores and common fine and medium interstitial pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 13 cm thick)

An--8 to 15 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; strong medium granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common medium roots; many very fine to coarse interstitial pores; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 10 cm thick)

Bwn--15 to 38 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) on faces of peds and brown (10YR 4/3) crushed, moist; moderate fine prismatic structure parting to strong medium angular blocky; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and medium roots and common very fine and coarse roots; common medium tubular pores; many silt coats on faces of peds; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 48 cm thick)

Bkn1--38 to 69 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) on faces of peds and brown (10YR 4/3) crushed, moist; moderate coarse angular blocky structure; very hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and medium roots and common very fine and coarse roots; common medium tubular pores; lime segregated in common medium soft masses; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 30 cm thick)

Bkn2--69 to 86 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) and light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist, massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common medium tubular pores; few prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation which are relict redoximorphic features; lime segregated in many medium soft masses and in seams; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 28 cm thick)

2BCk--86 to 157 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silty clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; strong medium angular blocky structure in the upper part and massive-platy rock structure in the lower part; extremely hard, brittle, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; common medium tubular pores; common distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation which are relict redoximorphic features; lime segregated in many fine seams, strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).

TYPE LOCATION: Washoe County, Nevada; on the west side of Honey Lake Valley near the California-Nevada state line; 1,000 feet west and 1,900 feet south of the northeast corner of section 5, T. 26 N., R. 18 E.; USGS Flanigan 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 09 minutes 13 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 58 minutes 58 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.1536111 latitude, -119.9827778 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist for short periods in the winter and spring; typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 12 to 14 degrees C.
Depth to base of cambic horizon: 28 to 50 cm.
Depth to lacustrine sediments: 36 to 100 cm to compact materials.

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

A horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.

An horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Texture: Silt loam or loam
Structure: Granular or subangular blocky.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Salinity (EC): 16 to 32 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 13 to 30.

Bwn horizon
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Structure: Weak or moderate, fine or medium prismatic.
Consistence: Slightly hard or hard dry, friable or firm moist, slightly sticky or moderately sticky and slightly plastic or moderately plastic wet.
Reaction: Strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline.
Salinity (EC): 16 to 32 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 45 to 90.
Other features: Cutans (coatings) are commonly present as silt coats or clay films. Slightly higher clay content in this horizon than the underlying Bkn horizon is evidence of alteration and pedogenesis.

Bkn horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Structure: Medium or coarse, angular blocky, platy, or is massive.
Consistence: Friable or firm, slightly sticky or moderately sticky.
Texture: Silt loam or loam; some pedons have few thin strata or laminae of silty clay loam or very fine sandy loam in the lower part of this horizon.
Reaction: Strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: few to many, fine or medium bodies of lime segregated in masses and on faces of peds.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent.
Salinity (EC): 16 to 32 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 45 to 90.
Other features: Some pedons have redoximorphic features present in distinct or prominent relict redox concentrations as masses of iron or manganese accumulation.

2BCk horizons
Hue: 10YR through 5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Texture: Stratified very fine sandy loam to silty clay. May be dominantly silty clay below 40 inches in some pedons. This material is stratified and compact lacustrine sediments.
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent.
Structure: Weak angular blocky soil structure and massive-platy rock structure; Platy rock structure is inherited from lacustrine origin of sediments.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: few to many, fine bodies of lime segregated in seams.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent.
Gypsum content: 0 to 1 percent as secondary crystals.
Other features: Redoximorphic features are commonly present in distinct or prominent relict redox concentrations as masses of iron or manganese accumulation.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Gitakup series. Gitakup soils average 27 to 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section and have slow permeability.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Chuckles soils are on lake plains, lake terraces, and lagoons associated with Pleistocene Lake Lahontan. They formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks over lacustrine sediments. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. Elevations range from 1,098 to 1,310 meters. The climate is cool-arid with cool, moist winters and hot, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 100 to 200 mm, the mean annual temperature is 10 to 13 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 100 to 130 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Parran and Tresed soils. Parran soils are clayey and have salic horizons. Tresed soils are clayey over loamy and do not have diagnostic subsurface horizons.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Chuckles soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly black greasewood, shadscale, bud sagebrush, and seepweed.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada and adjacent areas in northeastern California. These soils are not extensive. MLRAs 27 and 23.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Washoe County, Nevada, Central Part, 1990.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A and An horizons and the part of the Bwn horizon).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 15 to 38 cm (Bwn horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (parts of the Bwn, Bkn1, Bkn2, and 2BCk horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: This series now encompasses the range in properties of the inactive Chumall series.
User Pedon ID: 2007NV031219.

---

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.