LOCATION CHUFFA NV

Established Series
Rev. BKP/JBF
02/2012

CHUFFA SERIES

The Chuffa series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from limestone and welded tuff over mixed lacustrine deposits. The Chuffa soils are on fan skirts, basin floors, and lake plains. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 230 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 8 degrees C.

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

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

A--0 to 8 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate thick platy structure parting to moderate very fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine vesicular pores; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)

Bw--8 to 33 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine through coarse roots; common fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 30 cm thick)

2C1--33 to 58 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silty clay loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; strong medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine through coarse roots; few fine and medium tubular pores; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (20 to 30 cm thick)

2C2---58 to 94 cm; light gray (5Y 7/2) silty clay loam, light olive gray (5Y 6/2) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to strong very fine angular blocky; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine and medium roots; common fine and medium tubular pores; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 40 cm thick)

2C3--94 to 127 cm; light gray (5Y 7/2) silty clay loam, light olive gray (5Y 6/2) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine angular blocky; soft, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; common fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 40 cm thick)

2C4--127 to 152 cm; light gray (5Y 7/2) silty clay loam, light olive gray (5Y 6/2) moist; massive; soft, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; common fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).

TYPE LOCATION: Lincoln County, Nevada, approximately 10 miles southeast of Geyser Ranch in Lake Valley; 1,900 feet north and 1,500 feet east of the southwest corner of section 22, T. 7 N., R. 6 E.; USGS Mustang Well 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 27 minutes 06 seconds N and longitude 114 degrees 33 minutes 41 seconds W; NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist for short periods in winter and spring, and intermittently moist for 10 to 20 days cumulative from July through September due to summer convection storms; aridic bordering xeric soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C.
Depth to lacustrine sediments: 25 to 40 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 18 to 30 percent.

A horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Salinity (EC): 1 to 4 millimhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 1 to 5.
Mineralogy: 12 to 20 percent volcanic glass in the 0.02 to 2 mm fraction and averages 0.01 to 0.05 percent Al plus 1/2Fe, extracted by ammonium oxalate.

Bw horizon
Value: 7 or 8 dry, 5 or 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Silt loam, loam or silty clay loam.
Salinity (EC): 1 to 8 millimhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): Less than 12.
Mineralogy: 12 to 20 percent volcanic glass in the 0.02 to 2 mm fraction and averages 0.01 to 0.05 percent Al plus 1/2Fe, extracted by ammonium oxalate.

2C horizons
Hue: 2.5Y or 5Y.
Value: 7 or 8 dry, 5 or 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Silt loam or silty clay loam.
Structure; Prismatic parting to angular blocky, subangular blocky, or massive.
Salinity (EC): 1 to 8 millimhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): Less than 12.
Other Features; Some pedons contain relict redoximorphic concentrations.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Fifteenmile McLoughlin, Ottmar, Schlomer and Tulch series.

Fifteenmile soils have Bqk horizons. McLoughlin soils are moist for 45 consecutive days following summer solstice and are moderately or strongly saline-alkali. Ottmar soils have a deep paralithic contact and Bk horizons at 56 to 90 cm. Schlomer soils have a paralithic contact at moderate depth and Bk horizons at 38 to 66 cm. Tulch soils are noncalcareous in the cambic horizon and have Bk horizon between 66 to 100 cm.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Chuffa soils are on fan skirts, basin floors, and lake plains. These soils formed in mixed alluvium over lacustrine deposits derived from mixed rocks. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. Elevations are 1,500 to 1,850 feet. The climate is semiarid with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm;,mean annual temperature is 7 to 10 degrees C, and the frost-free season is 100 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Teebone and the Yobe series. Teebone soils have calcic horizons and have fine textures. Yobe soils have SAR values greater than 13 and an aquic moisture regime.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Chuffa soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The potential native vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, black greasewood, and graymolly kochia. This pedon is correlated to Ecological Site R028AY008NV, Sodic Terrace 8-10 P.Z.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 28A.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona

SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Pine County, Nevada, East Part, 2004. The name is coined.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to a depth of 18 cm (A and part of the Bw horizons).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 8 to 33 cm (Bw horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (lower part of Bw, 2C1, 2C2, and upper part of 2C3 horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: Previous authors and editors include: BAL/TM/RLB.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.