LOCATION CHUG                    NV

Established Series
Rev. PWB/BKP/JBF
01/2019

CHUG SERIES

The Chug series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from volcanic rocks influenced by vitric pyroclastic materials. Chug soils are on stream terraces. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 360 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 6 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Vitrandic Haploxerolls

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

A1--0 to 13 cm; dark gray (10YR 4/1) ashy loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure, and weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable, hard, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; neutral (pH 7.3); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 30 cm thick)

A2--13 to 36 cm; gray (10YR 5/1) ashy loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable, hard, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; neutral (pH 7.3); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 45 cm thick)

A3--36 to 81 cm; gray (10YR 5/1) ashy clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; firm, very hard, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and medium roots; common fine and medium tubular pores; 2 percent fine distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4), moist, iron-manganese masses; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (30 to 60 cm thick)

C1--81 to 97 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) ashy clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; friable, very hard, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine, fine and medium tubular pores; 10 percent fine distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4), moist, iron-manganese masses; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 18 cm thick)

Ab--97 to 112 cm; gray (10YR 5/1) ashy fine sandy loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; massive; very friable, slightly hard, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 20 cm thick)

C2--112 to 157 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2), ashy clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; friable, hard, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine, fine and medium tubular pores; slightly alkaline, pH 7.6.

TYPE LOCATION: Elko County, Nevada; 22 miles north of Wells; about 10 feet north and 700 feet west of the southeast corner of Section 32,Township 41N, Range 61E, latitude: 41 degrees 23 minutes 32.96 seconds north and longitude: 115 degrees 5 minutes 34.00 seconds west; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 41.392889 latitude, -115.092778 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Chug soils are moist in the winter and spring, dry summer and fall; typic xeric soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 5 to 8 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 66 to over 150 cm, organic matter decreases irregularly with depth.
Profile reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.
Other features: The parent material typically has a large amount of vitric pyroclastic material such as volcanic ash. Buried A horizons are common. Some pedons have gravelly strata or strata of ashy silty clay loam, ashy silt loam, clay, ashy loam, ashy very fine sandy loam, or ashy sandy loam.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 27 to 35 percent. Volcanic glass is estimated to range from 20 to 30 percent of the 0.2 to 2 mm fraction and (Al + Fe, % by ammonium oxalate) x 60) + % volcanic glass is greater than 30.

A horizons
Hue: 10YR through 5Y.
Value: 3 through 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 0 through 3 in the upper part and 0 through 2 in the lower part.
Relict redoximorphic features: Few to many, fine or medium, distinct or prominent zones of iron or manganese accumulation either lining pores or as masses within the matrix.
Volcanic glass: Volcanic glass is estimated to range from 20 to 30 percent of the 0.2 to 2 mm fraction

C horizons
Hue: 10YR through 5Y.
Value: 5 through 8 dry, 2 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 0 through 2.
Structure: Prismatic or is massive.
Texture: mainly ashy clay loam but includes ashy sandy loam to ashy silty clay loam.
Consistence: Slightly hard or hard dry, very friable or friable moist. Slightly sticky or moderately sticky and slightly plastic or moderately plastic.
Relict redoximorphic features: None too many, fine to coarse zones of iron or manganese accumulation either lining pores or as masses within the matrix.
Volcanic glass: Volcanic glass is estimated to range from 20 to 30 percent of the 0.2 to 2 mm fraction
Other features: Some pedons have horizons below 100 cm that are very gravelly loamy sand to extremely gravelly coarse sand.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Chug soils occur on stream terraces. Prior to historical incision by stream channel entrenchment these soils occurred on floodplains. They formed in alluvium derived from volcanic rocks and influenced by vitric pyroclastic materials (glassy volcanic ash). Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. Elevations range from 1,502 to 2,221 meters. The climate is cool-semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 300 to 400 mm, the mean annual temperature is 4 to 7 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 60 to 100 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Welch and Hapgood soils. Hapgood soils are well drained, loamy-skeletal, and have a cryic soil temperature regime. Welch soils are very poorly drained.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained. Very low or low surface runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity. These soils have flooding frequency ranging from non-flooded to rarely flooded. Prior to historical incision by stream channel entrenchment these soils were very poorly and poorly drained and were subject to occasional or frequent flooding.

USE AND VEGETATION: Chug soils are used for hay production, rangeland, and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly basin big sagebrush and basin wildrye.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Nevada. MLRA 25.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: MLRA 25 update, Elko County, Nevada. 2015

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 81 cm (A1, A2, and A3 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (part of the A2 horizon, A3, C1 and part of the Ab horizon).

ADDITIONAL DATA: These soils exhibit characteristics of historic soil saturation as evidenced by relict redoximorphic features. Incision by stream channel entrenchment has removed the zone of saturation from these soils as evidenced by depth to current stream that is commonly confined within sheer vertical walls. This historical drainage is not considered artificial (in other words upon removal of disturbances or practices that contributed to drainage, aquic conditions would not return) and does not allow for application of an aquic soil moisture regime to the taxonomic classification of this soil.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.