LOCATION CLANALPINE              NV

Established Series
Rev. JBF/WED/JVC
12/2022

CLANALPINE SERIES

The Clanalpine series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from volcanic rocks. Clanalpine soils are on mountains. Slopes are 15 to 75 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 350 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 6 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Argixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Clanalpine very gravelly loam--forestland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered by 2.5 cm of undecomposed pine needles and plant litter.

A1--0 to 8 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores; 25 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, and 3 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 13 cm thick)

A2--8 to 25 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine, and medium roots; common very fine, fine, and medium tubular pores; 25 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, and 3 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 25 cm thick)

Bt1--25 to 36 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very cobbly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, fine, and medium roots; common very fine, fine and medium tubular pores; common faint clay films lining pores, on faces of peds, and coating rock fragments; 20 percent gravel and 20 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.3); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 20 cm thick)

Bt2--36 to 51 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very cobbly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, fine, and medium roots; few fine tubular pores; common faint clay films lining pores, on faces of peds, and coating rock fragments; 20 percent gravel and 30 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.3); clear smooth boundary. (14 to 46 cm thick)

Bt3--51 to 99 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very cobbly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few medium roots; few fine tubular pores; common faint clay films lining pores, on faces of peds, and coating rock fragments; 20 percent gravel and 20 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.3); clear irregular boundary. (0 to 60 cm thick)

Crt--99 cm; weathered and highly fractured rhyolitic tuff with illuvial clay coating fractures and roots in pockets.

TYPE LOCATION: Churchill County, Nevada; about 11.5 miles northeast of Eastgate in the Desatoya Mountains; 1,750 feet east and 200 feet south of the projected northwest corner of section 17, T. 18 N., R. 38 E; USGS Basque Summit 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 25 minutes 55 seconds N and longitude 117 degrees 43 minutes 48 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.4320556 latitude, -117.733889 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Seasonally moist; moist from late fall through early summer, dry mid-summer through mid-fall; xeric soil moisture regime bordering on aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 6 to 7 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 20 to 36 cm, includes the Bt1 horizon in some pedons.
Depth to argillic horizon: 13 to 38 cm.
Depth to bedrock: 50 to 100 cm to a paralithic contact. The paralithic materials below the contact are weathered volcanic rock such as tuff.
Other features: Some pedons have BC horizons overlying the paralithic contact.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 25 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent, mainly gravel and cobbles.

A horizons
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.

Bt horizons
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist; 5 dry and 3 moist in the upper part of some pedons.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Texture: Very cobbly clay loam, very cobbly loam, or very gravelly clay loam.
Structure: Subangular blocky or angular blocky.
Consistence: Soft to slightly hard or hard, dry; very friable to friable, moist; slightly sticky to moderately sticky and slightly plastic to moderately plastic, wet.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Devaul, Elaero, Glideski, Heechee, Heenlake, Holmes, Horrocks, Hoskin, Howcan, Longday, Pequop, Moreypeak, Suak, Valmar, Vitale, and Wambolt series.

Devaul, Glideski, Heechee, Holmes, Horrocks, Howcan, Longday, Pequop, and Wambolt soils lack bedrock within 100 cm. Elaero soils have 12 to 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Heenlake soils have a mollic Bt2. Hoskin soils have hue of 7.5YR or redder in the Bt horizon. Moreypeak soils have 18 to 25 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Suak, Valmar, and Vitale soils have a lithic contact within 100 cm.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Clanalpine soils are on mountains. They occur on backslope positions with mainly north aspects. They formed in residuum and colluvium derived from volcanic rocks. Slopes are 15 to 75 percent. Elevations range from 1,980 to 2,740 meters. The climate is semiarid with cold, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 300 to 400 mm, the mean annual temperature is 5 to 6 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 70 to 90 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Duco, Itca, and Jung soils. Duco, Itca and Jung soils have hard bedrock within 50 cm.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; high or very high surface runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Clanalpine soils are used for forestland and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is mainly singleleaf pinyon, with an understory of Idaho fescue and mountain big sagebrush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central and Western Nevada. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRAs 27 and 28B.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lander County (South Part), Nevada, 1985.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 25 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 25 to 99 cm (Bt1, Bt2, and Bt3 horizons).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 99 cm to underlying soft, weathered bedrock (Crt layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 75 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons and the upper part of the Bt3 horizon).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.