LOCATION CLURO                   NV

Established Series
Rev. GJS-JVC-JBF
02/2016

CLURO SERIES

The Cluro series consists of very deep, somewhat poorly drained soils that formed in loess over alluvium derived from mixed rocks. Cluro soils are on stream terraces. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 180 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Durinodic Xeric Haplocambids

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

A1--0 to 5 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine and fine, and few medium vesicular pores; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (3 or 5 cm thick)

A2--5 to 13 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine and very few medium roots; few very fine tubular pores; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick.)

Bw--13 to 30 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak medium and coarse prismatic structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, common fine and few medium roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 25 cm thick)

BC--30 to 43 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, and few fine and medium roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; common fine and medium distinct dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) masses of iron accumulation; noneffervescent matrix but effervescent in spots; neutral (pH 7.3); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 38 cm thick)

2Aqkb--43 to 61 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2), silty clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium prismatic structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine, and few fine roots; common very fine, and few fine tubular pores; few medium faint dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) and very dark brown (7.5YR 2.5/2) masses of iron and manganese accumulation; 30 percent durinodes; secondary carbonates segregated as few fine white (10YR 8/1) masses; slightly effervescent matrix with strongly effervescent carbonates masses; slightly alkaline. (pH 7.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 25 cm thick)

3C1qk--61 to 97 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and few fine tubular pores; few fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and common fine and medium faint dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) masses of iron accumulation; 70 percent durinodes; secondary carbonates segregated as few fine white (10YR 8/1) masses; noneffervescent matrix with strongly effervescent carbonates masses; slightly alkaline (pH 7.7); gradual smooth boundary. (25 to 50 cm thick)

3C2qk--97 to 152 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few fine and very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; few fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) and common medium and coarse faint very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) and very dark brown (10YR 2/2) masses of iron accumulation; 40 percent durinodes; secondary carbonates segregated as few fine distinct pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) masses; noneffervescent matrix with strongly effervescent carbonate masses; slightly alkaline (pH 7.7).

TYPE LOCATION: Eureka County, Nevada; in Boulder Valley approximately l,l00 feet west of the northeast corner of section 35, T. 34 N., R. 48 E.; USGS Sheep Creek Range SE 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 47 minutes 08 seconds N and longitude 116 degrees 31 minutes 25 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.7855556 latitude, -116.5236111 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture: Usually moist in winter and spring months, dry in summer and fall; Aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 10 to 11 degrees C.
Depth to base of cambic horizon: 30 to 43 cm.
Depth to horizons with durinodes: 33 to 50 cm.
Redoximorphic features: Occurs as redox concentrations of iron or iron and manganese in any strata below about 30 cm.
Effervescence: Noncalcareous, with some pedons effervescent in the lower part of the cambic horizon. The remainder of the profile ranges from noneffervescent to strongly effervescent with horizons of some pedons violently effervescent.
Other features: Buried A horizons are common in most pedons.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 18 to 25 percent.

A horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist; the upper 7 inches when mixed, has value of 6 dry and 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Structure: Weak or moderate, very thin to medium platy, fine or medium subangular blocky.
Consistence: Soft or slightly hard, dry.
Reaction: Neutral through moderately alkaline.

Bw horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Structure: Medium or coarse prismatic or subangular blocky.
Texture: Silt loam or loam.
Reaction: Neutral through moderately alkaline.

BC, 2Aqkb, and 3Cqk horizons
Texture: Stratified very fine sandy loam to silty clay loam; Some pedons have texture of very gravelly coarse sandy loam or extremely gravelly sandy loam below 40 inches.
Consistence: Soft to hard dry and very friable or friable moist.
Durinodes: 30 to 80 percent.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline though strongly alkaline.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 3 percent.
Salinity (EC): 4 to 16 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 1 to 45.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Clurde Series. Clurde soils do not have redox concentrations of iron or endosaturation between 120 and 180 cm.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cluro soils are on nearly level stream terraces. These soils formed in loess high in volcanic ash over alluvium derived from mixed rocks. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. Elevations range from 1,340 to 1,435 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 150 to 200 mm, mean annual temperature is 9 to 10 degrees C., mean summer temperature is 62 to 65 degrees F.; and the frost-free period is 95 to 115 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Iron Blossom, Midas, Ocala, and Orovada soils. Iron Blossom and Ocala soils do not have cambic horizons and are calcareous throughout. Midas soils are loamy-skeletal. Orovada soils are coarse-loamy.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; medium surface runoff; moderately slow permeability; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity. These soils were formed under more poorly drained conditions than are present today. Entrenchment of stream channels due to normal meandering has caused the water table to drop below 120 cm. Endosaturation is present with an apparent seasonal high water table between 120 and 150 cm (deep free water occurrence class) between February and June. Cumulative annual duration class is Common. A drained phase is recognized.

USE AND VEGETATION: Cluro soils are used for livestock grazing. The vegetation consists of basin big sagebrush, black greasewood, cheatgrass, and mustard.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central Nevada. These soils are not extensive with about 9,500 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRA 24.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Eureka County (Tuscarora Mountain Area), Nevada, 1979.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A1 and A2 horizons and part of the Bw horizon).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 13 to 30 cm (Bw horizon).
Durinodes - The zone from 43 to 152 cm (2Aqkb, 3C1qk, and 3C2qk horizons).
Identifiable secondary carbonates - The zone from 43 to 152 cm (2Aqkb, 3C1qk, and 3C2qk horizons).
Endosaturation feature - The zone between 30 and 152 cm (BC, 2Akqb, 3Ckq1 and 3Ckq2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (BC, 2Aqkb, and 3C1qk horizons and parts of the Bw and 3C2qk horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.