LOCATION CRUNKER                 NV

Established Series
Rev: DJM/EWB/WED/JBF
05/2016

CRUNKER SERIES

The Crunker series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks. These soils are on inset fans and fan aprons. Slopes are 2 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 250 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 12 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed, mesic Duric Torriorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Crunker loamy sand--rangeland and wildlife habitat. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 8 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loamy sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak thick platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial and few tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; noneffervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)

A2--8 to 20 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly loamy sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine through medium roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 15 percent gravel; noneffervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (20 to 30 cm thick)

Bk--20 to 51 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly coarse sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; single grained; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine common medium roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 35 percent gravel with carbonates coating the undersides; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 25 cm thick)

2Bk--51 to 86 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly loamy sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; common very fine and fine interstitial and few tubular pores; 45 percent gravel with carbonates coatings and some bridging of sand grains; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (30 to 40 cm thick)

2Bqk--86 to 152 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many micro roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 65 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; 30 percent weak to strong discontinuous silica cementation; carbonates and silica pendants coating the bottom of gravel; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).

TYPE LOCATION: Mineral County, Nevada; about 700 feet south and 200 feet east of the northwest corner of section 2, T. 9 N., R. 32 E.; latitude 38 degrees 40 minutes 25.4 seconds N and longitude 118 degrees 23 minutes 27 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.6737222 latitude, -118.390833 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Moist in winter and spring, dry in summer and fall except for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October due to convection storms; typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 12 to 15 degrees C.
Depth to 2B horizon: 38 to 76 cm.
Cementation: Discontinuous weakly to strongly silica cementation occurs below 76 cm with silica cementing and bridging sand grains. Carbonate and silica pendants coat the bottom of gravel.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 5 to 12 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent, dominantly gravel.

A horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2, 3 or 4.
Structure: Platy, subangular blocky or massive.

Bk horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2, 3 or 5.
Structure: Massive or single grained.
Texture: Stratified coarse sand, sand, or loamy sand.
Rock fragments: 35 to 50 percent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline.
Carbonates: Slightly effervescent through strongly effervescent.

2B horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Texture: Stratified loamy sand, sand or sandy loam.
Rock fragments: 40 to 60 percent average, individual strata may have 35 to 80 percent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no other competing series at this time.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Crunker soils are on inset fans and fan aprons. These soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks. Slopes are 2 to 15 percent. Elevations are 1,770 to 2,120 meters. The mean annual temperature is 10 to 12 degrees C, the mean annual precipitation ranges from 200 to 300 mm and the frost-free season is 100 to 130 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ratleflat and Fawin series. The Ratleflat series has an argillic horizon. The Fawin series has a cambic horizon and a control section that averages less than 15 percent gravel.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; slow runoff; high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is Wyoming big sagebrush, spiny hopsage, Nevada Ephedra, Indian ricegrass, needleandthread, galleta and bottlebrush squirreltail.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West-central Nevada, these soils are not extensive. MLRA 29.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mineral County, Nevada, 1981.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A1 and part of A2 horizons).
Discontinuous silica cementation - The zone from 86 to 150 cm (2Bqk horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm. (2Bk and part of Bk and 2Bqk horizons)

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.