LOCATION CYAN                    NV

Established Series
Rev. WMA/RMW/ELS/JBF
01/2019

CYAN SERIES

The Cyan are very deep, well drained that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from andesite. Cyan soils are on foothills. Slopes are 4 to 30 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 280 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 7 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Durinodic Xeric Haplargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Cyan very cobbly loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 5 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very cobbly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many fine and very fine interstitial pores; 15 percent gravel, 25 percent cobbles and 2 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)

A2--5 to 20 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very cobbly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few medium and fine roots; many fine and very fine vesicular pores; 15 percent gravel, 25 percent cobbles and 2 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.0); gradual wavy boundary. (13 to 20 cm thick)

Bt1--20 to 43 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) very gravelly clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, very sticky and moderately plastic; common medium, few fine and many very fine roots; common fine and many very fine tubular pores; many faint and distinct clay bridges between mineral grains; 35 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.6); gradual wavy boundary. (20 to 30 cm thick)

Bt2--43 to 97 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; very hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; a few root mats in the upper part; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; many faint and distinct clay bridges between mineral grains; 35 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.6); gradual wavy boundary. (25 to 60 cm thick)

Bq--97 to 127 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard and very hard, very resistant to digging in place, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine and very fine interstitial pores; 35 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles; common thin and moderately thick, silica bridges between sand grains and 1 to 10 mm thick silica coats on underside of gravel and cobbles; neutral (pH 6.8).

TYPE LOCATION: Eureka County, Nevada; about 800 feet east of the SW corner of section 8, T. 19 N., R. 54 E.; USGS Eureka 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 31 minutes 28 seconds N and longitude 115 degrees 55 minutes 26 seconds west; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.5244444 latitude, -115.9238889 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in winter, spring, and early summer; dry 60 to 90 consecutive days from August to October; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 7 to 8 degrees C.
Mean summer soil temperature: 11 to 15 degrees C.
Depth to silica cementation: 76 to 100 cm.
Reaction: Neutral to slightly acid.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 18 to 25 percent.
Rock fragments: 45 to 70 percent, mainly gravel and cobbles.

A horizon
Value: 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Structure: weak or moderate granular or blocky.

Bt1 horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4 through 6 dry, and 4 or 5 moist.
Texture: Very gravelly clay or extremely gravelly clay.
Clay content: 40 to 50 percent.

Bt2 horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4 through 6 dry, and 4 or 5 moist.
Texture: Very gravelly sandy loam or extremely gravelly sandy loam.
Clay content: 5 to 20 percent.

Bq horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Texture: Extremely gravelly sandy loam, very gravelly sandy loam or very cobbly sandy loam.
Consistence: Hard or very hard in place, firm moist.

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

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cyan soils are on north and west facing foothills. Elevations are 1,830 to 2,290 meters. Slope are 4 to 30 percent. These soils formed in residuum derived from andesite. The climate is cool, semiarid, with a mean annual precipitation of 250 to 300 mm and comes mostly as snow. The mean annual temperature is 6 to 8 degrees C, and the mean summer temperature is 15 to 17 degrees C. The frost free season is 50 to 80 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ratto and Tica soils. Ratto soils have duripans and a clayey particle-size control section. Tica soils are shallow over bedrock, lack silica cementation, and have a clayey-skeletal particle-size control section.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium or rapid runoff; moderate or moderately slow permeability; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Livestock grazing and wildlife habitat are the primary uses of these soils. Vegetation is principally big sagebrush, low sagebrush, Douglas rabbitbrush, squirreltail, Sandberg bluegrass and bluebunch wheatgrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North central Nevada. MLRA 28B. The soils are inextensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Eureka County (Diamond Valley Area), Nevada, 1971.

REMARKS: Cyan soils were formerly classified as Brown soils.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 20 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 20 to 97 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Durinodic feature - The zone from 97 to 127 cm (Bq horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 20 to 70 cm (Bt1 and part of the Bt2 horizon).

ADDITIONAL DATA: During an update the type should be dug out to verify the depths and if very deep.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.