LOCATION DEEFAN                  NV

Established Series
Rev: JHD/TM/WED/JBF
01/2023

DEEFAN SERIES

The Deefan series consists of well drained soils that are very shallow to a strongly cemented hardpan. They formed in alluvium from mixed rocks. Deefan soils are on alluvial fan piedmonts and ballenas. Slopes are 2 to 8 percent. The mean annual temperature is about 12 degrees C and the mean annual precipitation is about 130 mm.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey, smectitic, mesic, shallow Abruptic Argidurids

TYPICAL PEDON: Deefan very gravelly fine sandy loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The surface is covered with approximately 45 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles.

A--0 to 8 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) very gravelly fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; strong thick platy structue; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and fine vesicular pores; 35 percent gravel, 2 percent cobbles; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 13 cm thick)

Bt1--8 to 13 cm; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) gravelly clay, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure parting to strong fine granular; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; common thin clay films lining pores and coating ped faces; 20 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 10 cm thick)

Bt2--13 to 25 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; many very fine tubular pores; common thin clay films lining pores and coating ped faces; l5 percent gravel; few soft lime masses in the lower part; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 23 cm thick)

Bqkm--25 to 66 cm; white (10YR 8/1) strongly cemented duripan with discontinuous very thin laminae; few thin clay films coating fractured plates in the upper part; pan is formed in thick plates; very hard very firm, roots are matted between plates; few krotovinas with gravelly loamy sand texture; clear wavy boundary. (25 to 50 cm thick)

2Bqk1--66 to 109 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) stratified extremely gravelly loamy sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 50 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; many moderately thick lime and silica pendants on rock fragments; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (25 to 100 cm thick)

2Bqk2--109 to 132 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) extremely gravelly sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 55 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; many thick lime and silica pendants and common moderately thick lime and silica coatings on rock fragments; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 50 cm thick)

2Bqk3--132 to 152 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely gravelly coarse sand; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 60 percent gravel; few discontinuous weakly cemented lenses; few thin lime and silica pendants on gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).

TYPE LOCATION: Mineral County, Nevada; about 1,400 feet north of Reese River Canyon Road on the power line road, approximately 700 feet west and 1,200 feet north of the southeast corner, section 31, T. 12 N., R. 27 E.; 38 degrees, 51 minutes, 19 seconds north latitude and 118 degrees, 59 minutes, 54 seconds west longitude; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.8552778 latitude, -118.9983333 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, dry in summer and autumn and moist for short periods during spring and winter, typic aridic soil moisture regime
Soil temperature: 12 to 15 degrees C.
Depth to duripan: 20 to 36 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 35 to 50 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent, mainly gravel.

A horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.

Bt horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4 or 5, dry and moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Clay content: 40 to 55 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent, mainly gravel.
Structure: Subangular blocky, prismatic or granular.
Reaction: Mildly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Carbonates: Carbonates are in soft masses in the lower part of some pedons.

Bqkm horizon
Cementation: Strongly cemented, extremely hard dry, very firm moist.
Other features: Pan may have discontinous indurated laminae.

2Bqk horizon
Value: 6, through 7 dry, 4, through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2, through 4.
Texture: (less than 2 mm): Stratified coarse sand through sandy loam, average texture is loamy sand or sand.
Rock fragments: 60 to 75 percent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Fuegosta and Risue series. Fuegosta soils have a duripan at a depth of greater than 36 cm. and are moist 10 to 20 days during the summer. Risue soils neutral or mildly alkaline A horizon and lack 2Bqk horizons.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Deefan soils are on alluvial fan piedmonts and ballenas. These soils formed in alluvium from rocks. Slopes are 2 to 8 percent. Elevations are 1,460 to 1,950 meters. Mean annual temperature is 10 to 12 degrees C, mean annual precipitation is 100 to 200 mm, and the frost-free season is 115 to 145 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bluewing, Cleaver, and Rawe soils. Bluewing and Rawe soils lack a cemented hardpan. Bluewing soils also lack an argillic horizon. Cleaver soils have 20 to 35 percent clay in the argillic horizon and have an indurated duripan.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; medium or rapid runoff; moderately slow saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is principally shadscale, Bailey greasewood, bud sagebrush, and Indian ricegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada. The series is of small extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mineral County, Nevada, 1985.

REMARKS: These soils would be Abruptic Haplic Durargids if the subgroup was provided.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the surface to 8 cm.
Argillic horizon - The zone from about 8 to 25 cm (the Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Duripan - The zone from about 25 to 66 cm (the Bqkm horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from the surface to about 25 cm (the A, Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.