LOCATION DEFLER                  NV

Established Series
Rev. CEJ-RLB-JBF
11/2016

DEFLER SERIES

The Defler series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks with a component of loess and volcanic ash. The Defler soils are on inset fans. Slopes are 0 to 4 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 230 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 8 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Typic Torriorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Defler gravelly fine sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with approximately 30 percent gravel.

A--0 to 10 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) gravelly fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; common very fine vesicular pores; 30 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 18 cm thick)

Bk1--10 to 28 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 30 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; thin carbonate coats on undersides of gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 33 cm thick)

Bk2--28 to 41 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 45 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; thin carbonate coats cover rock fragments; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 64 cm thick)

Bqk--41 to 53 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very gravelly sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 15 percent 5 to 20 millimeter weakly silica cemented durinodes; 45 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; much disseminated carbonate and common medium carbonate coats cover rock fragments; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 38 cm thick)

B'k1--53 to 86 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; single grained; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 50 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; common thin carbonate coatings on undersides of rock fragments; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 33 cm thick)

B'k2--86 to 97 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 45 percent gravel; noneffervescent matrix with slight effervescence in common fine carbonate filaments; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 43 cm thick)

2C--97 to 152 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) stratified extremely gravelly coarse sand and very gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; single grained; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 50 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8).

TYPE LOCATION: Lander County, Nevada, about 24 miles southwest of Austin in Smith Creek Valley, approximately 1,200 feet west and 225 feet north of the southeast corner of section 35, T. 17 N., R. 40 E.; USGS Iron Mountain 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 17 minutes 18 seconds N and longitude 117 degrees 26 minutes 34 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.2883333 latitude, -117.4427778 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Moist in some part during November through May; dry from June through October: typic-aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C.
Depth to 2C horizon: 90 to 114 cm.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline through strongly alkaline.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 8 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 35 to 60 percent, mainly gravel.

A horizon
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.

Bk and Bqk horizons
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Texture: Very gravelly fine sandy loam, very gravelly loam, or very gravelly sandy loam when averaged.
Structure: Subangular blocky or massive or single grained.
Consistence: Slightly hard, soft or loose, very friable or firm, nonsticky or slightly sticky, nonplastic or slightly plastic.
Carbonates: Secondary carbonates as filaments or coatings on rock fragments.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent to violently effervescent.
Cementation: Any strata below 30 cm may contain 5 to 15 percent weakly silica cemented durinodes.

2C horizons
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Texture: Stratified very gravelly sandy loam to extremely gravelly coarse sand.
Rock fragments: 50 to 70 percent, mainly gravel.
Consistence: Loose to soft, loose to very friable.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Cliffdown, Clifterson, Clowfin, Dient, Myton and Trocken series.

Cliffdown soils are moist for short periods in the summer and fall and have a mean annual soil temperature of 12 to 15 degrees C. Clifterson soils have 18 to 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Clowfin soils do not have Bk or Bqk horizons. Dient soils have 18 to 27 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Myton soils have clean sand and gravel in all parts below 64 cm. Trocken soils have Bw horizons and a mean annual soil temperature of 12 to 15 degrees C.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Defler soils are on fan aprons and inset fans. These soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks with a component of loess and volcanic ash. Slopes are 0 to 4 percent. Elevations are 1,800 to 2,195 meters. The climate is cool, semiarid with hot, dry summers and cold, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm; mean annual temperature is 7 to 10 degrees C; and the frost-free season is 90 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the McConnel, Orovada, and Rasille soils. McConnel soils have a cambic horizon. Orovada and Rasille have less than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly winterfat, Indian ricegrass, and bottlebrush squirreltail.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 28B.

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

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

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the surface to 18 cm (A and part of the Bk1 horizon).
Lithologic discontinuity - The boundary at 97 cm (boundary between B'k2 and 2C horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (Bk2, Bqk, B'k1 and B'k2 horizons and parts of the Bk1 and 2C horizon).

ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL sample #S83NV-015--010.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.