LOCATION DELHEW NV+CA
Established Series
Rev. EWB-SES-TM-JVC
03/2017
DELHEW SERIES
The Delhew series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in colluvium derived from granitic rocks. Delhew soils are on mountains. Slopes are 15 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 600 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 4 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive Pachic Argicryolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Delhew very gravelly loamy coarse sand--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with about 1 percent stones, 1 percent cobbles, and 50 percent gravel.
A1--0 to 10 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly loamy coarse sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 1 percent stones and 40 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 15 cm thick)
A2--10 to 33 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.7); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 25 cm thick)
Bt1--33 to 51 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores; common faint clay bridges on sand grains; 50 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 30 cm thick)
Bt2--51 to 84 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; common faint clay bridges on sand grains; 25 percent cobbles and 50 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.7); clear wavy boundary. (25 to 38 cm thick)
BC--84 to 152 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and few fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores; 25 percent cobbles and 50 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.7).
TYPE LOCATION: Douglas County, Nevada; in the Pine Nut Mountains; approximately 350 feet north and 1,800 feet west of the southeast corner of section 9, T. 11 N., R. 22 E.; USGS Double Spring 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 49 minutes 27 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 31 minutes 08 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.8241667 latitude, -119.5188889 longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in the moisture control section during late fall, winter, and spring; dry from July through early October for 75 to 90 consecutive days in the four months following the summer solstice; xeric soil moisture regime that borders on aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 6 to 8 degrees C.
Mean summer soil temperature: 12 to 15 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 40 to 100 cm; includes the Bt1 horizon or both the Bt1 and Bt2 horizons in some pedons.
Depth to base of argillic horizon: 60 to 100 cm.
Reaction: Moderately acid or neutral.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: 14 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 50 to 80 percent, mainly fine gravel (2 to 5 mm diameter). Lithology of fragments is granitic rocks such as granodiorite.
A horizons
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Clay content: 8 to 15 percent.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.
Bt1 and Bt2 horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Texture: Very gravelly coarse sandy loam or extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam.
Clay content: 14 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 50 to 80 percent.
Structure: Weak or moderate subangular blocky.
Consistence: Soft or slightly hard dry.
Organic matter content: 1 or 2 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Angelwhine,
Aspetill,
Badwater,
Bickmore,
Blackbear,
Bluebell,
Booneville,
Buena Vista,
Dab,
Dailybasin,
Hawkinspeak,
Igor,
Keman,
Littlemud,
Lostcannon,
Monibasin,
Parkalley,
Parkay,
Redbird,
Rutherford,
Sweetmount, and
Woodhurst series.
Angelwhine soils have 18 to 25 percent clay, are dominated by medium and coarse gravel (5 to 75 mm diameter) in the particle-size control section, and have rock fragments that are volcanic rocks.
Aspetill soils have 18 to 25 percent clay and are dominated by cobbles in the particle-size control section.
Badwater soils have 25 to 35 percent clay and are dominated by boulders in the particle-size control section.
Bickmore,
Blackbear,
Bluebell,
Buena Vista,
Hawkinspeak,
Littlemud,
Rutherford, and
Woodhurst soils are moderately deep to lithic contacts.
Booneville soils have mean annual soil temperature of 2 to 4 degrees C.
Dab soils are dominated by medium and coarse gravel of volcanic lithology in the particle-size control section.
Dailybasin and
Igor soils have an ustic moisture regime.
Keman soils have mean annual soil temperature of 4 to 6 degrees C.
Lostcannon soils have the base of the argillic horizon below 100 cmfrom the soil surface.
Monibasin soils have 18 to 25 percent clay, are dominated by stones in the particle-size control section, and have rock fragments that are volcanic rocks.
Parkalley soils are dominated by flagstones and average 35 to 60 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section.
Parkay soils average 27 to 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
Redbird soils average 27 to 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section and have horizons with identifiable secondary carbonates within 100 cm of the soil surface.
Sweetmount soils are deep to paralithic contacts and have subhorizons of the argillic horizon with 27 to 50 percent clay.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Delhew soils are on mountains. They typically occur on backslope positions. These soils formed in colluvium derived from granitic rocks. Slopes are 15 to 75 percent. Elevations are 2,378 to 3,048 meters. The climate is subhumid with cold, moist winters and cool, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 400 to 760 mm, mean annual temperature is 2 to 6 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 30 to 70 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Bakscratch and
Bullville soils. Bakscratch soils are shallow to paralithic contacts and have mollic epipedons that are 18 to 36 cm thick. Bullville soils are moderately deep to paralithic contacts and have mollic epipedons that are 25 to 38 cm thick.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; medium surface runoff; high saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: Delhew soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly mountain big sagebrush, snowberry, spike fescue,Western needlegrass, Letterman's needlegrass, and mountain brome. This pedon is correlated to R022AY052NV, Gravelly Slope 16+ P.Z.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada and eastern California. These soils are not extensive with about 4,300 acres of the series mapped to date. The series concept is in MLRA 26, while other acreage occurs in MLRA 22A.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Toiyabe National Forest Area, California, 2006. The series was proposed in Douglas County, Nevada, 1996.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 84 cm (A1, A2, Bt1, and Bt2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 33 to 84 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 33 to 83 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
ADDITIONAL DATA: User pedon ID: 2006NV005705.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.