LOCATION DESATOYA                NV

Established Series
Rev. JBF/CEJ/JVC
10/2011

DESATOYA SERIES

The Desatoya series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks. Desatoya soils are on fan remnants. Slopes are 2 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 280 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 8 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey over loamy-skeletal, smectitic over mixed, superactive, mesic Durinodic Xeric Haplargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Desatoya very gravelly loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with approximately 50 percent gravel.

A--0 to 8 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine vesicular pores; 35 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 15 cm thick)

Bt1--8 to 15 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and very plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; few faint clay films bridging sand grains and on faces of peds; 5 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 10 cm thick)

Bt2--15 to 25 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly clay, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium angular blocky; hard, friable, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine, fine, and medium roots; common very fine interstitial and tubular pores; many faint and common distinct clay films on faces of peds; 30 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 30 cm thick)

Btk--25 to 36 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine, fine and few medium roots; few very fine tubular and interstitial pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds; 30 percent gravel; common fine lime concretions; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 10 cm thick)

2Bqk1--36 to 58 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very gravelly sandy loam; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; massive; hard, firm and brittle; nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and medium roots; few very fine tubular pores; 40 percent gravel; 30 percent discontinuous strongly silica-cemented masses; many fine lime concretions; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (23 to 23 cm thick)

2Bqk2--58 to 97 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) very gravelly sandy loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/4) moist; massive, hard, firm and brittle; nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 55 percent gravel; 20 percent discontinuous strongly silica-cemented lenses and 20 percent horizontal lenses of very gravelly loamy sand from 2 to 5 cm thick; many fine lime concretions and seams; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 50 cm thick)

2Bqk3--97 to 152 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) very gravelly loamy sand, very pale brown (10YR 7/4) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 55 percent gravel; 30 percent discontinuous strongly silica-cemented masses; many fine lime concretions and seams; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0).

TYPE LOCATION: Lander County, Nevada; about 28 miles west of Austin; 2,000 feet east and 1,000 feet south of the northwest corner of section 10, T.18 N., R.39 E. latitude 39 degrees 26 minutes 40 seconds N and longitude 117 degrees 34 minutes 56 seconds W; NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry in early June through October, moist in winter and spring; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 9 to 11 degrees C.
Depth to secondary carbonates: 25 to 50 cm.
Depth to base of argillic horizon and strongly contrasting horizons with brittle silica cementation: 25 to 50 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 35 to 45 percent in the upper part and 8 to 18 percent in the lower part.
Rock fragments: 20 to 30 percent in the upper part and 40 to 80 percent in the lower part, fragments are mainly gravel of mixed lithologies.

A horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.

Bt and Btk horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4 moist.
Texture: Gravelly clay loam or gravelly clay.
Structure: Moderate or strong fine or medium subangular blocky.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 2 percent.
Other features: Some pedons have thin subhorizons of clay loam with 5 to 15 percent gravel.

2Bqk horizons
Texture: Stratified extremely gravelly sandy loam to very gravelly loamy sand and averages very gravelly or extremely gravelly sandy loam.
Consistence: Hard or very hard dry, firm to slightly brittle moist.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 5 percent.
Cementation: Discontinuous, brittle, strongly silica-cemented masses or lenses; with subhorizons below 97 cm that are discontinuously weakly to strongly silica-cemented.

COMPETING SERIES: At present, there are no other series in this family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Desatoya soils are on fan remnants. They formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks. Slopes are 2 to 50 percent. Elevations range from 1,520 to 2,260 meters. The climate is cool-semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 300 mm, the mean annual temperature is 8 to 9 degrees C., and the frost-free period is 90 to 110 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Jung, McConnel, and Ricert soils. Jung soils are clayey-skeletal and are shallow to hard bedrock on adjacent hills and mountains. McConnel soils are sandy-skeletal, have cambic horizons, and occur on adjacent fan remnants and beach terraces. Ricert soils are fine-loamy, have natric horizons, and occur on adjacent fan remnants.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; high or very high surface runoff; moderately low saturated hydraulic conductivity

USE AND VEGETATION: Desatoya soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is black sagebrush, shadscale, low sagebrush, bottlebrush squirreltail, and pine bluegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western and northern Nevada. These soils are of small extent. MLRAs 27 and 24.

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 soil surface to 8 cm (A horizon).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 8 to 36 cm (Bt1, Bt2, and Btk horizon).
Duric feature - The zone from about 36 to 152 cm (2Bqk1, 2Bqk2, and 2Bqk3 horizons).
Major lithologic discontinuity - The abrupt change to loamy-skeletal material at 36 cm (2Bqk1, 2Bqk2, and 2Bqk3 horizons).
A strongly contrasting particle-size class is within a depth of 100 cm.
Particle-size control section - The zone from 8 to 100 cm (Bt1, Bt2, Btk, 2Bqk1, 2Bqk2, and the upper part of the 2Bqk3 horizon).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.