LOCATION DEVILSGAIT NV

Established Series
Rev. DWW/PWB/JVC
01/2019

DEVILSGAIT SERIES

The Devilsgait series consists of very deep, very poorly drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks with deposits of loess and volcanic ash. Devilsgait soils are on flood plains and lake plains. Slopes are 0 to 4 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 250 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 8 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Cumulic Endoaquolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Devilsgait silt loam--meadow hayland. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 15 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine, common medium roots; few very fine tubular pores; many fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 25 cm thick)

A2--15 to 20 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loamy fine sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine, common medium roots; common medium prominent brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) masses of iron accumulation; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 15 cm thick)

A3--20 to 33 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt loam; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate thin and medium platy structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine, few medium roots; few very fine tubular pores; common medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 25 cm thick)

A4--33 to 48 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine, few medium roots; few very fine tubular pores; many fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 38 cm thick)

A5--48 to 71 cm; gray (10YR 5/1) silt loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and few medium roots; many very fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 38 cm thick)

C1--71 to 109 cm; pale red (2.5YR 6/2) silt loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 38 cm thick)

C2--109 to 173 cm; pale red (2.5YR 6/2) stratified thin alternating layers of fine sandy loam, loamy fine sand, and silt loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8).

TYPE LOCATION: Elko County, Nevada; about 24 miles northeast of Elko; approximately 2,200 feet east and 700 feet north of the southwest corner of section 36, T. 38 N., R. 57 E.; USGS The Narrows 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 41 degrees 7 minutes 59.7 seconds N and longitude 115 degrees 30 minutes 2.2 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 41.1332500 latitude, -115.5006111 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Saturated at or near the surface for at least one month during most years, mainly during the late winter through early summer months; Usually dry in all parts of the moisture control section for more than 60 cumulative days in the 120 days following the summer solstice; Seasonal periods of aquic moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 10 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 61 to 127 cm.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline, with some pedons strongly alkaline in the upper part.
Other features: Some pedons have a gravelly substratum below depths of 100 cm. Some pedons are drained due to stream channel entrenchment.

Particle-size control section: Clay content: 20 to 35 percent.

A horizons
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 1 or 2, dry or moist.
Other features: Buried A horizons occur in some pedons.

C horizons
Hue: 10YR through 5Y.
Value: 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 1 or 2, dry or moist.
Texture: Stratified silt loam and silty clay loam. Some pedons have thin strata of silty clay or loam in the lower part.

COMPETING SERIES: These are Badus, Calco, Lamo, Obert, Salmo, Sawabash and Wingville series.

Badus soils have Bw horizons and accumulations of carbonates and gypsum. Calco soils commonly have snail shells throughout their solum, have dark colored A horizons with values of 3 dry and Bg horizons. Lamo soils commonly lack iron masses in the A horizon, have accumulations of calcium carbonate below 58 cm, and a calcium carbonate equivalent of 1 to 15 percent. Obert and Sawabash soils are moist in the moisture control section during summer months. Salmo soils have accumulations of salt and gypsum in their B and C horizons. Wingville soils have an AC horizon and have C horizons high in volcanic ash.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Devilsgait soils are on flood plains and lake plains. These soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks with deposits of loess and volcanic ash. Slopes are 0 to 4 percent. Elevations range from 1,524 to 1,981 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 300 mm, the mean annual temperature is 7 to 9 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 95 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Crooked Creek, Kelk, Ocala, and Tweba soils. Crooked Creek soils are fine textured and have a frigid temperature regime. Kelk, Ocala, and Tweba soils have ochric epipedons.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Very poorly drained; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity. Drained phases due to stream channel entrenchment are recognized.

USE AND VEGETATION: Hayland, rangeland and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is mainly basin wildrye, creeping wildrye, Nevada bluegrass, inland saltgrass and willow.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Nevada. These soils are moderately extensive. The series concept and main acreage is in MLRA 25, while other acreage occurs in MLRA 28B.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Elko County, Central Part, Nevada, 1986.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 71 cm (A1, A2, A3, A4 and A5 horizons).
Endosaturation - The zone from the soil surface to 48 cm.
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (A4 and A5 horizons and parts of the A3 and C1 horizons).

More study is needed of this series to determine if the classification should be updated to Ashy, glassy, calcareous, mesic Aquandic Endoaquolls.

ADDITIONAL DATA: A pedon of Devilsgait near the series type location has full characterization data by the Soil Survey Laboratory (SSL), Lincoln, NE, as pedon ID S05NV-007-005 (pedon # 06N0246).

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.