LOCATION DOBEL                   NV

Established Series
Rev. DMC/ELS/JVC/JBF
06/2016

DOBEL SERIES

The Dobel series consists of very shallow and shallow to a duripan, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from volcanic rocks. Dobel soils are on fan remnants. Slopes are 2 to 8 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 125 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic, shallow Argidic Argidurids

TYPICAL PEDON: Dobel very gravelly sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 3 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very gravelly sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and fine vesicular pores; violently effervescent; 40 percent gravel; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)

A2--3 to 10 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate very coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 10 cm thick)

Bt--10 to 11 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; few light gray (10YR 7/2) clean sand grains on faces of peds; strong very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, and few fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds; 25 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (0.6 to 2.5 cm thick)

Btk--11 to 20 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/4) gravelly sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist moderate medium prismatic structure; hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and few fine pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds and common faint clay films lining pores and coating sand grains; 25 percent gravel; noneffervescent matrix but strongly effervescent carbonate coats on bottoms of rock fragments and faces of peds; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 13 cm thick)

Bqkm--20 to 30 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) cemented material, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; strongly cemented by opaline silica and secondary carbonates; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) discontinuous indurated silica laminae in pores and cementing sand grains, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; common very fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 25 cm thick)

2Bk--30 to 97 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) extremely gravelly sandy loam, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 60 percent gravel; violently effervescent; secondary carbonates segregated as pendants on bottoms of rock fragments; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (15 to 67 cm thick)

2Bqkm--97 to 102 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) cemented material, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist, with very pale brown (10YR 7/3) laminar cap; strong very thick platy structure; extremely hard, extremely firm; indurated by opaline silica and secondary carbonates; common very fine root mats between plates; violently effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 25 cm thick)

3C--102 to 152 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) extremely gravelly sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 60 percent gravel; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6)

TYPE LOCATION: Nye County, Nevada; about 5 miles north of Tonopah and 2 miles north of the State Route to a radar site; approximately 500 feet east and 1,300 feet north of the southwest corner of section 3, T. 3 N., R. 42 E.; USGS Crescent Dunes 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 8 minutes 26 seconds N and longitude 117 degrees 15 minutes 25 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.1405556latitude, -117.2572222 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in some part for short periods during winter and early spring months and for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October due to convection storms; typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 12 to 15 degrees C.
Depth to base of argillic horizon: 15 to 33 cm.
Depth to strongly cemented duripan: 15 to 33 cm.
Depth to indurated duripan: 50 to 100 cm.
Reaction: Strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline, decreasing with depth.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 22 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 5 to 30 percent gravel.

A1 horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist.
Structure: Weak medium or thick platy or massive.

A2 horizon
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Structure: Weak or moderate very coarse subangular blocky.

Bt and Btk horizons
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Sandy clay loam, clay loam, or loam.
Structure: Moderate or strong very fine to medium prismatic.

C horizon
Rock fragments: 40 to 75 percent gravel and cobbles.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Belted, Deppy, Orphant, and Vylach series.

Belted and Deppy do not have identifiable secondary carbonates in the argillic horizon. Orphant soils do not have indurated duripans within 100 cm of the soil surface. Vylach soils have paralithic contacts at depths of 50 to 75 cm.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Dobel soils are on fan remnants. These soils formed in alluvium derived from volcanic rocks such as basalt, rhyolite, and tuff. Slopes are 2 to 8 percent. Elevations range from 1,680 to 1,830 meters. The climate is arid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 100 to 150 mm. The mean annual temperature is 11 to 14 degrees C. The frost-free period is 100 to 130 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bluewing and Osobb soils. Bluewing soils have very gravelly and sandy control sections. Osobb soils lack argillic horizons and have duripans shallow over bedrock.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Dobel soils are used for livestock grazing. The vegetation is mainly Bailey's greasewood, shadscale, Nevada ephedra, Indian ricegrass, and bud sagebrush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Nevada. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 29.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Nye County (Big Smoky Valley Area), Nevada, 1972.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 10 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 10 to 20 cm (Bt and Btk horizons).
Identifiable secondary carbonates - The zone from 11 to 52 cm (Btk, Bqkm, 2Bk, and 2Bqkm horizons).
Strongly cemented duripan - The zones from 20 to 30 cm (Bqkm and horizon).
Indurated duripan - The zone from 97 to 102 cm (2Bqkm horizion)
Particle-size control section - The zone from the soil surface to 20 cm (A1, A2, Bt, and Btk horizons).

The revision of May 2008 updated the taxonomic classification from Loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic, shallow Typic Argidurids based on the historic concept that Dobel soils have a strongly cemented (non-typic) duripan that represents the first cemented horizon encountered with depth.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.