LOCATION EAGLEPASS               NV

Established Series
Rev. JBF/WED/TM
06/2016

EAGLEPASS SERIES

The Eaglepass series consists of very shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from limestone and dolomite. The Eaglepass soils are on mountains and hills. Slopes are 8 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 250 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, carbonatic, mesic Lithic Xeric Torriorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Eaglepass extremely stony loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with approximately 20 percent stones, 15 percent cobbles and 40 percent gravel.

A--0 to 3 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely stony loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 35 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, and 20 percent stones; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); violently effervescent; abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 5 cm thick)

C--3 to 10 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely stony loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, few fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 35 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, and 20 percent stones; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); violently effervescent; abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 12 cm thick)

R--10 cm; dolomite.

TYPE LOCATION: Nye County, Nevada; North of Hot Creek Canyon, approximately 2,100 feet west and 2,300 feet south of the northeast corner of section 23, T. 8 N., R. 49 E; USGS Little Fish Lake 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 32 minutes 20.8 seconds N and longitude 116 degrees 25 minutes and 24.2 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.5391667 latitude, -116.4230556 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in winter and spring months, dry in summer and fall except for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July to October due to convection storms; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 10 to 12 degrees C.
Depth to bedrock: 10 to 15 cm.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Carbonates: Calcareous in all parts, violently effervescent. Less than 20 mm fraction contains more than 40 percent calcium carbonate equivalent.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 8 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 60 to 75 percent, includes gravel, cobbles and stones.

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

C horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture of fine earth: Loam, fine sandy loam or sandy loam.
Structure: Weak or moderate, fine or medium, subangular blocky.
Consistence: Nonsticky to moderately sticky, and nonplastic or slightly plastic wet.
Other features: Secondary calcium carbonate pendants and coatings are on rock fragments in some pedons.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Izod, Kram, Kyler, Logring, Tiki and Zimbob series.

All are more than 15 cm deep to bedrock. Izod soils have 18 to 25 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Kram, Kyler and Zimbob soils have less than 60 percent rock fragments within the control section. Logring soils have 10 to 40 percent finely divided carboante in the upper 18 cm and contain 35 to 60 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section. Tiki soils have hue of 2.5YR or 5YR.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Eaglepass soils are on mountains and hills. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from limestone and dolomite. Slopes are 8 to 75 percent. Elevations are 1,524 to 2,700 meters. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 300 mm; the mean annual temperature is 9 to 11 degrees C. The frost-free season is 100 to 150 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the competing Kyler series. Kyler soils have less than 60 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; high to very high runoff; high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation includes littleleaf mountainmahogany, black sagebrush, Nevada ephedra, Indian ricegrass, desert needlegrass, galleta, spiny greasebush, single leaf pinyon and Utah juniper.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 29, 28A.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Esmeralda County, Nevada, 1984.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from soil surface to 10 cm. (A and C horizons) .
Lithic Contact - The boundary at 10 cm (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from soil surface to 10 cm (A and C horizons) .

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.