LOCATION FAREPEAK NV

Established Series
Rev. PWB/BAG/TM/JVC
03/2016

FAREPEAK SERIES

The Farepeak series consists of shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from welded tuff. Farepeak soils are on hills and mountains. Slopes are 8 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 330 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 7 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy-skeletal, glassy, frigid Aridic Lithic Argixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Farepeak very cobbly ashy loam--forest land. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered by approximately 40 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles, 10 percent stones, and 1 percent boulders.

A--0 to 8 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very cobbly ashy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine granular; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 35 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)

Bt1--8 to 18 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) very gravelly ashy sandy clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine, and few medium roots; many very fine and fine interstitial and tubular pores; 45 percent gravel; few faint clay films on faces of peds; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 20 cm thick)

Bt2--18 to 33 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly ashy sandy clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine, common medium, and few coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; 50 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; few faint clay films on faces of peds; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 20 cm thick)

R--33 cm; hard welded tuff.

TYPE LOCATION: Lincoln County, Nevada; about 22 miles northwest of Pioche in the Fairview Range; USGS Fairview Peak 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 13 minutes 35.9 seconds N and longitude 114 degrees 39 minutes 17.0 seconds W; NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist for short periods in winter and early spring and intermittently moist for 10 to 20 days cumulative from July through September due to convection storms; aridic soil moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 7 to 8 degrees C.
Mean summer soil temperature: 15 to 17 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 18 to 36 cm, may include the entire argillic horizon.
Depth to bedrock: 25 to 36 cm to a lithic contact.
Mineralogy: 30 to 60 percent volcanic glass in the 0.2 to 2 mm fraction and averages 0.05 to 0.09 percent Al plus 1/2Fe, extracted by ammonium oxalate.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 27 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent mainly gravel. Lithology of the rock fragments is welded tuff.

A horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 3 to 8 percent.

Bt horizons
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Clay content: 27 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent mainly gravel.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 1 percent.
Secondary calcium carbonate: Some pedons have few thin coats on the bottom of rock fragments.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Other features: Cobbles are mainly fragments of fractured bedrock with little displacement from the original rock structure.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Badrock, Domehill, Hardnut, Hardteph, and Schoolmarm series.

Badrock, Domehill, Hardnut, Hardteph soils are not intermittently moist for 10 to 20 days in the summer. Schoolmarm soils have an abrupt clay increase between the A and Bt horizons and have 1 to 2 percent organic matter in the A horizon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Farepeak soils are on hills and mountains. They typically occur on convex shoulder or backslope positions. They formed in residuum and colluvium derived from welded tuff. Slopes are 8 to 50 percent. Elevations range from 1,783 to 2,621 meters. The mean annual precipitation is 300 to 350 mm, the mean annual temperature is 6 to 7 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 70 to 100 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Hamtah, Ponyspring, and Slockey soils. Hamtah soils are on mountains, are very deep to bedrock, and have 35 to 50 percent clay in the control section. Ponyspring soils are very deep. Slockey soils are moderately deep to bedrock.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Farepeak soils are used for forest land and wildlife habitat. The potential native vegetation is mainly a forest canopy of singleleaf pinyon and Utah juniper with an understory of mountain big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, muttongrass, and Indian ricegrass. This pedon is correlated to Ecological Site F028AY099, Singleleaf pinyon and Utah Juniper Woodland.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Nevada. These soils are not extensive with about 8,600 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRA 28A.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lincoln County, Nevada, North Part, 2006. The name is derived from Fairview Peak which is a nearby landmark.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 33 cm (A, Bt1, and Bt2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 8 to 33 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 33 cm to underlying unweathered bedrock (R Layer).
Particle-size control section and ashy-skeletal substitute class with glassy mineralogy - The zone from the soil surface to 33 cm (A, Bt1, and Bt2 horizons).

Classification was updated to 11th edition on 07/2011 changed from Lithic Argixerolls to Aridic Lithic Argixerolls.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Pedon ID# - 03NV784335-PWB.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.