LOCATION FERDELFORD              NV

Established Series
Rev. RPZ/GJS/JBF
03/2016

FERDELFORD SERIES

The Ferdelford series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in residuum of derived from bedded tuff. Ferdelford soils are on hills Slopes are l5 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 250 mm and mean annual temperature is about 8 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Xeric Haplocambids

TYPICAL PEDON: Ferdelford gravelly clay loam - rangeland (Colors are for dry conditions unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 8 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; strong very fine granular structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine and fine vertical roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 25 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 15 cm thick)

Bw--8 to 36 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) and very pale brown (10YR 7/3) sandy clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine through coarse horizontal roots; many very fine interstitial, and common very fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); gradual wavy boundary. (20 to 38 cm thick.)

Ck--36 to 97 cm; variegated brown (10YR 5/3), pale brown (10YR 6/3), and very pale brown (10YR 7/3) gravelly sandy clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) and light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine, fine and medium horizontal roots; many very fine interstitial and common very fine tubular pores; 30 percent gravel; thin strata of coarser and finer texture; many fine very pale brown (10YR 8/2) soft carbonate seams; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear wavy boundary. (40 to 60 cm thick)

Cr--97 cm; weathered tuffaceous sandstone and tuff.

TYPE LOCATION: Elko County, Nevada. Approximately 600 feet west and 300 feet south of the apparent northeast corner of Section l7, T. 3l N., R. 52 E., Mount Diablo base line and meridian; USGS Palisade 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 34 minutes 34 seconds N and longitude 116 degrees 7 minutes 45 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.5761111 latitude, -116.1291667 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in the winter and spring, but are dry in the summer and early autumn; Aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 9 degrees C.
Depth to paralithic contact: 60 to 100 cm.
Hues: 2.5YR to 2.5Y.
Effervescence: Slightly to violently effervescent. In a few pedons, the surface few cm are noneffervescent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline, increasing with depth.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 25 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: Less than 35 percent rock fragments.

A horizon
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 3 to 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3. The darker colors when mixed to a depth of 18 cm are either too high in color value or too low in organic matter to be a mollic epipedon. Structure: Moderate or strong, very fine and fine granular, but some pedons are massive.

Bw horizon
Value: 5 through 8 dry, 4 through 7 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Texture: Loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam.
Rock fragments: Less than l5 percent gravel.
Structure: subangular blocky or prismatic.

Ck horizon
Value: 5 through 8 dry, 4 through 7 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Texture: Dominantly clay loam or sandy clay loam. In some pedons the horizon has thin strata of contrasting sandy or clayey textures. In some places it contains up to 50 percent gravel and cobbles.
Other features: High in pyroclastic materials. Secondary commonly is in soft seams and filaments.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Ardnes, Eastable, Legler, North Powder, Oxman, and Pocan series.

Ardnas, Eastable, Legler, and Pocan soils are deeper than 100 cm. North Powder soil have an A horizon with a reaction of slightly acid or neutral. Oxman soils have a Bk horizon with silt loam or silty clay loam textures.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ferdelford soils are on uplands at elevations of 1,520 to 1,680 meters. Slopes are l5 to 75 percent, and dominantly south facing. The soils formed in residuum weathered from interbedded soft calcareous tuff, shale, and tuffaceous sandstone. The climate is cool and semi-arid with cool moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 300 mm; mean annual temperature is 7 to 9 degrees C.; and the frost-free season is 95 to l20 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bucan, Puett and Susie Creek soils. Bucan soils have clay argillic horizons. Puett soils are shallow to weathered tuff. Susie Creek soils have clay argillic horizons and weakly silica-cemented C horizons.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; rapid or very rapid runoff; moderately slow permeability; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat with a few juniper cut for fence posts. The present vegetation is principally juniper, Douglas rabbitbrush, cheatgrass and basin wildrye.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Nevada. Ferdelford soils are of small extent. MLRA 25.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Elko County (Tuscarora Mountain Area), Nevada, l979.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A and part of Bw horizons).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 8 to 36 cm (Bw horizon).
Paralithic contact - The zones from 97 cm (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 97 cm (Part of the Bw horizon and the Ck horizon).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.