LOCATION FERVER                  NV+CA

Established Series
Rev. SES-TM-JVC-JBF
12/2019

FERVER SERIES

The Ferver series consists of moderately deep to a duripan, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from basalt and andesite. Ferver soils are on plateaus. Slopes are 2 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 280 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 8 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Very-fine, smectitic, mesic Vertic Argidurids

TYPICAL PEDON: Ferver very cobbly silt loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with about 1 percent stones, 25 percent cobbles, and 20 percent gravel.

A1--0 to 5 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very cobbly silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; strong very thin and thin platy structure; hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine and fine, common medium vesicular pores; 1 percent stones, 25 percent cobbles, and 20 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)

A2--5 to 13 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; strong very thick and thick platy structure; very hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine and fine vesicular pores; 5 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 13 cm thick)

Btss1--13 to 38 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; strong medium and coarse prismatic structure; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and fine, few medium and coarse horizontal roots; few very fine tubular pores; many distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; vertical cracks 8 millimeters to 1 cm wide and 8 to 10 cm apart extend through horizon; few slickensides bounding wedge-shaped peds and tilted 30 degrees from the horizontal; 10 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (20 to 38 cm thick)

Btss2--38 to 56 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; strong fine and medium prismatic structure parting to strong very fine and fine angular blocky; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; many distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; few slickensides bounding wedge-shaped peds tilted 30 degrees from the horizontal; 10 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 30 cm thick)

Btkss--56 to 71 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine and medium prismatic structure parting to strong fine and medium angular blocky; very hard, friable, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; common faint and distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 10 percent gravel; few slickensides bounding wedge-shaped peds tilted 30 degrees from the horizontal; secondary carbonates segregated as few fine masses; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 20 cm thick)

Bqk--71 to 89 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to strong fine and medium angular blocky; hard, friable, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; common silica bridges between mineral grains; 10 percent gravel; 5 percent 10 to 20 mm hard, firm, moderately cemented durinodes; secondary carbonates segregated as 5 percent medium and coarse vertical masses along faces of prisms; 30 percent weak discontinuous silica cementation; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 23 cm thick)

Bqkm--89 to 117 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) cemented material, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; strong thin and medium platy structure; extremely hard, extremely firm; strongly cemented by secondary carbonates and silica; alternate medium horizontal plates with 1 to 2 mm discontinuous silica laminae on top of plates; horizontal root mat at upper boundary with many very fine and fine, few medium roots; violently effervescent; secondary carbonates segregated as coats on bottoms of some peds; gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 50 cm thick)

Cr--117 to 142 cm; weathered, fractured basalt; opaline silica and secondary carbonates lining fractures.

TYPE LOCATION: Washoe County, Nevada; about 0.75 miles east of the California-Nevada state line and 0.4 miles north of the Barrel Springs Road; approximately 100 feet west and 2,100 feet north of the southeast corner of section 20, T. 46 N., R. 18 E.; USGS Barrel Springs 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 41 degrees 53 minutes 32.7 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 59 minutes 07.5 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 41.8924167 latitude, -119.9854167 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in winter and spring; dry from mid-June through October; aridic soil moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C.
Ochric epipedon thickness: 5 to 15 cm.
Depth to duripan: 50 to 100 cm.
Depth to bedrock: 100 to 150 cm to a paralithic contact. The paralithic materials below the contact are weathered volcanic rocks such as basalt.
Other features: An abrupt horizon boundary is normally present between the A and Btss1 horizons accompanied by an abrupt increase in clay content of 35 to 45 percent.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 60 to 70 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages less than 15 percent, mainly gravel. Lithology of fragments is volcanic rocks such as basalt or andesite.

A horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.

Btss1 and Btss2 horizons
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Clay content: 60 to 70 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent; 0 to 15 percent gravel, 0 to 5 percent cobbles.
Consistence: Very hard to extremely hard dry, friable to very firm moist.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Slickensides and other vertic features: Few to common slickensides bounding wedge-shaped peds; vertical cracks 5 to 30 mm wide in the Btss1 horizon.

Btkss horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Clay content: 55 to 65 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent; 0 to 15 percent gravel, 0 to 5 percent cobbles.
Consistence: Very hard to extremely hard dry, friable to very firm moist.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Effervescence: Noneffervescent or slightly effervescent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 1 percent.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: Occurs as few fine or medium masses.
Slickensides and other vertic features: Few to common slickensides bounding wedge-shaped peds; vertical cracks 5 to 30 millimeters wide in the Btss1 horizon.

Bqk horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Clay content: 35 to 40 percent.
Texture: Clay loam or paragravelly clay loam.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent.
Pararock fragments: 5 to 10 percent weakly to moderately cemented durinodes or duripan fragments.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Effervescence: Noneffervescent or slightly effervescent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 1 percent.
Durinodes: Occurs as 5 to 10 percent 5 to 20 millimeter diameter nodules.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: Occurs as few to many fine to coarse masses.

Bqkm horizon
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Rupture resistance: Strongly cemented or moderately cemented.

COMPETING SERIES: There are currently no other series in this family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ferver soils are on plateaus. They formed in alluvium derived from basalt and andesite. Slopes are 2 to 15 percent. Elevations range from 1,590 to 1,710 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 250 to 300 mm, the mean annual temperature is 7 to 8 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 80 to 100 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Devada, Jaybee, Nitpac and Tunnison soils. Devada and Jaybee soils are shallow to lithic contacts. Nitpac soils are fine and have Mollic epipedons. Tunnison soils are moderately deep to paralithic contacts and have vertical cracks that open to the soil surface.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Ferver soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is dominantly low sagebrush, Sandberg's bluegrass, and Thurber's needlegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Nevada and northeastern California. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 23.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Washoe County (North Part), Nevada, 1995.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 13 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).
Abrupt textural change - The abrupt clay increase of more than 20 percent at 13 cm (between the A2 and Btss1 horizons).
Argillic horizon and slickensides - The zone from 13 to 71 cm (Btss1, Btss2, and Btkss horizons).
Identifiable secondary carbonates - The zone from 56 to 117 cm (Btkss, Bqk, and Bqkm horizons).
Durinodes - The zone from 71 to 89 cm (Bqk horizon).
Duripan - The zone from 89 to 117 cm (Bqkm horizon).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 117 cm to underlying weathered bedrock (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 13 to 63 cm (Btss1, Btss2, and part of Btkss horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.