LOCATION FIREBALL NV

Established Series
Rev. OWB-WED-JBF
11/2016

FIREBALL SERIES

The Fireball series consists of deep, well drained soils that formed in residuum derived from basalt. Fireball soils are on backslopes and footslopes of hills, mountains and plateaus. Slopes are 30 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 150 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Haplargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Fireball very stony fine sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with 20 percent stones, 10 percent cobbles and 10 percent gravel.

A--0 to 8 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very stony fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; 20 percent stones, 10 percent cobbles and 10 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); strongly effervescent; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 13 cm thick)

BA--8 to 25 cm; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) very cobbly fine sandy loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, fine and medium roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; 5 percent stones, 20 percent cobbles and 15 percent gravel; few thin clay films coating rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); slightly effervescent; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 25 cm thick)

Btk--25 to 61 cm; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) very gravelly loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, fine and medium roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; 10 percent cobbles and 30 percent gravel; few thin clay films on the faces of peds, in the pores and coating rock fragments; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.5); strongly effervescent; clear wavy boundary. (25 to 50 cm thick)

Bk--61 to 119 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) extremely cobbly loam, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and medium roots; very few fine tubular pores; 10 percent stones, 25 percent cobbles, 25 percent gravel; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6); violently effervescent; abrupt wavy boundary. (46 to 76 cm thick)

R--119 cm; hard unweathered basalt.

TYPE LOCATION: Washoe County, Nevada, about 600 feet south and 800 feet west of the northeast corner, Sec. 18, T. 21 N., R., 25 E.; USGS Two Tips 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 41 minutes 35 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 12 minutes 39 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.6930556 latitude, -119.2108333 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, but are moist for short periods of time in winter and spring; typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 12 to 15 degrees C.
Depth to hard bedrock: 100 to 150 cm.
Depth to base of Bt: 40 to 75 cm.
Exchangeable Sodium Percent: 15 to 30 percent from the surface to base of the Bt.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 18 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 35 to 60 percent.

A horizon
Hue: 2.5Y or 10YR.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent to strongly effervescent.

Bt horizon
Hue: 2.5Y or 10YR.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Texture: Loam, clay loam or sandy clay loam.
Structure: Moderate or weak subangular blocky structure or is massive.
Reaction: Strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline.

Bk horizon
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Texture: Loam or silt loam.
Rock fragments: 40 to 75 percent.
Reaction: Strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.

COMPETING SERIES: These are Jurado, Minnye, Perazzo, Preatorson, Rednik, Stonell, and Zaba series.

Jurado soils lack bedrock between 100 and 150 cm and contain less than 15 percent exchangeable sodium. Minnye soils are moist in part of the moisture control section for 10 to 20 days in the summer. Perazzo soils contain less than 15 percent exchangeable sodium, do not have a Btk horizon and bedrock is greater than 150 cm. Preatorson soils have less than 15 percent exchangeable sodium in their sola. Rednik soils lack bedrock between 100 and 150 cm. Stonell soils contain 7 to 12 percent clay in the control section and the lower boundary of the argillic horizon is at 15 to 25 cm. Zaba soils have less than 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Fireball soils are on hill, mountain and plateau backslopes and footslopes adjacent to small ravines and steep gullies. Slopes are 30 to 75 percent. Elevations are 1,340 to 2,135 meters. The climate is arid with cold winters and hot summers. The mean annual precipitation is 125 to 200 mm; mean annual air temperature is 9 to 10 degrees C.; mean January temperature is 30 to 32 degrees F; mean July temperature is 20 to 21 degrees C.; and the frost-free season is 90 to 100 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Osobb, Pirouette and Rezave soils. Osobb soils have a hardpan and do not have argillic horizons. Pirouette soils are shallow. Rezave soils are shallow and have clayey particle-size control sections.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; medium or rapid runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for range and wildlife. The native vegetation is Bailey greasewood, shadscale, spiny hopsage, budsage, Indian ricegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail and desert needlegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern area of Washoe County, Nevada. They are moderately extensive. MLRA 27.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Washoe County, Nevada, South Part, 1980.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the surface to 25 cm (A and BA horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 25 to 61 cm (Btk horizon).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 119 cm (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 61 cm (Btk horizon).

Note - The soil has the chemical properties required for a natric horizon, but due to content of rock fragments, the soil lacks prismatic or columnar structure of a natric horizon.

ADDITIONAL DATA: User pedon ID: 2006NV031005.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.