LOCATION GAIA                    NV

Established Series
Rev. EWB/IJR/WED
12/2019

GAIA SERIES

The Gaia series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in till derived dominantly from quartzite with local admixtures of granitic rocks. Gaia soils are on moraines. Slopes are 15 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 610 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 4 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive Xeric Haplocryolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Gaia extremely gravelly loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The surface is covered with approximately 30 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, and 15 percent stones.

A1--0 to 15 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) extremely gravelly loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine, common medium and coarse roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 45 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, and 10 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.4) clear wavy boundary. (8 to 20 cm thick)

A2--15 to 28 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) extremely gravelly loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine, common medium and coarse roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 45 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, and 10 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.4) clear wavy boundary. (8 to 18 cm thick)

C1--28 to 43 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) extremely cobbly sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; 40 percent gravel and 30 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 30 cm thick)

C2--43 to 152 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) extremely cobbly sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; massive, slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine and common fine roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; few 2 to 20 mm thick discontinuous lamellae which are light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4), dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist with clay bridges between sand grains; 35 percent gravel and 40 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.6).

TYPE LOCATION: White Pine County, Nevada; about 1.5 miles west of Upper Lehman Campground in Great Basin National Park; about 1,600 feet north of the southeast corner section 1, T. 13 N., R. 68 E.; USGS Windy Peak 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; approximately latitude 39 degrees 1 minutes 3.8 seconds N and longitude 114 degrees 16 minutes 55 seconds W; UTM Zone 11 735320.99e, 4322258.80n; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.0177222 latitude, -114.2819444 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually moist; moist in spring, winter and early summer, dry in all parts for 60 to 90 days consecutively following the summer solstice (July and August), but intermittently moist in the upper part for 10 to 20 days cumulative due to convection storms between July and September; Xeric soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature - 4 to 7 degrees C.
Mean summer soil temperature: 7 to 8 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 20 to 38 cm.
Reaction - Slightly acid or neutral.
Other features: Some pedons have an O horizon above the mollic epipedon.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 8 to 18 percent;
Rock fragments: Averages 65 to 90 percent, dominantly gravel and cobbles. Lithology of the fragments in mostly quartzite.

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

C horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Other features: Some pedon have discontinuous lamellae 2 to 20 mm thick (and sometimes pockets) of high chroma material typically have loam or sandy clay loam textures, and the cumulative thickness is 3 to 8 cm.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Basinpeak, Berrycreek, Decram, Fairydell, Foxmount, Klug, Krackle, Lag, Middlehill, Rockabin, Steepshrub, Sup, Timmercrek, and Wareagle series.

Basinpeak soils have 18 to 25 percent clay in the control section.
Berrycreek soils have cambic horizons and average 18 to 27 percent clay in the control section.
Decram soils have a lithic contact at 50 to 100 cm and have 18 to 25 percent clay in the control section.
Fairydell soils have Bk and Bqk horizons and have 20 to 25 percent clay in the control section.
Foxmount soils have a paralithic contact at 50 to 100 cm.
Klug soils have cambic horizons and have 0 to 15 percent cobbles in the control section.
Krackle soils have a lithic contact at 50 to 100 cm, and have 30 to 50 percent rock fragments, and 27 to 35 percent clay in the control section.
Lag soils have cambic horizons and have O horizons composed of conifer needles and twigs.
Middlehill soils have a lithic contact at 50 to 100 cm and have Bw and Bk horizons.
Rockabin soils have a paralithic contact at 50 to 100 cm and the rock fragments in the control section are dominantly 2 to 5 mm gravel.
Steepshrub soils have cambic horizons and O horizons.
Sup soils have rock fragments with granitic and andesitic lithology and are not moist for 10 to 20 days in summer months.
Timmercrek soils have albic horizons and cambic horizons.
Wareagle soils have cambic horizons containing 18 to 25 percent clay and have rock fragments with dominantly rhyolite or tuff lithology.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Gaia soils are on moraines. These soils formed in till derived dominantly from quartzite with local admixtures of granitic rocks. Slopes are 15 to 50 percent. Elevations are 2,380 to 3,370 meters. The climate is moist-subhumid with cold, wet winters and cool, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 450 to 700 mm, the mean annual temperature is 3 to 6 degrees C., and the frost-free period is 40 to 60 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Jumble and Lemcave soils. Jumble and Lemcave soils have ochric epipedons and cambic horizons.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Recreation, livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The potential native vegetation is mainly curlleaf mountainmahogany, mountain big sagebrush, snowberry, dwarf Oregon-grape, and mountain brome.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East-central Nevada. MLRA 28A. These soils are not extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Pine County, Great Basin National Park, Nevada, 2009. The name is coined.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 28 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (C1 horizon and parts of the A2 and C2 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.