LOCATION GARNEL                  NV

Established Series
Rev. EWB/RLB/JBF
02/2012

GARNEL SERIES

The Garnel series consists of shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from granitic rocks. The Garnel soils are on mountains. Slopes are 8 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 450 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 5 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid, shallow Aridic Argixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Garnel very gravelly coarse sandy loam--forestland (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The surface is covered with approximately 50 percent gravel, 2 percent cobbles, and 1 percent stones.

A1--0 to 5 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 50 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.3); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)

A2--5 to 18 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 60 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 20 cm thick)

Bt--18 to 30 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and medium, and common fine roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; 55 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); clear irregular boundary. (8 to 13 cm thick)

Cr--30 to 51 cm; weathered granite.

TYPE LOCATION: White Pine County, Nevada; about 0.75 mile south of Strawberry Creek in Great Basin National Park; USGS Windy Peak 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 1,800 feet north and 2,200 feet east of the southwest corner of Section 29; T. 14 N; R. 69 E; latitude 39 degrees 03 minutes 16 seconds N and longitude 114 degrees 15 minutes 16 seconds W; UTM Zone 11 737580e, 4326400n, NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry; moist in winter and spring, dry in all parts at least 45 consecutive days 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; aridic bordering on xeric soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 5.5 to 7 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 18 to 25 cm thick.
Depth to paralithic contact: 25 to 36 cm.
Depth to unweathered bedrock: 50 to 100 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 20 to 27 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 35 to 60 percent, dominantly gravel. Lithology of the fragments is granitic rocks.

A horizons
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral

Bt horizon
Value: 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Clay content: 20 to 27 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent.
Structure: Fine or medium subangular blocky.
Consistence: Slight hard or hard, dry.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Deanran, Dotsolot, Lyra, Pinenut, Pinwheeler, and Poisoncreek series.

Deanran soils have mollic epipedons that include all of the Bt horizon.
Dotsolot, Epvip and Pinenut soils are 36 to 50 cm to a paralithic contact. Lyra soils have 27 to 35 percent clay and contain both gravel and cobble-size rock fragments in the particle-size control section. Pinwheeler soils have 10 to 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Poisoncreek soils have a lithic contact from 36 to 50 cm.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Garnel soils are on mountain backslopes. These soils formed in colluvium and residuum from granitic rocks. Slopes are 8 to 75 percent. Elevations are 1,950 to 2,640 meters. The climate is dry-subhumid, cool moist winters and warm dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 400 to 500 mm, mean annual temperature is 4 to 6 degrees C, and the frost-free season is 40 to 70 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Basinpark and Bellenmine soils. Basinpark soils are very deep and have cryic soil temperature regimes. Bellenmine soils have a lithic contact within 25 to 50 cm.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Woodland and wildlife habitat. The potential native vegetation is mainly singleleaf pinyon, Utah juniper, mountain big sagebrush, and bluegrass. This site is correlated to Ecological Site F28AY076NV Singleleaf pinyon-mountain big sagebrush-bluebunch wheatgrass-muttongrass.

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

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona

SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Pine County, Nevada, East Part. 2004. The name is coined from Garnet Mountain.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the surface to 18 cm (A1 and A2 horizons)
Argillic horizon - The zone from 18 to 30 cm (Bt horizon).
Paralithic contact - The boundary with weathered bedrock at 30 cm (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from the soil surface to 30 cm (A1, A2 and Bt horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.