LOCATION GOWJAI                  NV

Established Series
Rev. VB/TM/RLB/JBF
03/2016

GOWJAI SERIES

The Gowjai series consists of deep, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from mixed rocks with a component of loess and volcanic ash. The Gowjai soils are on hills and mountain side slopes. Slopes are 15 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 300 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 7 degrees C.

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

TYPICAL PEDON: Gowjai gravelly very fine sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with 20 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles.

A1--0 to 10 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly very fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine vesicular pores; 20 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 20 cm thick)

A2--10 to 28 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak thin platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and common fine roots; many very fine interstitial and common very fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 20 cm thick)

Bt1--28 to 46 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and common fine and medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; few faint clay films lining pores and coating faces of peds; 35 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 30 cm thick)

Bt2--46 to 91 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, fine and medium and few coarse roots; many very fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films lining pores and few faint clay films coating faces of peds; 35 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (30 to 60 cm thick)

Cq--91 to 132 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very gravelly very fine sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 15 percent brittle, weakly silica cemented durinodes; 35 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (25 to 50 cm thick)

2R--132 cm; fractured quartzite.

TYPE LOCATION: Humboldt County, Nevada; approximately 2.5 miles northwest of Winnemucca on Winnemucca Mountain about 2,500 feet west and 1,340 feet north of the southeast corner of section 11, T. 36 N., R. 37 E.; USGS Winnemucca Mountain 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 41 degrees 00 minutes 25 seconds N and longitude 117 degrees 46 minutes 59 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 41.0069444 latitude, -117.7830556 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Moist November to June; dry July to October; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 6 to 8 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 25 to 38 cm and includes only the A horizons.
Depth to bedrock: 100 to 150 cm.
Depth to base of Bt horizon: 76 to 100 cm.
Carbonates: Noneffervescent in all parts. Soft carbonate coats commonly occur along fractures of the bedrock.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 25 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent, mainly gravel.

A horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 4 or 5 dry.
Chroma: 2 or 3.

Bt horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: Very gravelly silt loam, very gravelly silty clay loam or very gravelly clay loam; thin subhorizons of very gravelly clay are in the lower part of some pedons.
Structure: Subangular or angular blocky.
Consistence: Slightly hard or hard, dry.

Cq horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Texture: Very gravelly very fine sandy loam, very gravelly silt loam or very gravelly loam.
Clay content: 5 to 15 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent, mainly gravel.
Structure: Massive or subangular blocky.
Silica accumulation: Up to 15 percent durinodes or weakly silica cemented lenses are common in most pedons.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Belate, Burnborough, Closkey, Devils, Granipeak, Jivas, Millan, Sumine and Torro series.

Belate and Burnborough soils are 100 to 200 cm deep to the base of the argillic horizon. Closkey, Devils and Sumine soils have a lithic or paralithic contact within 50 to 100 cm. Granipeak soils lack a Cq horizon of silica accumulation and contain 18 to 25 percent clay. Jivas, and Torro soils have more than 60 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control sections. Millan are very deep and are 25 to 50 cm to the base of the Bt. Remount soils are very deep, have a Bk horizon and contain 60 to 90 percent rock fragments.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Gowjai soils are on hills mountain side slopes. These soils formed in colluvium and residuum derived from mixed rocks with a component of loess and volcanic ash. Slopes are 15 to 50 percent. Elevations are 1,525 to 2,290 meters. The climate is cool, semiarid with hot, dry summers and cold, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 300 to 360 mm; mean annual temperature is 4 to 7 degrees C; and the frost-free season is 80 to 100 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Atlow and Bregar soils. Atlow and Bregar soils are shallow to bedrock.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly mountain big sagebrush, Thurber needlegrass and Idaho fescue.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 24.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Humboldt County, Nevada, East Part, 1993.

REMARKS: The name is from a local mining camp.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 28 cm (A1 and A2 horizons)
Argillic horizon - The zone from 28 to 91 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 132 cm (2R layer).
Particle-size control section - the zone from 28 to 78 cm (Bt1 and part of Bt2 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.