LOCATION HARDZEM                 NV

Established Series
Rev. IJR-PWB-JVC
11/2016

HARDZEM SERIES

The Hardzem series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from shale and limestone. Hardzem soils are on mountains. Slopes are 15 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 760 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 5 degrees C.

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

TYPICAL PEDON: Hardzem channery loam--forest land. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with approximately 5 percent gravel and less than 1.5 cm of partially decomposed needles and twigs.

A--0 to 3 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) channery loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 30 percent channers; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)

Bt1--3 to 20 cm; pink (7.5YR 7/4) very channery loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate very fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine, medium, and coarse, and many very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds; 35 percent channers; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 33 cm thick)

Bt2--20 to 53 cm; brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) extremely channery clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist; strong very fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; common very fine interstitial pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds; 60 percent channers and 20 percent flagstones; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt irregular boundary. (25 to 66 cm thick)

Cr--53 to 132 cm; highly fractured soft calcareous shale; clear irregular boundary.

R--132 cm; hard fractured calcareous shale.

TYPE LOCATION: White Pine County, Nevada; about 2 miles northeast of Telegraph Peak in an nonsectionized area; approximately 2,600 feet north and 2,500 feet east of the projected southwest corner of section 5, T. 21 N., R. 63 E.; USGS Telegraph Peak 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 42 minutes 56.8 seconds N. and longitude 114 degrees 52 minutes 36.1 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.7157778 latitude, -114.8766944 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist, moist late fall through early summer, dry mid-summer through mid-fall; typic xeric soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 5 to 7 degrees C.
Mean summer soil temperature: 6 to 8 degrees C.
Depth to base of argillic horizon: 50 to 100 cm.
Depth to bedrock: 50 to 100 cm to a paralithic contact. The paralithic materials below the contact are soft sedimentary rocks such as calcareous shale.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 20 to 30 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 60 to 80 percent, dominantly channers, with some flagstones. Lithology of fragments ishard sedimentary rocks such as limestone.

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

Bt1 horizons
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 through 6, dry or moist.
Texture: Very channery loam, extremely channery loam, or extremely channery clay loam.
Rock fragments: Some pedons contain upper Bt horizons that average 35 to 60 percent rock fragments.
Structure: Weak to strong, very fine to coarse subangular blocky.
Consistence: Soft or slightly hard dry, slightly sticky or moderately sticky and slightly plastic or moderately plastic wet.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.
Other features: Some pedons have Bt2 horizons with identifiable secondary carbonates segregated as coats and pendants on bottoms of rock fragments.

Bt2 horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 through 6, dry or moist.
Texture: extremely channery loam, or extremely channery clay loam.
Structure: Weak to strong, very fine to coarse subangular blocky.
Consistence: Soft or slightly hard dry, slightly sticky or moderately sticky and slightly plastic or moderately plastic wet.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.
Other features: Some pedons have Bt2 horizons with few identifiable secondary carbonates segregated as coats and pendants on bottoms of rock fragments.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Shakespeare series. Shakespeare soils formed in undifferentiated metamorphic rocks and the depth to bedrock is 122 to over 152 cm deep to bedrock.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Hardzem soils are on mountains. They typically occur on backslope or footslope positions. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from calcareous shale and limestone. Slopes are 15 to 75 percent. Elevations range from 2,088 to 3,246 meters. The climate is semiarid with cold, wet, winters and cool, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 635 to 900 mm, the mean annual temperature is 4 to 6 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 50 to 70 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Guiser, Hardol, Haunchee, Hyzen, and Wardbay soils. Guiser soils are very deep. Hardol soils are very deep, have thick mollic epipedons and calcic horizons, and have carbonatic mineralogy. Haunchee soils are shallow to lithic contacts and have carbonatic mineralogy. Hyzen soils are very shallow and shallow to lithic contacts and have a frigid temperature regime. Wardbay soils are deep to lithic contacts, have thick mollic epipedons and calcic horizons, and have a frigid temperature regime.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; moderately low saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Hardzem soils are used for wood products and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly a forest canopy of white fir, limber pine, and scattered bristlecone pine, with a sparse understory of Oregongrape, bluebunch wheatgrass, snowberry, mountain big sagebrush, and common juniper.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern and central Nevada. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 28B.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Pine County (Western Part), Nevada, 1990.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 3 cm (A horizon).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 3 to 53 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 53 cm to underlying soft bedrock (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 3 to 53 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.