LOCATION HESSING                 NV

Established Series
Rev. CEJ/PWB/JVC/JBF
05/2016

HESSING SERIES

The Hessing series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks, loess, and volcanic ash. Hessing soils are on beach plains, fan skirts, inset fans, and lagoons. Slopes are 0 to 4 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 175 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Haplocambids

TYPICAL PEDON: Hessing silt loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 10 cm; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; moderate thin and very thick platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine, fine and medium roots; many vesicular pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 18 cm thick)

Bw--10 to 28 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) silty clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and very plastic; many very fine and few fine roots; many very fine interstitial and tubular pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (15 to 50 cm thick)

Bqk--28 to 33 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) silt loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak thick platy structure; hard, very friable and firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 15 percent weak discontinuous silica cementation; 10 percent weak rounded, coarse and very coarse (15 to 25 millimeter) durinodes; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 8 cm thick)

C--33 to 46 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very fine sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and few fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 5 percent fine gravel; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 20 cm thick)

2Bk1--46 to 66 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 25 percent gravel; common fine carbonate filaments and coatings on gravel; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 31 cm thick)

2Bk2--66 to 76 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 30 percent gravel; few fine carbonate filaments; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 28 cm thick)

3Ck--76 to 152 cm; variegated extremely gravelly loamy coarse sand; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; 65 percent gravel; many fine carbonate filaments; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).

TYPE LOCATION: Lander County, Nevada; about 61 miles southwest of Battle Mountain; 790 feet east and 300 feet north of the southwest corner of section 7, T. 24 N., R. 41 E.; latitude 39 degrees 57 minutes 43 seconds N and longitude 117 degrees 24 minutes 44 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.9616667 latitude, -117.412778 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist for short periods in winter and spring, dry summer and fall; USGS Gilbert Creek NW 7.5 minute quadrangle; typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 12 degrees C.
Depth to base of cambic horizon: 28 to 50 cm.
Depth to 2Bk horizons: 38 to 64 cm.
Depth to 3Ck horizon: 64 to 90 cm.
Other features: Up to 50 percent thin discontinuous, weak, silica- cemented lenses, and up to 20 percent weak durinodes are present in any horizons below 28 cm in some pedons.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 8 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 15 to 35 percent gravel, lithology of fragments is mixed.

A horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Other features: Some pedons have slightly effervescent surfaces due to calcareous dust recharge.

Bw horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Texture: Silt loam or silty clay loam.
Structure: Platy, prismatic, or subangular blocky.
Consistence: Slightly sticky or moderately sticky, slightly plastic to very plastic, slightly hard or hard dry, very friable or friable moist.

Bqk and C horizons (when present)
Texture: Very fine sandy loam and silt loam.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 10 percent.
Other features: The Bqk horizon is too thin to qualify as a calcic horizon.

2Bk horizons
Texture: Gravelly loam or gravelly sandy loam.
Clay content: 15 to 27 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent gravel.
Consistence: Soft or slightly hard dry.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent through violently effervescent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 5 percent.

3Ck horizons
Texture: Stratified very gravelly loamy coarse sand to extremely gravelly sand.
Rock fragments: 50 to 70 percent gravel.
Consistence: Soft or loose dry.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent through violently effervescent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Embudo, Koyen, Monue, Quima, Unionville, and Wall series. Potential competitors in similar families are the Lusetti, and Wingrock series.

All of these soils, except Embudo, average less than 15 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section. Koyen and Monue soils do not have sandy-skeletal material within 100 cm and are more moist in summer months. Embudo soils have mean annual soil temperature of 13 to 15 degrees C. Quima soils do not have sandy-skeletal material within 100 cm and have moderate amounts of mica in the particle-size control section. Unionville soils are moderately deep to paralithic contacts of weathered granitic rock. Wall soils do not have sandy-skeletal material within 100 cm.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Hessing soils are on fan skirts, beach plains, inset fans, and lagoons. They formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks, loess, and volcanic ash. Slopes are 0 to 4 percent. Elevations range from 1,463 to 1,830 meters. The climate is cool-arid with cool, moist winters and hot, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 150 to 200 mm, the mean annual temperature is 8 to 10 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 100 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Antel, Batan, Creemon, Pumper and Relley soils. Antel, Batan, and Relley soils are fine-silty and have more than 20 percent durinodes in a friable matrix. Creemon soils are coarse-silty and have more than 20 percent durinodes in a friable matrix. Pumper soils are sandy-skeletal.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Hessing soils are used for irrigated cropland, rangeland, and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly shadscale, bud sagebrush, mustards, bottlebrush squirreltail, and Indian ricegrass. Irrigated crops are alfalfa, grass-legume hay, wheat, barley, and oats.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western and central Nevada. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRAs 24, 27, and 28B.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lander County, Nevada, South Part, 1985.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A horizon and the upper part of the Bw horizon).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 10 to 24 cm (Bw horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (Bqk, C, 2Bk1, and 2Bk2 horizons and portions of the Bw and 3Ck horizons).

---

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.