LOCATION HIGHUP                  NV

Established Series
Rev. TM/JH/JBF
02/2012

HIGHUP SERIES

The Highup series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in colluvium and residuum derived from limestone. The Highup soils are on mountains. Slopes are 15 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 460 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 6 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, carbonatic, frigid Typic Calcixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Highup extremely gravelly silt loam, rangeland (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted). The soil surface is covered with approximately 65 percent gravel.

A1--0 to 5 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) extremely gravelly silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak thin platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 65 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)

A2--5 to 13 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) extremely gravelly silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 60 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 20 cm thick)

Bk1--13 to 41 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) very gravelly silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; many prominent secondary calcium carbonate concretions around rock fragments and pendants on bottom of rock fragments; 50 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 30 cm thick)

Bk2--41 to 61 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely gravelly silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine through medium roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; many prominent secondary calcium carbonate concretions around rock fragments and pendants on bottom of rock fragments; 65 percent gravel; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 50 cm thick)

Bk3--61 to 84 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely gravelly loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; many prominent secondary calcium carbonate concretions around rock fragments and pendants on bottom of rock fragments; 65 percent gravel; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt irregular boundary. (0 to 25 cm thick)

R--84 cm; hard limestone bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Lincoln County, Nevada, approximately 7 miles west of Pioche on Highland Peak; 1,780 feet west and 2,170 feet north of the southeast corner of section 28, T. 1 N., R. 66 E; USGS Highland Peak 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 37 degrees 54 minutes 57 seconds N and longitude 114 degrees 34 minutes 51 seconds W; NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: moist in winter and spring, dry in summer and fall except intermittently moist for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and September due to convection storms; xeric soil moisture regime bordering on aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 6 to 8 degrees C.
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 38 to 50 cm commonly includes the upper part of the Bk horizons.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 20 to 35 percent in the < 2 mm fraction, and 40 to 60 in the less than 20 mm fraction.
Depth to bedrock: 50 to 100 cm.
Depth to calcic horizon: 13 to 28 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 12 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 50 to 75 percent, mostly limestone gravel.

A horizons
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 2 to 4 percent.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent or strongly effervescent.

Bk horizons
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4 through 7 dry, 3 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Texture of fine earth: Silt loam or loam.
Consistence: Nonsticky or slightly sticky and nonplastic or slightly plastic.
Rock fragments: 50 to 75 percent, mainly limestone gravel.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent in the upper part and less than 1.5 percent in the lower part.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Canyonfork, Cavehill, Cedarcabin, Fontreen, Granzan, Lizdale, Lizzant, Lonjon and Sylvaniam series.

Canyonfork and Fontreen soils are deeper than 100 cm to bedrock. Cavehill, Cedarcabin, Granzan, Lizzant soils contain 18 to 27 percent clay in the particle size control section. Lizdale and Lonjon soils have mollic epipedon that are 18 to 38 cm thick. Sylvaniam soils have 33 to 64 cm thick cambic horizon and depth to calcic is greater than 41 cm and contain up to 25 percent clay.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Highup soils are on mountains, dominantly on backslopes. These soils formed colluvium and residuum derived from limestone. Slopes are 15 to 75 percent. Elevations are 1,920 to 2,865 meters. The climate is cool and semi-arid with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The annual precipitation is 400 to 600 mm, mean annual temperature is 6 to 7 degrees C, and the frost-free season is about 70 to 90 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Eganroc, Lodar and Monarch series. Eganroc soils have mollic epipedons greater than 50 cm thick, are not carbonatic and have cryic temperature regimes, Lodar and Monarch soils have bedrock at depth less than 50 cm.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The potential native vegetation is mainly curlleaf mountainmahogany, snowberry, and muttongrass. This pedon is correlated to Ecological Site R028AY059NV, Mahogany Savanna.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeast 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.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 41 cm (A1, A2 and Bk1 horizons).
Calcic horizon - The zone from 13 to 84 cm (Bk1, Bk2 and Bk3 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 84 cm (Part of the Bk1, Bk2 and Bk3 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.