LOCATION ILTON                   NV

Established Series
Rev. WDM/ELS/JBF
11/2016

ILTON SERIES

The Ilton series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks over soft tuffaceous sandstone. The Ilton soils are on rock pediments overlain with alluvium and fan piedmont remnants with a rock core. Slopes are 4 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 250 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Durinodic Xeric Haplocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Ilton very gravelly sandy loam--woodland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 3 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak thin platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine vesicular pores; 30 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)

A2--3 to 10 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, fine, and medium roots; common very fine, fine, and medium vesicular and tubular pores; 20 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)

Bk--10 to 25 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) gravelly sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine, and medium roots; common very fine and fine interstitial and tubular pores; 20 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; many hard fine calcium carbonate fragments that wet up easily; many thin carbonate pendants and soft coats on rock fragments;; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 20 cm thick)

Bkq1--25 to 61 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) very gravelly sandy loam, brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; common very fine and fine interstitial and tubular pores; 30 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; few weak durinodes 2.5 to 8 cm in diameter and that have brownish silica stains; few layers 2.5 to 5 cm thick are hard when dry and have more carbonate than the soil mass; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (25 to 50 cm thick)

Bkq2--61 to 91 cm; pale yellow (2.5Y 8/4) gravelly sandy loam, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 60 percent weakly cemented; 40 percent is discontinuous strongly silica cemented, hard, very firm, and brittle; few roots; 15 percent gravel; strongly effervescent except the strongly cemented material is noncalcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); gradual smooth boundary. (20 to 40 cm thick)

Cr--91 to 152 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) soft platy tuffaceous sandstone, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; few seams of calcium carbonate; few roots in fractures; 15 percent gravel embedded in the sandstone; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).

TYPE LOCATION: White Pine County, Nevada; 1,050 feet west and 2,900 feet south of the northeast corner of section 12, T. 15 N., R. 55 E.; USGS Green Springs NW 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 11 minutes 14 seconds N and longitude 115 degrees 43 minutes 47 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.1872222 latitude, -115.7297222 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry; moist in the late fall through mid spring, dry late spring through mid fall; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C.
Depth to paralithic: 80 to 100 cm.
Depth to weak cementation: 53 to 70 cm.
Depth to calcic horizon: 8 to 15 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 10 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent, mostly gravel.

A horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.

Bk horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.

Bqk horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 6 or 7 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Cementation: Subhorizons may contain 20 to 60 percent discontinuous weak, and 10 to 40 percent discontinuous strong cementation, and may have up to 30 percent durinodes.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Ardep, Biblesprings, Kunzler and Triplen series.

Ardep, Biblesprings and Kunzler soils are very deep. Ardep soils have C horizons with SAR of 10 to 30. Biblesprings soils have weakly to strongly cemented Bkqm subhorizons. Kunzler soils are 25 to 86 cm deep to the calcic horizon. Triplen soils are neutral and noncalcareous in the upper part of the profile, and are very deep.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ilton soils are on gently rolling to steep dissected rock pediment remnants overlain with alluvium and fan piedmont remnants with a rock core. These soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed rock over soft tuffaceous sandstone. Slopes are 4 to 50 percent. Elevations are 1,950 to 2,140 meters. The climate is cool, with cool moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 250 to 300 mm; mean annual temperature is 7 to 9 degrees C.; and the frost-free season is 100 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Blimo and Debab series. Blimo soils are very deep and lack calcic horizons. Debab soils are in a fine-loamy family, have argillic horizons, and have indurated duripans within a depth of 50 to 100 cm.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Woodland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly Utah juniper, singleleaf pinyon, black sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, snowberry, green ephedra, bluebunch wheatgrass, and Thurber needlegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 28B.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Pine County, (Duckwater Planning Unit), Nevada, 1974.

REMARKS: Ilton was reclassified in 1988 from frigid to mesic based on data.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the surface to 18 cm. (A1 and part of A2 horizons).
Duric - The zone from 25 to 61 cm (Bqk1 horizon).
Calcic horizon - The zone from 10 to 91 cm (Bk, Bqk1 and Bqk2 horizons).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at about 91 cm (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 91 cm (Bk, Bqk1 and Bqk2 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.