LOCATION JERVAL                  NV

Established Series
Rev. DLJ/RLB/JVC/JBF
05/2016

JERVAL SERIES

The Jerval series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks, loess, and volcanic ash. Jerval soils are on fan remnants and lake terraces. Slopes are 0 to 30 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 150 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 12 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Durinodic Natrargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Jerval loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with approximately 5 percent gravel, 3 percent cobbles, and 2 percent stones.

A1--0 to 5 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate very thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many fine vesicular pores; 5 percent gravel, 2 percent cobbles, and 2 percent stones; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 15 cm thick)

A2--5 to 15 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate very thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel, 1 percent cobbles, and 1 percent stones; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 18 cm thick)

Btnk--15 to 46 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine prismatic structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 20 percent gravel; few carbonate coats on rock fragments; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 30 cm thick)

Btnky--46 to 56 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine prismatic structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine and few tubular pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 15 percent gravel; common fine gypsum and carbonate masses in seams and carbonate coats on rock fragments; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 20 cm thick)

Bqk--56 to 74 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) very gravelly sandy loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 35 percent gravel; 25 percent strongly cemented durinodes; carbonate coats on rock fragments; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 48 cm thick)

Bk--74 to 155 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very gravelly sandy loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable; nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine interstitial pores; 50 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; carbonate coats on gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).

TYPE LOCATION: Pershing County, Nevada; between Dixie Valley and Jersey Valley about 0.5 mile north-northeast of the Little McCoy Ranch; approximately 1,720 feet east and 3,010 feet south of the northwest corner of section 19, T. 26 N., R. 39 E.; USGS Sou Hot Springs 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 6 minutes 25 seconds N and longitude 117 degrees 38 minutes 19 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.1069444 latitude, -117.638611 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in winter and spring and dry late May through November; typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 12 to 15 degrees C.
Depth to base of natric horizon: 50 to 76 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 27 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 25 percent, mainly gravel.

A horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Effervescence: Noneffervescent through strongly effervescent.

Btnk and Btnky horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Gravelly clay loam or gravelly silty clay loam.
Structure: Moderate or strong, fine to coarse prismatic.
Consistence: Friable or firm moist, sticky or very sticky and plastic or very plastic wet.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Salinity (EC): 8 to 16 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 13 to 30.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent or strongly effervescent.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: Segregated on rock fragments, faces of peds, or in seams
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent.
Other features: Some pedons have visible secondary gypsum in the lower subhorizon.
Gypsum content: 0 to 3 percent.

Bqk and Bk horizons
Value: 7 or 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Very gravelly sandy loam or very gravelly fine sandy loam.
Clay content: 5 to 12 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 55 percent, mainly gravel with 0 to 5 percent cobbles.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Salinity (EC): 8 to 16 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 13 to 30.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: Segregated on rock fragments or in seams
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 10 percent.
Gypsum content: 0 to 5 percent.
Silica cementation: The Bqk horizon has 20 to 30 percent weak to strongly cemented durinodes in a friable matrix or has weak to strong discontinuous silica cementation with thin discontinuous laminae.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Beoska, Beowawe, Genegraf, Nyserva, and Ricert series.

Beoska soils have mean annual soil temperature of 8 to 11 degrees C. Beowawe soils have 18 to 25 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Genegraf soils have natric horizons with sodium adsorption ratios of 31 to 45 and Bqk1 horizons with a firm, brittle matrix. Nyserva soils have natric horizons with bases less than 25 cm deep. Ricert soils have Bqk horizons with a firm, brittle matrix.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Jerval soils are on fan remnants and lake terraces. They formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks, loess, and volcanic ash. Slopes are 0 to 30 percent. Elevations range from 1,128 to 1,524 meters. The climate is arid with cool, moist winters and hot, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 100 to 200 mm, the mean annual temperature is 11 to 13 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 110 to 130 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Chilper, Knoss, and Trocken soils. Chilper soils are clayey over loamy-skeletal and have natric horizons. Knoss soils are clayey, have natric horizons, and are shallow to indurated duripans. Trocken soils are loamy-skeletal, have ochric epipedons, and do not have diagnostic subsurface horizons.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Jerval soils are used for rangeland, limited irrigated cropland, and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly shadscale, bud sagebrush, pine bluegrass, and bottlebrush squirreltail. A cultivated crop is alfalfa for hay.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada. These soils are extensive with about 119,000 acres of the series mapped to date. The series concept is in MLRA 24, while the main acreage is in MLRA 27.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Pershing County, Nevada (East Part), 1986.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 15 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).
Natric horizon - The zone from 15 to 56 cm (Btnk and Btnky horizons).
Identifiable secondary carbonates - The zone from 15 to 155 cm (Btnk, Btnky, Bqk, and Bk horizons).
Durinodes - The zone from 56 to 74 cm (Bqk horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 15 to 56 cm (Btnk and Btnky horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.