LOCATION KAFFUR                  NV

Established Series
Rev. EWB-WED-JVC-JBF
12/2019

KAFFUR SERIES

The Kaffur series consists of very shallow, well drained soils that formed in colluvium and residuum derived from granitic rocks with additions of calcareous eolian material. Kaffur soils are on mountains. Slopes are 30 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 230 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic, shallow Xeric Torriorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Kaffur very gravelly sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted). The soil surface is partially covered with 5 percent stones, 5 percent cobbles, and 40 percent gravel.

A1--0 to 3 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) very gravelly sandy loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; weak medium platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 10 cm thick)

A2--3 to 10 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) very gravelly sandy loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 50 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 15 cm thick)

Cr--10 to 53 cm; weathered granite.

TYPE LOCATION: Washoe County, Nevada; about 3.5 miles northwest of Gerlach in the Granite Range; approximately 2,600 feet south and 800 feet west of the northeast corner of section 33, T. 33 N., R. 23 E.; USGS Gerlach 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 41 minutes 57 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 22 minutes 23 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.6991667 latitude, -119.3730556 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in winter and early spring, dry summer and fall; aridic soil moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 11 to 12 degrees C.
Depth to bedrock: 10 to 25 cm to a paralithic contact. The paralithic materials below the contact are weathered granitic rock such as granite or granodiorite.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent or strongly effervescent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 10 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent over one-half of which are fine (2 to 5 mm diameter) gravel.

A horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Very gravelly sandy loam or very gravelly coarse sandy loam.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Calpeak, Kzin, and Weepah series.

Calpeak soils are intermittently moist for 10 to 20 days from July to October from summer convective storms and have paralithic materials of weathered tuff in the series control section. Kzin and Weepah soils have a horizon with identifiable secondary carbonates, have 15 to 35 percent calcium carbonate equivalent, and have paralithic materials of calcareous clastic sedimentary and pyroclastic rocks in the series control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Kaffur soils are on mountains. They typically occur on backslope positions. These soils formed in colluvium and residuum derived from granitic rocks with additions of calcareous eolian material. Slopes are 30 to 75 percent. Elevations range from 1,465 to 1,770 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm, the mean annual temperature is 9 to 10 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 80 to 100 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Slocave soil. Slocave soils have a typic aridic moisture regimes.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Kaffur soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly Lahontan sagebrush, green rabbitbrush, purple sage, Sandberg's bluegrass, phlox, and scattered Utah juniper.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Nevada. These soils are not extensive with about 3,600 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRA 23.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Washoe County, Nevada, Central Part, 1990. The name is coined.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 10 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 10 cm to underlying weathered bedrock (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from the soil surface to 10 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.