LOCATION KELK                    NV

Established Series
Rev. SES-TM-JVC-JBF
03/2016

KELK SERIES

The Kelk series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium and loess derived from volcanic rocks. Kelk soils are on inset fans, fan remnants, stream terraces, and fan skirts. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 200 mm and the mean annual temperature is 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Durinodic Xeric Haplocambids

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

A1--0 to 10 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak very thin platy; soft, very friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine vesicular pores; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)

A2--10 to 18 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak very thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine vesicular pores; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 10 cm thick)

Bw--18 to 36 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine and medium angular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine and few fine tubular pores; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 71 cm thick)

Bq1--36 to 43 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and common fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 50 percent 10 to 25 mm durinodes; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 23 cm thick)

Bq2--43 to 79 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 90 percent 10 to 25 mm durinodes; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 38 cm thick)

Bqk1--79 to 130 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard, firm and brittle, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine tubular pores; secondary carbonates segregated in common fine filaments; few fine distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) moist and few fine faint brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist relict masses of iron accumulation; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (20 to 86 cm thick)

Bqk2--130 to 152 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silt loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive, slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine tubular pores; 40 percent durinodes; secondary carbonates segregated in many fine filaments; few fine faint brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist relict masses of iron accumulation; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8).

TYPE LOCATION: Elko County, Nevada; about 7 miles southeast of Elko; 1,800 feet east and 1,500 feet south of the northwest corner of section 34, T. 34 N., R. 56 E., USGS Elko East 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 47 minutes 31 seconds N and longitude 115 degrees 39 minutes 19 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.7919417 latitude, -115.6552778 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in the winter and spring, dry from early June through October; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C.
Depth to base of cambic horizon: 25 to 90 cm.
Depth to horizons with durinodes or firm, brittle matrix: 30 to 90 cm.
Depth to secondary carbonates: 30 to 90 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 18 to 27 percent.

A horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Reaction: Neutral through moderately alkaline.
Effervescence: Noneffervescent through slightly effervescent.

Bw horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Structure: Blocky or prismatic.
Consistence: Very friable or friable, moist; slightly sticky or sticky and slightly plastic or plastic, wet.
Reaction: Neutral through strongly alkaline.
Effervescence: Noneffervescent through slightly effervescent.
Other features: Some pedons have 10 to 20 percent durinodes near the lower horizon boundary.


Bq and Bqk horizons
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 3 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Structure: Moderate fine and medium subangular blocky or massive.
Consistence: Soft to hard dry, very friable to firm and brittle, moist; slightly sticky or sticky and slightly plastic to plastic, wet.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline through strongly alkaline.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent through violently effervescent in the Bqk horizons.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent.
Durinodes: Subhorizons without continuously firm brittle matrix contain 20 to 90 percent durinodes.
Salinity (EC): 0 to 16 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 5 to 30.
Other features: Some pedons lack relict redox concentrations of iron in Bqk2 horizons; Some pedons have lenses of 5 to 15 percent gravel in some subhorizon or extremely gravelly substrata below 107 cm; Some pedons have silty clay loam 2Bk horizons below 100 cm.

COMPETING SERIES: At present, there are no other series in this family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Kelk soils are on inset fans, fan remnants, stream terraces, and fan skirts. These soils formed in alluvium and loess derived from volcanic rocks. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. Elevations range from 1,280 to 2,020 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm, 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 Bloor, Ocala, Prosser, and Settlemeyer soils. Bloor soils have natric horizons. Ocala soils have an aquic moisture regime. Prosser soils are coarse-loamy and moderately deep to lithic contacts. Settlemeyer soils are fine-loamy, have mollic epipedons, and are poorly drained.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; medium to very high surface runoff; moderately low saturated hydraulic conductivity. Occasionally flooded and saline-sodic phases are recognized.

USE AND VEGETATION: Kelk soils are used for livestock grazing, wildlife habitat, and irrigated cropland. The present vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, Douglas rabbitbrush, Sandberg bluegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, and cheatgrass. Irrigated areas are in alfalfa-small grain rotations. Some areas of rangeland have been seeded to crested wheatgrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern and central Nevada. These soils are extensive with about 120,000 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRAs 24, 25, and 28B.

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

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

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 18 to 38 cm (Bw horizon).
Durinodes and duric feature - The zone from 38 to 152 cm (Bq1, Bq2, Bqk1, and Bqk2 horizons).
Particle size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (Bq1 and Bq2 horizons and parts of the Bw and Bqk1 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.