LOCATION LITTLESPRING            NV

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

LITTLESPRING SERIES

The Littlespring series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks over beach sand derived mainly from limestone and welded tuff. Littlespring soils are on stream terraces and basin-floor remnants. Slopes are 2 to 4 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 180 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 12 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Haplocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Littlespring coarse sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 13 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) coarse sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate thick platy structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine, and few medium vesicular pores; 5 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 13 cm thick)

Bw--13 to 25 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure parting to moderate medium granular; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine, fine, and medium roots; common very fine and fine interstitial and tubular pores; few (1 percent) distinct prominent masses of secondary calcium carbonate on bottom of rock fragments; 10 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 25 cm thick)

2Bk--25 to 69 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; strong coarse subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; very hard, extremely firm, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; secondary calcium carbonates disseminated throughout the matrix and many (20 percent) distinct prominent masses of secondary calcium carbonate around rock fragments and few (2 percent) large prominent secondary calcium carbonate masses, white (10YR 8/1), light gray (10YR 7/2) moist on faces of peds; 10 percent gravel; violently effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (25 to 43 cm thick)

3Cky1--69 to 86 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine and few fine interstitial pores; few (0.5 percent) distinct prominent masses of secondary calcium carbonate around rock fragments; few (1 percent) distinct prominent gypsum threads; common continuous one inch thick lenses of redoximorphic concentrations, yellowish red (5YR 4/6), reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; 20 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt smooth boundary.

3Cky2--86 to 150 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) stratified very gravelly loamy sand and sandy clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic (loamy sand part); weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic (sandy clay loam part); many very fine and common fine interstitial pores; few (1 percent) thin prominent masses of secondary calcium carbonate around rock fragments; few (1 percent) soft thin gypsum threads; 20 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary.

3Cky3--150 to 165 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) stratified sandy clay loam and sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; strong thick platy structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky and strong fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine irregular pores; few (1 percent) coarse prominent masses of secondary calcium carbonate; few (1 percent) fine prominent gypsum threads; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0). (Combined thickness of 3Cky and Ck horizons 48 to 137 cm)

3C--165 to 191; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine interstitial pores; 5 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).

TYPE LOCATION: White Pine County, Nevada; 2 miles northeast of Bigspring Ranch, 0.6 miles north of the Hamlin Valley Road and 20 feet north of a jeep trail; about 1,000 feet south and 2,500 feet west of the northeast corner of section 26, T. 10 N., R. 70 E.; USGS Tweedy Wash 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 42 minutes 48 seconds N and longitude 114 degrees 05 minutes 40 seconds W; NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry; moist in winter and spring and for 10 to 20 days cumulative due to summer convection storms; typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 11 to 15 degrees C.
Thickness of the calcic horizon: 25 to 43 cm.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.

Particle-size control section: Clay content: averages 27 to 35 percent in the upper part and 2 to 5 percent in the lower part.
Rock fragments: averages 5 to 15 percent in the upper part and 25 to 35 percent in the lower part, mainly gravel.

A horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 10 percent, of the less than 2 mm fraction.

Bw horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Textures: Loam, sandy loam or sandy clay loam.
Clay content: 10 to 24 percent.
Rock fragments: 5 to 15 percent, mainly gravel.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 10 percent, of the less than 2 mm fraction.

2Bk horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Clay content: 27 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 5 to 15 percent, mainly gravel.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 25 percent, of the less than 2 mm fraction.

3Cky and 3Ck horizons (when present)
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 6, dry or moist.
Texture: Stratified, averages gravelly loamy sand when mixed; includes sand through sandy clay loam.
Clay content: averages 2 to 5 percent; individual strata range to 30 percent.
Rock fragments: averages 15 to 35 percent; individual strata range from 0 to 50 percent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 10 percent, of the less than 2 mm fraction.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Emblem series. Emblem soils lack gypsum in the lower part of the profile and contain 40 to 70 percent rock fragments in the lower part of the particle-size control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Littlespring soils are on basin-floor remnants. These soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks over beach sand derived mainly from limestone and welded tuff. Slopes are 2 to 4 percent. Elevations range from 1,650 to 1,740 mm. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 150 to 200 mm, the mean annual temperature is 10 to 14 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 100 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Bigspring, Greatday, Kunzler, and Slaw soils. None of these soils have contrasting sandy textures in the lower part. In addition, the Bigspring soils have mollic epipedons. Greatday soils contain have fine-loamy control sections. The Kunzler soils contain less than 18 percent clay. The Slaw soils are fine-silty and do not have calcic horizons.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Littlespring soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The potential vegetation is mainly shadscale, black greasewood, bottlebrush squirreltail and Indian ricegrass.

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

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona.

SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Pine County, Nevada, East Part, 2004.

REMARKS: The name is from a nearby landmark.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A and part of the Bw horizons).
Calcic horizon - The zone from 25 to 69 cm (2Bk horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (part of the 2Bk, 3Cky1 and part of the 3Cky2 horizons).

---

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.