LOCATION LYRA                    NV

Established Series
Rev. RBS/PWB/GJS/JBF
07/2019

LYRA SERIES

The Lyra series consists of shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from shale, tuffs, sandstone or conglomerate. Lyra soils are on side slopes of fan piedmont remnants with a rock core, hills and mountain. Slopes are l5 to 30 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 300 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 6 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid, shallow Aridic Argixerolls

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

A--0 to 5 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine and medium granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 20 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)

Bt1--5 to 18 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely gravelly clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine, few medium roots; many very fine interstitial and tubular pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds; 60 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.1); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 18 cm thick)

Bt2--18 to 30 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely cobbly clay, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; strong thin and medium platy structure; hard, very friable, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine, few fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; continuous faint clay films on faces of peds; 50 percent gravel, 40 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 23 cm thick)

2Cr--30 to 36 cm; foliated, fractured, soft shale; few very fine roots along fracture planes; common fine carbonate filaments on bottoms of plates; neutral (pH 7.2)

TYPE LOCATION: Elko County, Nevada, approximately 30 miles north of Elko about 1,900 feet east and 2,300 feet south of northwest corner, section 29, T. 38 N., R. 56 E.; USGS Coal Mine Basin 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 4l degrees 09 minutes 18 seconds N and longitude 115 degrees 41 minutes 30 seconds longitude; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 41.1550000 latitude, -115.6916667 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist winter and spring; dry from late June through October; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 5 to 8 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 18 to 30 cm and includes all or part of the argillic horizon.
Depth to paralithic contact: 25 to 36 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 27 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 55 to 70 percent.

A horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Structure: Moderate to strong, very thin to medium, platy or granular. Consistence: Slightly sticky or sticky, slightly plastic or plastic wet.

Bt horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Clay content: 27 to 45 percent.
Texture: Very gravelly clay loam or extremely gravelly clay loam in the upper part; extremely cobbly clay or extremely cobbly clay loam in the lower part.
Structure: Subangular blocky or platy rock structure.
Consistence: Slightly hard or hard dry, sticky or very sticky and plastic or very plastic wet.
Reaction: Neutral through moderately alkaline increasing with depth.

Cr horizon
Other features: Has fine carbonate coatings on the sides and bottom of the fractured paralithic bedrock in the first 10 to 15 cm.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Deanran, Dotsolot, Garnel, Pinenut, Poisoncreek series.

Deanran, Dotsolot, and Pinenut soils have less than 27 percent clay. Garnel soils have 50 percent or more fine sand or coarser in the particle-size control section. Poisoncreek soils have dominantly 2 to 5 mm gravel.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Lyra soils are on hills, mountains and side slopes of fan piedmont remnants with a rock core. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from sedimentary rocks such as shale, sandstone, tuffs or conglomerate. Slopes are 15 to 30 percent. Elevations are 1,710 to 2,350 meters. The climate is cool, semiarid with warm, dry summers and cool moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 250 to 360 mm, mean annual temperature is 4 to 7 degrees C, and the frost-free season is 80 to 100 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cleavage and Loncan soils. Cleavage soils are shallow to a lithic contact. Loncan soils are deep and have a fine-loamy particle-size control section.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly big sagebrush, downy rabbitbrush, Douglas rabbitbrush, snowberry, bitterbrush, currant, phlox, basin wildrye, Indian ricegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, Sandberg bluegrass, cheatgrass, lupine, balsamroot and globemallow.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 25.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Elko County, Nevada, Central Part, 1986.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 30 cm (A, Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 5 to 30 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 30 cm (2Cr layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from the soil surface to 30 cm (A1, Bt1, Bt2 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.