LOCATION MIGERN                  NV

Established Series
Rev. JR/RLB/WED
11/2015

MIGERN SERIES

The Migern series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in mixed alluvium mainly from volcanic rock. The Migern soils are on convex fan piedmont remnants. Slopes are 2 to 8 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 9 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 60 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, thermic Durinodic Haplargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Migern gravelly sandy loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with 65 percent pebbles, 5 percent cobbles.

A--0 to 3 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate fine and medium platy structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular, many fine and medium vesicular pores; 15 percent pebbles; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)

Bt--3 to 8 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; many very fine and fine, common medium and coarse roots; few very fine and fine tubular, common medium and coarse interstitial pores; common distinct clay coats on faces of peds and lining pores; 20 percent pebbles; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)

Bqk1--8 to 22 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) gravelly loamy sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine, common medium and coarse roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; 25 percent pebbles; common thick lime and silica pendants on undersides of pebbles; common discontinuous strongly silica-and lime-cemented horizontal plates, violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 25 inches thick)

Bqk2--22 to 65 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly loamy sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 25 percent pebbles; common thick lime and silica pendants on undersides of pebbles; common patchy lime coats on sides and upper surfaces of pebbles; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).

TYPE LOCATION: Nye County, Nevada; approximately 1.8 miles west of water reservoir at the north end of Oasis Valley, about 2,400 feet west and 790 feet south of the northwest corner of section 15, T. 10 S., R. 47 E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture - Usually dry, but moist in some part of the moisture control section for short periods between December and April, and for 10 to 20 days intermittent periods following summer convection storms.

Soil temperature - 63 to 67 degrees F.

Depth to base of argillic - 5 to 10 inches.


Control section - Clay content: Averages 20 to 30 percent.

Rock fragments: 15 to 30 percent.


A horizon - Value: 4 or 5 moist, 5 or 6 dry.


Bt horizon - Value: 4 or 5 moist or dry.

Chroma: 3 or 4 moist or dry.

Texture: Gravelly clay loam or gravelly sandy clay loam.

Clay content: 20 to 30 percent.

Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent.

Consistence: Soft or slightly hard dry, very friable or friable moist.


Bqk horizons - Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist.

Chroma: 3 or 4 moist or dry.

Texture: Gravelly loamy sand or gravelly sand.

Clay content: 2 to 5 percent.

Rock fragments: 20 to 30 percent.

Consistence: Slightly hard or hard dry.

Other features: Some subhorizons have discontinuous horizontal plates strongly cemented by lime and silica. In some pedons a discontinuous laminar cap is present.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series. The Palos Verdes series are similar. Palos Verde soils are shallow over a duripan.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Migern soils are on convex fan piedmont remnants. These soils formed in mixed alluvium from mostly volcanic rocks. Slopes are 2 to 8 percent. Elevations are 2,300 to 4,500 feet. The climate is hot, arid with dry summers and winters. The mean annual precipitation is 6 to 9 inches; mean annual temperature is 57 to 61 degrees F., and the frost- free season is 190 to 210 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Canutio, Seaman, and Peloncillo series. Canutio soils are found in swales and lack argillic horizons. Seaman soils are found in concave pockets and stringers and lack argillic horizons. Peloncillo soils are found on older adjacent landforms and have a loamy-skeletal control section.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Slow runoff; moderately slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly shadscale, Nevada ephedra, spiny menodora, cheeseweed burrobrush, spiny hopsage, and wolfberry.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Nye County Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 30.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: PHOENIX, ARIZONA

SERIES PROPOSED: Nye County, Nevada, (Southwest Part) 1983. The name is coined.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Argillic horizon - The zone from 3 to 8 inches.

Duric features - The zone from 8 to 22 inches.

Particle-size control section - The zone from 3 to 40 inches.

Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 11/2015. The last revision to the series was 11/2001. ET

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.