LOCATION MIJAY                   NV

Established Series
Rev. GLT/JBF/WED
06/2016

MIJAY SERIES

The Mijay series consists of moderately deep over a duripan, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks, predominantly andesite. Mijay soils are on fan piedmonts. Slopes are 8 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 250 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 12 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Haploxeralfic Argidurids

TYPICAL PEDON: Mijay very gravelly sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The surface is covered with approximately 35 percent gravel and 20 percent with cobbles.

A1--0 to 3 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak moderately thick platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 35 percent gravel and 20 percent cobbles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)

A2--3 to 10 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak moderately thick platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine and common medium roots; many very fine interstitial and few very fine tubular pores; 15 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 15 cm thick)

Bt1--10 to 28 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak very fine prismatic structure parting to strong medium angular blocky; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine and few medium roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; common prominent clay films lining pores on faces of peds and common clay bridges between mineral grains; 25 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 28 cm thick)

Bt2--28 to 74 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very cobbly sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial and few very fine and fine tubular pores; few prominent clay films lining pores on ped faces and few prominent clay bridges between mineral grains; 30 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 60 cm thick)

2Bk--74 to 84 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very gravelly sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 35 percent gravel and 20 percent cobbles; common soft carbonate masses; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 15 cm thick)

3Bqkm--84 to 147 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) strongly silica and carbonate cemented duripan, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) moist; few very fine and fine roots in cracks; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (46 to 90 cm thick)

4C--147 to 152 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles; few thin silica pendants on undersides of rock fragments; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).

TYPE LOCATION: Nye County, Nevada; about 1,000 feet south and 1,300 feet east of the northwest corner of section 5, T. 8 N., R. 51 E; USGS Hobble Canyon 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 34 minutes 3 seconds N and longitude 116 degrees 15 minutes 15 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.5716667 latitude -116.2513889 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in winter and spring, dry in summer except for 10 to 20 days between July and October due to convection storms; aridic bordering on xeric soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 12 to 15 degrees C.
Depth to duripan: 50 to 100 cm, strong continuous cementation.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 27 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: Average 35 to 50 percent.

A horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.

Bt1 horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 4 through 6.
Texture: Clay loam or sandy clay loam.
Clay content: 27 to 40 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent.

Bt2 horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 4 through 6
Texture: Clay loam or sandy clay loam.
Clay content: 27 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent.
Other features: Weak silica cementation and few thin silica pendants on undersides of rock fragments in lower part.

Bk horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 moist.
Chroma: 4 through 6.
Texture: Sand or sandy loam.
Clay content: 2 or 12 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent.
Carbonates: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.

Bqkm horizon
Value: 7 or 8 dry, 5 or 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Cementation: Strong continuous cementation.

C horizon
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Texture: Sand or coarse sand or sandy loam.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent.
Structure: Single grained or massive.
Carbonates: Slightly effervescent to strongly effervescent.
Other features: Few thin silica pendants on undersides of rock fragments.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Mijay soils are fan piedmonts. These soils formed in mixed alluvium derived predominantly from andesite. Slopes are 8 to 15 percent. Elevations are 1,740 to 2,105 meters. The climate is cool, semiarid with moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm, mean annual temperature is 12 to 15 degrees C, and the frost-free season is 100 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Chuckridge, Morbench and Raster soils. Chuckridge soils are shallow and have an indurated duripan. Morbench soils lack a duripan and have a calcic horizon. Raster soils lack a duripan and have a mollic epipedon.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly black sagebrush, budsage, shadscale, galleta, Indian ricegrass and Nevada ephedra.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South-central Nevada. MLRA 29. These soils are not extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Nye County, Northeast Part, Nevada. 1993.

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).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 10 to 74 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Duripan - The zone from 74 to 147 cm (Bqkm horizon).
Xeric intergrade - Meets organic carbon requirement for xeric.
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 60 cm (Bt1 and part of the Bt2 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.