LOCATION MULHOP                  NV

Established Series
Rev. MJZ/DD/RLB/JBF
03/2016

MULHOP SERIES

The Mulhop series consists of shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from dolostone and limestone. Mulhop soils are on side slopes of mountains. Slopes are 30 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 280 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 7 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Lithic Xeric Haplocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Mulhop very gravelly loam--woodland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with approximately 40 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles and stones.

A1--0 to 5 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate thin platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine and few fine vesicular pores; 35 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 10 cm thick)

A2--5 to 15 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak very thin platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and few fine roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; 30 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 15 cm thick)

Bk1--15 to 30 cm brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine and medium and few coarse roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; 40 percent gravel; carbonate coating undersides of gravel; common fine soft masses of carbonate; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 20 cm thick)

Bk2--30 to 43 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine, few medium and coarse roots; few very fine tubular pores; 45 percent gravel; carbonate coats on gravel; common fine and medium carbonate filaments; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 13 cm thick)

2R--43 cm; dolostone.

TYPE LOCATION: Pershing County, Nevada; approximately 15 miles south of Imlay in El Dorado Canyon, about 1,120 feet north and 1,120 feet west of the southeast corner of section 25, T. 31 N., R. 33 E.; USGS Star Peak 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 31 minutes 06 seconds N and longitude 118 degrees 12 minutes 39 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.5183333 latitude, -118.2108333 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture; Moist in winter through early summer, dry mid-June through moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 6 to 8 degrees C.
Depth to calcic horizon: 10 to 25 cm.
Depth to bedrock: 36 to 50 cm.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 20 to 40 percent for the less than 20 mm material and 5 to 15 percent on the less than 2 mm material.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 18 to 26 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent, mainly gravel.

A horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist, horizons with a value of 5 dry and 3 moist are less than 18 cm thick.
Chroma: 2 or 3.

Bk horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Texture: Very gravelly loam with extremely gravelly loam common in some subhorizons.
Structure: Subangular blocky or is massive.
Consistence: Soft or slightly hard dry, very friable or friable moist, slightly sticky or sticky and slightly plastic or plastic wet.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Mogg series.

Mogg soils have Bw horizons and contain 15 to 25 percent calcium carbonate in the fine earth fraction.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Mulhop soils are on side slopes of mountains. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from limestone and dolostone. Slopes are 30 to 75 percent. Elevations are 1,640 to 2,290 meters. The climate is cool, semiarid with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 250 to 300 mm,mean annual temperature is 4 to 7 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 80 to 100 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Puffer and Xine soils. Puffer soils lack a calcic horizon. Xine soils have a mollic epipedon and are deeper than 50 cm to a paralithic contact.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly Utah juniper, black sagebrush, bottlebrush squirreltail and Sandberg bluegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North Central Nevada. Mulhop soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 24.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Pershing County, Nevada, East Part. 1986.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A1, A2 and part of Bk1 horizons).
Calcic horizon - The zone from 15 to 43 cm (Bk1 and Bk2 horizons).
Xeric Intergrades - Meet organic carbon requirement for xeric.
Lithic contact - The boundary at 43 cm (2R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 43 cm (part of the Bk1 and Bk2 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.