LOCATION NAYFAN NV

Established Series
Rev. CEJ-WED-JVC-JBF
05/2016

NAYFAN SERIES

The Nayfan series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in colluvium and residuum derived from sedimentary rocks. Nayfan soils are on mountains. Slopes are 30 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 360 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 7 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Calcidic Haploxerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Nayfan gravelly loam--forestland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with a forest litter layer of needles, leaves, and other slightly decomposed organic materials.

A--0 to 8 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and few medium interstitial pores; 15 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)

Bw1--8 to 25 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine and common medium roots; many very fine interstitial and common fine tubular pores; 15 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 20 cm thick)

Bw2--25 to 36 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, fine and medium roots; many very fine and fine and common medium tubular pores; 30 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 36 cm thick)

Bk--36 to 69 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, fine and medium roots; many very fine and fine interstitial and common fine tubular pores; 20 percent channers; violently effervescent; secondary carbonates are finely disseminated in the matrix and segregated as few fine coats on bottoms of rock fragments; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); gradual wavy boundary. (20 to 50 cm thick)

Cr--69 cm; weathered calcareous shale.

TYPE LOCATION: Churchill County, Nevada; about 28 miles north of Frenchman in the Stillwater Range; 880 feet south and 100 feet east of the northwest corner of section 23, T. 21 N., R. 33 E.; USGS I X L Canyon 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 40 minutes 36.6 seconds N and longitude 118 degrees 14 minutes 53.5 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.6768333 latitude, -118.248194 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in winter and spring, dry in summer and early fall; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
ean annual soil temperature: 7 to 8 degrees C.

Mollic epipedon thickness: 18 to 30 cm.
Depth to bedrock: 50 to 100 cm to a paralithic contact. The paralithic materials below the contact are weathered sedimentary rocks such as calcareous shale.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 18 to 27 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent, mainly gravel, Lithology of fragments is limestone.
Pararock fragments: Up to 25 percent platy paragravel, Lithology of fragments is calcareous shale.

A horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 1 or 2 percent.

Bw horizons
Hue 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent.
Other features: The Bw1 horizon is part of the mollic epipedon. The Bw2 horizon is not thick enough to qualify as a cambic horizon.

Bk horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Structure: Subangular blocky or horizon is massive.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: Occurs as finely divided precipitates in the matrix or as coats on rock and pararock fragments.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the McCammon and Wahtigup series.

McCammon soils are moderately deep to lithic contacts. Wahtigup soils are deep to lithic contacts.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Nayfan soils are on mountains. They typically occur on backslope positions. These soils formed in colluvium derived from limestone and calcareous shale over residuum derived from calcareous shale. Slopes are 30 to 50 percent. Elevations range from 1,980 to 2,290 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 250 to 360 mm, the mean annual temperature is 6 to 7 degrees C., and the frost-free period is 70 to 100 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Jacratz soil. Jacratz soils are loamy, very shallow to paralithic contacts, and have ochric epipedons.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Nayfan soils are used for livestock grazing, wood products, and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is a forest canopy of singleleaf pinyon and Utah juniper with an understory of mountain big sagebrush, bottlebrush squirreltail, and snowberry.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 27.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Churchill County Area, Nevada, 1995.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 25 cm (A and Bw1 horizons).
Identifiable secondary carbonates - The zone from 36 to 69 cm (Bk horizon).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 69 cm to underlying soft bedrock (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 69 cm (Bw2 and Bk horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: The revision of July 2003 changed the classification from Aridic Haploxerolls to Calcidic Haploxerolls.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.