LOCATION NICANOR NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, nonacid, mesic, shallow Xeric Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Nicanor channery loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with approximately 10 percent flagstones, and 20 percent channers.
A1--0 to 3 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) channery loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate thin platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine vesicular pores; 3 percent flagstones, 15 percent channers; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 10 cm thick)
A2--3 to 5 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 10 percent channers; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 10 cm thick)
C--5 to 13 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) channnery clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; 20 percent channers; neutral (pH 6.8); clear irregular boundary. (0 to 15 cm thick)
Cr--13 to 64 cm; weathered schist; few fine and medium roots and fine lime seams occurring in fractures in the bedrock.
R--64 cm; hard schist.
TYPE LOCATION: Churchill County, Nevada; about 11 miles southwest of Frenchman; 1,400 feet south and 400 feet west of the projected northeast corner of section 29, T. 15 N., R. 32 E.; USGS Fourmile Canyon 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 8 minutes 30.9 seconds N and longitude 118 degrees 23 minutes 25.7 seconds W; NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually dry in summer and fall but moist in winter and spring; torric moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Soil temperature - 9 to 11 degrees C.
Depth to bedrock - 13 to 36 cm to a paralithic contact. Hard bedrock is commonly within 100 cm.
Reaction - Neutral or slightly alkaline.
Control section - Clay content: 18 to 27 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent pebbles.
A horizons - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2, 3 or 4.
Structure: Weak or moderate subangular blocky or platy.
C horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 4 through 6.
Texture: loam or clay loam.
Structure: Weak or moderate subangular blocky structure.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Boondock, Budihol, and Haar series.
Boondock soils have 5 to 15 percent rock fragments in the control section. Budihol soils have 12 to 18 percent clay in the control section. Haar soils have 10 to 18 percent clay and 50 to 90 percent pararock fragments (paragravel) in the control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Nicanor soils are on mountains. They formed in residuum and colluvium derived from metamorphic rocks. Slopes are 15 to 50 percent. Elevations range from 1,524 to 2,164 meters. The climate is cool-semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm, the mean annual temperature is 8 to 10 degrees C., and the frost-free period is 90 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Fubble soil. Fubble soils are shallow to a lithic contact and have an argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; high surface runoff; moderate permeability; high and moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: Nicanor soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is littleleaf horsebrush, Wyoming big sagebrush, black sagebrush, Nevada ephedra, desert needlegrass, and Indian ricegrass.
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:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 5 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 13 cm to underlying soft, weathered bedrock (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from the soil surface to 13 cm (A1, A2, and C horizons).
ADDITIONAL DATA:
NASIS pedon and site ID 07NV770Y080jbf.