LOCATION NIKEY                   UT

Established Series
Rev. VLM/RSJ/MJD/WWJ
12/2015

NIKEY SERIES

The Nikey series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately permeable soils that formed in alluvium from limestone, sandstone and shale. Slopes are 2 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 9 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 59 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Haplocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Nikey sandy loam - rangeland (Colors are for air dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 3 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak thin platy structure; loose, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; strongly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)

Bw--3 to 26 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) fine sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, nonsticky, slightly plastic; few fine and medium roots; common fine and medium pores; 14 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (9 to 23 inches thick)

2Bk1--26 to 38 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) very gravelly loam, reddish brown (5YR 5/4) moist; massive; very hard, firm, sticky, plastic; few fine roots; common fine pores; 40 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 30 inches thick)

2Bk2--38 to 46 inches; pink (5YR 7/3) very gravelly loam, light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) moist; massive; very hard, firm, sticky, plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; 50 percent gravel; violently effervescent, carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)

2C--46 to 60 inches; pink (5YR 7/3) very gravelly loam, light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, sticky, plastic; few fine pores; 40 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3).

TYPE LOCATION: Washington County, Utah; about 7 1/2 miles south of Hurricane; 350 feet north and 500 feet east of the southwest corner of sec. 3, T.43S., R.13W; The Divide Quadrangle; lat. 37 degrees 4 minutes 12 seconds N. and long. 113 degrees 18 minutes 30 seconds W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature: 59 to 66 F.

Mean summer soil temperature: 77 to 82 F.

The soils are dry in all parts of the moisture control section 75 to 85 percent of the time the soil temperature is above 41 F., unless irrigated. The soil moisture regime is typic aridic.

Depth to the 2Bk horizon: 20 to 28 inches

Texture: fine sandy loam, very gravelly loam to gravelly sandy loam with some strata of very gravelly sandy loam.

Rock fragments: 20 to 35 percent gravel and cobbles, with up to 65 percent in individual strata. In this pedon the weighted average rock fragment content in the particle size control section is 27 percent. In most places a gravelly, cobbly or stony pavement covers 10 to 40 percent of the surface.

Reaction: moderately to strongly alkaline

Hue: dominantly 5YR, but individual horizons of some pedons are 7.5YR.

A horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 through 6
Texture: sandy loam, loam, or very stony sandy loam
Rock fragments: 10 to 20 percent gravel and cobbles and 0 to 15 percent stones.

2Bk horizons
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist
Chroma: 3 through 6
Gypsum: In some pedons below about 38 inches contains few to many fine to medium gypsum crystals.

2C horizons
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist
Chroma: 3 through 5
Gypsum: Some pedons may contain few fine to medium gypsum crystals.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Agust, Algerita, Cronese, Grapevine, Guijarral, Rillino, Yipin, and Whitlock series. Agust soils have peak rainfall that occurs during August and September with the driest period between November through February. Algerita soils have 0 to 15 percent rock fragments in the particle size control section. Cronese contain a brittle matrix that is cemented by silica and contain nodules and concretion in the particle size control section. Grapevine and Whitlock soils have less than 20 percent rock fragments in the control section. Guijarral soils are strongly or very strongly alkaline in the lower part of the profile. In addition, Cronese and Grapevine soils are in the Mohave Desert (MLRA 30) and Guijarral soils are in the San Joaquin Valley (MLRA 17) receive mostly winter precipitation and are usually dry from April through November. Rillino soils have dominantly 10YR colors and the depth to the calcic horizons is 5 to 20 inches. Yipin soils have cambic horizon and average less than 15 percent rock fragments in the particle size control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Nikey soils are on alluvial fans and desert foothill slopes at elevations of 2,650 to 3,500 feet. Slopes are 2 to 15 percent. These soils formed in gravelly alluvium from limestone, sandstone and shale. The mean annual air temperature is 57 to 62 F., and the mean summer temperature is 79 to 84 F. The average annual precipitation is 8 to 11 inches. Freeze free period is 180 to 200 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Isom, Junction, Laverkin, Leeds and Tobler soils. Isom soils have carbonatic mineralogy and lack calcic horizons. Junction, Leeds and Tobler soils lack gravel and cobbles and lack calcic horizons. Laverkin soils have fine sandy loam or sandy clay loam cambic horizons.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used as rangeland, and irrigated cropland. Vegetation is creosotebush, Mormon tea, cholla, cheatgrass and galleta grass. Small areas of irrigated cropland have crops of alfalfa, small grains and sorghum

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Utah. MLRA 30. The series is inextensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Washington County, Utah, 1972.

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

Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to 3 inches. (A horizon)

Cambic horizon - zone from 3 to 26 inches (Bw horizon)

Calcic horizon - the zone of carbonate accumulation from 26 to 46 inches. (2Bk1 and 2Bk2 horizons)

Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999

Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 12/2015. The last revision to the series was 6/2005. ET

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.