LOCATION NODUR                   NV

Established Series
Rev. TEB/RLB/JBF
05/2016

NODUR SERIES

The Nodur series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived mainly from granitic rocks with a component of loess and volcanic ash. The Nodur soils are on erosional fan piedmont remnants. Slopes are 2 to 8 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 230 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 11 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Durinodic Xeric Natrargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Nodur sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with 10 percent gravel and 2 percent with cobbles.

A1--0 to 5 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; many fine vesicular pores; 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 10 cm thick)

A2--5 to 10 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate thin platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few medium roots; many fine vesicular pores; 5 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)

Btn--10 to 41; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay, dark yellowish brown 10YR 4/4) moist; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) bleached cap on columns and dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) organic stains on ped surfaces; strong fine and medium columnar structure; extremely hard, firm, moderately sticky and very plastic; common very fine and few fine exped roots; continuous moderately thick clay films on ped faces; 5 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (25 to 30 cm thick)

Bqk1--41 to 69 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) sandy loam with a thin, discontinuous silica laminae cap; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; extremely hard, firm, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; continuous brittle matrix; few fine and medium carbonate filaments and seams; 10 percent gravel; noneffervescent matrix; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (20 to 40 cm thick)

Bqk2--69 to 84 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; strong thick platy structure; extremely hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots between plates; few very fine interstitial pores; continuous brittle matrix; common coarse carbonate seams; 20 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 38 cm thick)

Bqk3--84 to 117 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; extremely hard, firm, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few fine interstitial pores; continuous brittle matrix; few fine carbonate filaments and horizontal seams; 20 percent gravel; noneffervescent matrix; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 38 cm thick)

Bqk4--117 to 152 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly coarse sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist; massive; extremely hard, firm, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few very fine tubular pores; continuous brittle matrix; common coarse soft masses of carbonate; 20 percent gravel; noneffervescent matrix; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).

TYPE LOCATION: Pershing County, Nevada; approximately 5 miles east of Winnemucca Lake, about 500 feet west and 1,200 feet south of the northeast corner of section 28, T. 27 N., R. 25 E.; USGS Tunnel Spring, NV 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 11 minutes 6 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 10 minutes 32 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.1850000 latitude, -119.175556 longitude..

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry; moist in winter and spring, dry from late May through November; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 12 to 13 degrees C.
Depth to the continuous brittle matrix: 30 to 50 cm.
Depth to carbonates: 25 to 50 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 35 to 50 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent, mainly fine gravel.

A horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.

Btn horizons
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Texture: Clay, sandy clay or clay loam.
Structure: Columnar or prismatic.
Consistence: Very hard or extremely hard, dry.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Carbonates: Typically noneffervescent but in some pedons the lower subhorizon is slightly effervescent or contains a few carbonate filaments.
Sodicity (SAR): 13 to 46 percent.

Bqk horizons
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 3 through 6.
Texture: Sandy loam, coarse sandy loam, gravelly sandy loam or gravelly coarse sandy loam.
Clay content: 5 to 10 percent.
Rock fragments: 10 to 25 percent, mainly fine gravel.
Structure: Platy or horizon is massive.
Consistence: Very hard or extremely hard dry, firm or very firm moist.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Other features: In some pedons noncemented Bk horizons are common below 100 cm.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Gardnerville series. Gardnerville soils have mean annual soil temperature of less than 11 degrees C.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Nodur soils are on fan piedmont remnants. These soils formed in alluvium derived mainly from granite with a component of loess and volcanic ash. Slopes are 2 to 8 percent. Elevations are 1,375 to 1,925 meters. The climate is cool semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm, mean annual temperature is 11 to 12 degrees C, and the frost-free season is 110 to 130 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Shawave and Slipback series. Shawave and Slipback soils have fine-loamy particle-size control sections and lack silica cemented horizons.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly subspecies of low sagebrush, bluegrass and bottlebrush squirreltail.

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

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

SERIES PROPOSED: Pershing County, Nevada, West Part, 1986.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).
Natric horizons - The zone from about 10 to 41 cm (Btn horizon).
Continuous weak silica cementation - The zone from about 41 to 152 cm (Bqk horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 41 cm (Btn horizon).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.