LOCATION NOVARK WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-silty over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Xeric Haplocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Novark silt loam, cultivated. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 5 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few medium and common very fine and fine roots; many very fine discontinuous pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
Bw--5 to 12 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine prismatic structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few medium and common very fine and fine roots; common very fine discontinuous pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); gradual smooth boundary. (3 to 12 inches thick)
Bk1--12 to 26 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silt loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; massive; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; friable impure masses of secondary lime and few lime aggregates; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); gradual smooth boundary. (4 to 16 inches thick)
Bk2--26 to 30 inches; pale yellow (2.5Y 8/2) silt loam, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; friable impure masses of secondary lime; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); gradual smooth boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick)
2C--30 to 60 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) and white (10YR 8/1) fine sand, black (10YR 2/1) and light gray (10YR 7/1) moist; single grain; loose; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Grant County, Washington; about 1 1/2 miles north of Warden, 1,680 feet east and 2,430 feet south of the northwest corner of section 28, T.18N., R.30E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is 50 to 54 degrees F. Novark soils are usually dry in all parts between depths of 4 and 12 inches from about May 1 to October 1. Depth to contrasting textures ranges from 20 to 40 inches.
The Ap horizon has value of 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3 dry or moist.
The Bw horizon has value of 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3 dry or moist. It is silt loam or very fine sandy loam. This horizon is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
The Bk horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist, and chroma of 1 through 3 dry or moist. It is very fine sandy loam or silt loam.
The 2C horizon is dominated by dark colored basaltic sand. It is fine sand, sand, or coarse sand.
COMPETING SERIES: These are no competing series. similar soils are the Ephrata, Sagemoor, Shano, and Warden series in other families. Ephrata soils are coarse, loamy in the upper part of the particle size control section and have more than 35 percent coarse fragments in the lower part. Sagemoor, Shano, and Warden soils lack strongly contrasting sandy material in the particle size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Novark soils are on terraces at elevations of 400 to 1,400 feet. Slopes are from 0 to 35 percent. The soils formed in loess over glacial outwash and alluvium. The climate is arid with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 6 to 9 inches. The mean January temperature is about 27 degrees F.; the mean July temperature is about 75 degrees F.; and the mean annual temperature is about 50 to 53 degrees F. The frost free season is 150 to 210 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the similar Ephrata and Warden soils and the Burbank and Timmerman soils. Burbank soils are sandy, skeletal. Timmerman soils are sandy.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; moderate permeability in the medium textured horizons and very rapid in the coarse textured horizons.
USE AND VEGETATION: Irrigated crops and range. Native vegetation is Sandberg bluegrass, bluebunch wheatgrass, rabbitbrush, and big sagebrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Washington. Series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Grant County, Washington, 1979.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon include: Ochric epipedon - 0 to 5 inches (Ap horizon) Cambic horizon - 5 to 12 inches (Bw horizon) Calcic horizon - 12 to 30 inches (Bk1 and Bk2 horizons) A lithologic discontinuity to fine sand at 30 inches Particle-size control section - 10 to 40 inches (Bw, Bk1, Bk2, 2C). This soil is reclassified based on amendment 17 of Soil Taxonomy.