LOCATION NYALA                   NV

Established Series
Rev. LNL/LR/JVC/JBF
06/2016

NYALA SERIES

The Nyala series consist of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from welded tuff, shale, and limestone. Nyala soils are on fan remnants, fan skirts, and alluvial fans. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 150 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 13 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Durinodic Haplargids

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

A1--0 to 8 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate thick platy structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine vesicular pores; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)

A2--8 to 30 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 36 cm thick)

Btk1--30 to 46 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; many distinct clay films on faces of peds, lining pores, and bridging sand grains; few to common medium very pale brown (10YR 8/2) masses of secondary calcium carbonate; violently effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 23 cm thick)

Btk2--46 to 56 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds, lining pores, and bridging sand grains; common coarse very pale brown (10YR 8/2) masses of secondary carbonate and common fine very hard secondary calcium carbonate nodules that range up to 0.6 cm in diameter; violently effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 20 cm thick)

Bqk1--56 to 81 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) sandy loam, light gray (10YR 7/2) moist; weak thick platy structure; hard, firm, and brittle, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few fine tubular and many very fine interstitial pores; brittle matrix; few (1 percent) fine filaments of secondary calcium carbonate; violently effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6) clear wavy boundary. (20 to 66 cm thick).

Bqk2--81 to 107 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak thick platy structure; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; few fine tubular and many interstitial pores; few hard and firm durinodes; many very fine white filaments of secondary calcium carbonate; violently effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6) clear wavy boundary. (0 to 33 cm thick)

C1--107 to 140 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) loamy sand, brown(10YR 5/3) moist; few thin lenses of sandy loam that are hard and firm; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular and many fine interstitial pores; violently effervescent; very strongly alkaline; (pH 9.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (25 to 40 cm thick)

C2--140 to 183 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly loamy sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 20 percent gravel; violently effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6).

TYPE LOCATION: Lincoln County, Nevada; 2,230 feet south and 2,660 feet west of the northeast corner of section 21, T. 2 S., R. 56 E. ; USGS Worthington Peak SW 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 37 degrees 45 minutes 34 seconds N and longitude 115 degrees 41 minutes 32 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 37.7594444 latitude, -115.6922222 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in some part for short periods during winter and early spring months and for 10 to 20 cumulative days between July and October due to convection storms; typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 12 to 15 degrees C.
Depth to base of argillic horizon and upper zone of silica accumulation: 50 to 76 cm.
Depth to secondary carbonates: 23 to 56 cm.
Salinity (EC): 0 to 4 mmhos/cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 27 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent gravel. Lithology of fragments is mixed, and consist of tuff, limestone, dolomite, quartzite, shale, sandstone, and siltstone.

A horizons
Value: 6 or 7 dry.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.

Btk horizons
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Sandy clay loam or clay loam.
Clay Content: 27 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 gravel.
Structure: Weak or moderate, fine to coarse subangular blocky or prismatic.
Consistence: Slightly hard or hard dry, very friable or friable moist.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: Few to common medium masses of secondary carbonate and common fine, very hard carbonate nodules are in subhorizons of most pedons. Some pedons have thin Bk horizons underlying the Btk horizons.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 3 to 10 percent in the material less than 2 mm.

Bqk horizons
Value: 7 or 8 dry, 5 through 7 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 4, dry or moist.
Clay content: 12 to 20 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent gravel, some pedons have thin strata of 70 percent gravel.
Structure: Medium to thick platy or massive.
Consistence: Hard or very hard, dry, friable to firm moist, nonsticky or slightly sticky and nonplastic or slightly plastic, wet.
Reaction: Strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline.
Silica cementation: Subhorizons are continuously brittle in the matrix; up to 30 percent hard and firm durinodes are common in any subhorizon.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: Few to many very fine to medium masses or filaments of secondary calcium carbonate in subhorizons.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 3 to 10 percent in the material less than 2 mm.

C horizons
Texture: Loamy sand or gravelly loamy sand.
Rock fragments: 0 to 20 percent gravel and 0 to 5 percent cobbles.
Reaction: Strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 10 percent in the material less than 2 mm.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Caudle, Tocan, Unsel and Vigus soils.

Caudle soils have 0 to 5 percent rock fragments and less than 50 percent sand in the particle-size control section. Tocan soils do not have identifiable secondary carbonates in the argillic horizon and have 20 to 28 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Unsel soils have 15 to 30 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section and have very gravelly or extremely gravelly horizons in the lower part of the substratum. Vigus soils lack identifiable secondary carbonates in the argillic horizon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Nyala soils are on fan remnants, fan skirts, and alluvial fans. They formed in alluvium derived from welded tuff, shale, and limestone. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. Elevations range from 1,457 to 1,645 meters. The climate is arid with cool, moist winters and hot, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 150 to 200 mm, the mean annual temperature is 10 to 14 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 120 to 140 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Fang and Kawich soils. Fang soils are coarse-loamy, do not have diagnostic subsurface horizons, and occur on adjacent fan skirts and inset fans. Kawich soils are sandy and occur on dunes.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Nyala soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is mainly galleta, bud sagebrush, shadscale, winterfat, fourwing saltbush, and Indian ricegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central and southern Nevada. These soils are not extensive with about 4,500 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRAs 28B and 29.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lincoln County, Nevada, Pahranagat Valley.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 30 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 30 to 56 cm (Btk1 and Btk2 horizons).
Duric feature - The zone from 56 to 81 cm (Bqk1 horizon).
Particle size control section - The zone from 30 to 56 cm (Btk1 and Btk2 horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: NASIS User pedon ID 2009NV017021.

---

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.