LOCATION PHLISS                  NV

Established Series
Rev. DLJ/MJZ/RLB/JBF
05/2016

PHLISS SERIES

The Phliss series consists of shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from phyllite, slate and schist with minor amounts of quartzite. The Phliss soils are on crests and side slopes of mountains and foothills. Slopes are 15 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 230 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 10 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Lithic Xeric Haplargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Phliss channery loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with 50 percent channers and 10 percent flagstones.

A1--0 to 3 cm; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) channery loam, very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) moist; moderate thin platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine, fine and medium vesicular pores; 15 percent channers; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)

A2--3 to 8 cm; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) channery loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak thin platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent thin carbonate coats on undersides of rock fragments; 30 percent channers; noneffervescent matrix; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)

Btk1--8 to 18 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely channery loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; few thin clay films on faces of peds; strongly effervescent thin carbonate coats on undersides of rock fragments; 65 percent channers and 5 percent flagstones; slightly effervescent matrix; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 20 cm thick)

Btk2--18 to 33 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely channery clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; few thin clay films on faces of peds; moderately thick carbonate coats on undersides of rock fragments; 70 percent channers and 10 percent flagstones; strongly effervescent matrix; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary (8 to 23 cm thick)

2R--33 cm; fractured phyllite with carbonate coatings in fracture planes.

TYPE LOCATION: Pershing County, Nevada; approximately 100 feet south of Antelope Summit, about 250 feet east and 100 feet south of the northwest corner of section 30, T. 33 N., R. 31 E.; USGS Scossa, NV 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 42 minutes 14 seconds N and longitude 118 degrees 32 minutes 33 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.7040000 latitude, -118.5425000 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in winter and spring, dry mid June through October; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 12 degrees C.
Depth to bedrock: 25 to 50 cm.
Other features: Effervescence increases with depth.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 18 to 27 percent.
Rock fragments: Ranges from 15 to 80 percent in any one horizon, but averages 50 to 70 percent, mainly channers.

A horizon
Hue: 2.5Y or 10YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma 2 through 4

Btk horizons
Hue: 2.5Y or 10YR.
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Texture: Very channery loam, extremely channery loam or extremely channery clay loam.
Clay content: 20 to 30 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 50 to 70 percent, mainly channers.
Structure: Subangular blocky or is massive in some pedons when moist.
Consistence: Slightly hard or hard dry, friable or firm moist, slightly sticky or sticky and slightly plastic or plastic wet.
Other features: Some pedons have lime pendants on undersides of rock fragments in the subhorizon that directly overlies the bedrock.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Atlow, Boomstick, Checkett, Chubard, Cottle, Doorkiss, Fortyday, Gabbvally, Hooplite, Nevo, Olac, Old Camp, Richinde, Rowel, Soughe, Stewval and Thike series.

These Atlow, Boomstick, Gabbvally, Olac, Rowel and Soughe soils lack Btk horizons. Checkett soils have Bt horizons with hue of 5YR or 7.5YR. Chubard soils have mainly cobbles in the particle-size control section. Cottle soils are noncalcareous throughout the particle-size control section and contain 12 to 18 percent clay. Doorkiss and Richinde soils average more than 27 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Fortyday and Nevo soils do not contain Btk horizon and are not dominated by channers. Old Camp soils have a noneffervescent matrix. Stewval soils receive appreciable amounts of summer precipitation.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Phliss soils are on crests and side slopes of mountains and foothills. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from phyllite, slate and schist with minor amounts of quartzite. Slopes are 15 to 75 percent. Elevations are 1,310 to 2,290 meters. The climate is cool, semi-arid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm, mean annual temperature is 8 to 11 degrees C, and the frost-free season is 100 to 130 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Cleavage and Majuba soils Cleavage and Majuba soils have mollic epipedons.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained. Rapid or very rapid runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, spiny hopsage, pine 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 ESTABLISHED: Pershing County, Nevada, West Part. 1988.

REMARKS: The name is coined.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 8 cm (A horizon).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 8 to 33 cm (Btk1 and Btk2 horizons).
Xeric Intergrades- Meets organic carbon requirement for xeric.
Lithic contact - The boundary at about 33 cm (2R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from the surface to about 33 cm (A1, A2, Btk1 and Btk2 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.