LOCATION PIE CREEK               NV

Established Series
Rev. ELS/RAF/RLB/JBF
10/2019

PIE CREEK SERIES

The Pie Creek series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in residuum derived from tuff. Pie Creek soils are on hills and mountains. Slopes are 4 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 280 mm and the mean annual air temperature is about 6 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Very-fine, smectitic, frigid Aridic Palexerolls

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

A--0 to 5 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine, common fine, and few medium vesicular pores; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 15 cm thick)

E1--5 to 10 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2)and light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; many bleached sand grains; weak medium prismatic structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine, and few medium roots; few very fine tubular, and many very fine and fine interstitial pores; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)

E2--10 to 13 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; many clean sand grains; weak medium prismatic structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine, and few medium roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; few thin clay films on ped faces; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 5 cm thick)

Bt1--13 to 28 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) fine clay, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; strong medium and coarse columnar structure with light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry and dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist caps; 10 to 25 percent of the caps consists of bleached sand grains; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky, very plastic; common very fine, and few fine and medium exped roots; common slickensides and pressure faces; neutral (pH 6.9); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 23 cm thick)

Bt2--28 to 53 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) fine clay, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; strong coarse prismatic structure; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine and fine exped roots; few very fine exped tubular pores; many slickensides and pressure faces; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 30 cm thick)

Btk1--53 to 69 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) light clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; common slickensides and thin clay bridging; few fine soft lime masses; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 20 cm thick)

Btk2--69 to 89 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) light clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, sticky, plastic; common very fine and few fine interstitial pores; common thin clay films bridging and coating sand grains; few slickensides; many medium and coarse soft masses of lime; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 25 cm thick)

R--89 cm; tuff bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Elko County, Nevada; about 14 miles north of Carlin; 2,500 feet west and 200 feet north of the southeast corner of section 13, T. 35 N., R. 52 E.; USGS Swales Mountain 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 54 minutes 53 seconds N and longitude 116 degrees 4 minutes 29 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees xx.xxxxxx latitude, xxx.xxxxxx longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Moist in winter and spring, dry early June to early October; aridic bordering on xeric soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 7 to 8 degrees C.
Depth to bedrock: 58 to 100 cm.
Depth to lime: 38 to 70 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 60 to 70 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent gravel.

A horizon
Chroma: 2 or 3.

E horizon
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Texture: Loam, silt loam or very cobbly silty loam.
Structure: Weak medium prismatic or very fine to medium subangular blocky.

Bt horizon
Hue: 5YR to 10YR.
Value: 4 through 7, dry; 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Structure: Medium or coarse columnar or prismatic, some pedons are subangular blocky in the lower subhorizons.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.

Btk horizon
Hue: 5Y to 10YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Texture: Clay or clay loam.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.

Bk horizon:
Are present in some pedons. They have the same range of characteristics common to the Btk horizons.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Pie Creek soils are on low hills and mountains. These soils formed in residuum derived from tuff. Slopes are 4 to 50 percent. Elevations are 1,520 to 2,130 meters. The average annual temperature is 6 to 7 degrees C, the average annual precipitation is 250 to 300 mm, and the frost-free season is 70 to 100 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Chen, Pattani, Ramires, Susie Creek, Taylor Creek and Toeja soils.

Chen soils have bedrock with a depth of 50 cm. Pattani soils lack argillic horizons. Ramires and Susie Creek soils lack an E horizon, and are fine in the particle-size control section. Taylor Creek soils have cryic soil temperatures and lack an E horizon and bedrock within depth of 100 cm. Toeja soils are fine-loamy in the particle-size control section.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is principally low sagebrush, Sandberg bluegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, Thurber needlegrass and bluebunch wheatgrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern and North-Central Nevada. MLRA 25. These soils are moderately extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Elko County, Nevada, 1976.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 28 cm (A, E1, E2 and Bt1 horizons).
Abrupt textural change - The boundary at 13 cm (Boundary between E2 and Bt1 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 13 to 53 cm (Bt1, Bt2, Btk1 and Btk2 horizons).
Identifiable secondary carbonates - The zone from 53 to 89 cm (Btk1 and Btk2 horizons.
Lithic contact - The boundary at 89 cm (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 13 to 63 cm (Bt1, Bt2 and a portion of the Btk1 horizon).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.