LOCATION PINWHEELER NV

Established Series
Rev. CWL/JBF
02/2012

PINWHEELER SERIES

The Pinwheeler series consists of shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium from granitic rocks. The Pinwheeler soils are on mountains. Slopes are 15 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 400 cm and the mean annual temperature is about 5 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid, shallow Typic Argixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Pinwheeler very gravelly loamy coarse sand--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with approximately 40 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, and 10 percent stones.

A--0 to 5 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) very gravelly loamy coarse sand, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 40 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, and 10 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)

Bt1--5 to 18 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial and tubular pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds; 40 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.8) abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 13 cm thick)

Bt2--18 to 25 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) extremely gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds, 65 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt irregular boundary. (3 to 36 cm thick)

Cr--25 to 64 cm; highly weathered and fractured granite.

TYPE LOCATION: White Pine County, Nevada: approximately 600 feet northwest along the road from the summit in Rock Springs Canyon; about 2,075 feet south and 2,100 feet east of the northwest corner of Sec. 22, T. 21 N., R. 69 E.; USGS Blue Mass Canyon 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 41 minutes 02 seconds N and longitude 114 degrees 09 minutes 55 seconds W; UTM zone 11, 0743102e, 4396515n, NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Moist late fall through early summer, dry late July through October except for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October due to convection storms; xeric soil moisture regime bordering on aridic
Mean annual soil temperature; 5.5 to 7 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 18 to 23 cm, and includes part of the argillic horizon.
Depth to paralithic contact: 25 to 50 cm.
Depth to unweathered bedrock: 50 to 100 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 10 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 35 to 70 percent, mainly gravel. Lithology of fragments is granitic rocks such as quatz monzonite.

A horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.

Bt1 horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Sandy loam or coarse sandy loam.
Clay content: 10 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent, mostly gravel, with about half the gravel 2 to 5 mm in diameter.

Bt2 horizon
Value: 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Sandy loam or coarse sandy loam.
Clay content: 15 to 20 percent.
Rock fragments: 50 to 80 percent, mostly gravel, with about half the gravel 2 to 5 mm in diameter.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Crispy, Cucamungo, Grandridge, Pinew, Quopant, and Trailamp series.

Crispy soils have 18 to 25 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Cucamungo soils have 20 to 30 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Grandridge soils have 18 to 25 percent clay in the particle-size control section and are not intermittently moist for 10 to 20 days during the summer due to convection storms. Pinew soils have rock fragments which are volcanic rocks and have paralithic materials of weathered tuff or andesite in the series control section. Quopant soils have 2C horizons below the argillic horizon and have paralithic materials of weathered ash-flow tuff in the series control section. Trailamp soils are slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Pinwheeler soils are on mountains. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium of granitic rocks. Slopes are 15 to 50 percent. Elevations are 2,130 to 2,870 meters. The climate is cool, semiarid with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 350 to 450 mm. The mean annual temperature is 4 to 6 degrees C. The frost-free season is 50 to 70 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Kious and the Growset series. Kious soils have a cryic soil temperature regime. Growset soils do not have an argillic horizon.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly low sagebrush, Douglas rabbitbrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, muttongrass, and needlegrass. This pedon is correlated to Ecological Site R028AY061NV, Claypan 14"+ P.Z.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East Central Nevada. MLRA 28A. These soils are not extensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona

SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Pine County, Nevada, East Part, 2004.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the surface to 18 cm. (A and Bt1 horizons)
Argillic horizon - The zone from 5 to 25 cm. (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 25 cm. (upper boundary of the Cr horizon)
Particle size control section - The zone from 5 to 25 cm. (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)

The revision of 04/2009 changed the classification from Aridic to Typic to better relect the series concept.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Previous authors and editors include: GWM/PNL/RLB.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.