LOCATION PIROUETTE NV

Established Series
Rev. ELS/GJS/JVC/JBF
05/2016

PIROUETTE SERIES

The Pirouette series consists of shallow to a duripan, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from volcanic rocks. Pirouette soils are on hills, mountains, and plateaus. Slopes are 0 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 150 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 11 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic, shallow Typic Natridurids

TYPICAL PEDON: Pirouette very cobbly very fine sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The surface is covered with a desert pavement of 35 percent gravel, 35 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones.

A--0 to 8 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) very cobbly very fine sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; moderate thin platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; many fine and few medium vesicular pores; 2 percent stones, 40 percent cobbles and gravel; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)

Btn1--8 to 18 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very cobbly clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine roots; many fine interstitial and tubular pores; many distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 40 percent cobbles and gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 25 cm thick)

Btn2--18 to 25 cm; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very cobbly clay loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; weak medium prismatic structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine roots; many fine interstitial and tubular pores; few distinct clay films on faces of peds and common faint clay films lining pores and as bridges; 40 percent cobbles and gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 10 cm thick)

Bqk--25 to 48 cm; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) extremely cobbly sandy loam, pink (7.5YR 7/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; many fine interstitial pores; few fine and medium silica and carbonate concretions; 60 percent rock fragments coated with silica and secondary carbonates; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 30 cm thick)

Bqkm--48 to 50 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) and very pale brown (10YR 8/2) cemented material, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; extremely hard, extremely firm; indurated by silica and secondary carbonates; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (0.1 to 13 cm thick)

R--50 cm; olivine basalt.

TYPE LOCATION: Churchill County, Nevada; about 15 miles south of Fallon in the White Throne Mountains; approximately 2,000 feet south and 50 feet east of the northwest corner of section 15, T. 16 N., R. 29 E.; USGS Carson Lake 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 15 minutes 1.4 seconds N. and longitude 118 degrees 43 minutes 34.5 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.2503889 latitude, -118.726250 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in winter and spring, dry May to November; typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 11 to 13 degrees C.
Natric horizon thickness: 15 to 25 cm.
Depth to base of natric horizon: 20 to 36 cm.
Depth to thin duripan: 28 to 50 cm.
Depth to bedrock: 30 to 58 cm to a lithic contact.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 28 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 50 percent; Lithology of fragments is basalt and related volcanic rocks.

A horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.

Btn horizons
Hue: 5YR through 10YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Structure: Dominantly weak or moderate, medium or fine prismatic, but has subangular blocky in the Btn3 horizon that occurs in some pedons.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Salinity (EC): 2 to 8 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 13 to 45.

Bqk horizons (when present)
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Texture: very cobbly sandy loam or extremely cobbly sandy loam.
Rock fragments: 50 to 70 percent, mostly cobbles.
Reaction: Strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent
Salinity (EC): 4 to 8 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 13 to 45.
Other features: This horizon does not occur in some pedons where the depth to the duripan is less than 36 cm.

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

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Pirouette soils are on hills, mountains, and plateaus. They formed in residuum and colluvium derived from volcanic rocks such as basalt. Slopes are 0 to 50 percent. Elevations range from 1280 to 1829 meters. The climate is arid with cool, moist winters and hot, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 100 to 200 mm, the mean annual temperature is 9 to 12 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 100 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bluewing, Celeton, and Theon soils. Bluewing soils are sandy, very deep, and do not have diagnostic subsurface horizons. Celeton soils are shallow to soft bedrock and do not have diagnostic subsurface horizons. Theon soils do not have natric horizons or duripans.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Pirouette soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is shadscale, Bailey's greasewood, winterfat, bud sagebrush, bottlebrush squirreltail, and Indian ricegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 27.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Churchill County (Fallon-Fernley Area), Nevada, 1971.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 8 cm (A horizon).
Natric horizon - The zone from 8 to 25 cm (Btn1 and Btn2 horizons).
Duripan - The zone from 48 to 50 cm (Bqkm horizon).
Identifiable secondary carbonates - The zone from 25 to 50 cm (Bqk and Bqkm horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 50 cm to underlying hard bedrock (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 8 to 25 cm (Btn1 and Btn2 horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: NASIS pedon and site ID 07NV603Y027jbf.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.