LOCATION PREY NV+CA

Established Series
Rev. ELS/JBF
06/2017

PREY SERIES

The Prey series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived mainly from granitic rocks. The Prey soils are on alluvial fans and have slopes of 0 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 330 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 10 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Haploxeralfic Argidurids

TYPICAL PEDON: Prey gravelly loamy sand--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 5 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) gravelly sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; single grained; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 15 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 5 cm thick)

A2--5 to 13 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly loamy sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, common fine, and few medium roots; many very fine and common fine tubular, and many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 15 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 8 cm thick)

A3--13 to 33 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly loamy sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, few fine and medium roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 15 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 23 cm thick)

Bt1--33 to 41 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular, and common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 15 percent gravel; common faint clay bridges between mineral grains; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 13 cm thick)

Bt2--41 to 51 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) coarse sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular, and common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 10 percent gravel; many faint clay bridges between mineral grains; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 25 cm thick)

Bt3--51 to 66 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, and few fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular, and common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 15 percent gravel; continuous faint clay films coating and clay bridges between mineral grains; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt irregular boundary. (10 to 25 cm thick)

Bt4--66 to 76 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly coarse sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular, and common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 15 percent gravel; few distinct clay bridges between mineral grains; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 13 cm thick)

Bqm--76 to 89 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) strongly cemented duripan, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard, very firm, brittle; few very fine and fine roots between many one to three cm thick extremely hard discontinuous silica lamina; slightly alkaline (pH 7.7); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 25 cm thick)

Bq--89 to 132 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) loamy coarse sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; hard, friable; few very fine and fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; weakly silica-cemented; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (25 to 50 cm thick)

C--132 to 152 cm; very pale brown (10Y8 7/3) loamy coarse sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine interstitial pores; 10 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6).

TYPE LOCATION: Douglas County, Nevada; about 1,100 feet east and 2,200 feet north of the south 1/4 corner of section 6, T. 14 N., R. 20 E.; USGS Genoa 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 6 minutes 20.6 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 46 minutes 30 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.1057222 latitude, -119.7750000 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry but are moist during the winter and spring; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 11 to 12 degrees C.
Depth to the strongly cemented duripan: 66 to 97 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 10 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 5 to 25 percent, mainly gravel.

Al horizon
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.

A2 and A3 horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.

Bt horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma of 3 or 4.
Texture: Coarse sandy loam or sandy loam.
Structure: Weak coarse prismatic or medium subangular blocky structure, or the horizon is massive.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.

Bqm horizon
Cementation: Few to many silica laminae ranging in thickness from 1/64 to 1/8 inch.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.

C horizons
Texture: Loamy coarse sand to very gravelly loamy sand.
Gravel: 10 to 70 percent.

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

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Prey soils are on alluvial fans and terraces at elevations of 1,400 to 1,555 meters. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. These soils formed in alluvium derived mainly from granitic rocks with minor amounts from other igneous rocks and gneiss. The climate is cool, semi-arid with a mean annual precipitation of 200 to 400 mm. The mean annual temperature is 9 to 11 degrees C, and the frost-free season is 95 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Glenbrook, Mottsville and Toll soils. Glenbrook soils have sandy particle-size control sections, lack argillic horizons, and have bedrock within depth of 50 cm. Mottsville and Toll soils have sandy particle-size control sections and lack argillic horizons and duripans.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland. The vegetation is principally big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, rabbitbrush, squirreltail, needlegrass and Mormon tea.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Nevada and eastern California east of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The series is of small extent. MLRA 26.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Carson City Area, Nevada, 1975.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 33 cm (A1, A2, and
A3 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 33 to 76 cm (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3, and Bt4 horizons).
Cemented hardpan - The zone from 76 to 89 cm (Bqm horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 33 to 76 cm (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3 and Bt4 horizon).

ADDITIONAL DATA: SSIR No. 23.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.