LOCATION PUDDLE                  NV+UT

Established Series
Rev. RLB/ELS/MJD/JBF
06/2016

PUDDLE SERIES

The Puddle series consist of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks over lacustrine sediments. Puddle soils are on lake plains. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 175 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 12 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, carbonatic, mesic Petronodic Haplocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Puddle fine sandy loam - rangeland (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) Many carbonate nodules that appear to have formed in root channels are scattered on the surface. Many of these range from 0.6 to 1.8 cm in diameter and from 3 to 8 cm in length. Many are round or have round bulges or nubbins with somewhat pointed protuberances.

A--0 to 5 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak medium platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and fine vesicular pores; few carbonate nodules like those on the surface; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.7); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)

C1--5 to 18 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; occasional carbonate nodules; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.7); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 15 cm thick)

C2--18 to 33 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; few carbonate nodules; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.9); abrupt wavy boundary. (13 to 23 cm thick)

2Bk1--33 to 56 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak medium prismatic structure; very hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots, mainly between peds; common very fine and fine tubular pores; many white (10YR 8/1) carbonate flecks and mottles on faces of peds, and occasional carbonate nodules; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.9); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 33 cm thick)

2Bk2--56 to 89 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silt loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure; hard, firm, nonsticky, slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots in and between peds; common very fine and fine tubular pores; common carbonate nodules that range from 3 to 8 cm in length; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.9); clear wavy boundary. (25 to 50 cm thick)

2Bk3--89 to 152 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silt loam, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; common to many medium and coarse prominent brown (7.5YR 5/4), brown (10YR 5/3), and reddish brown (5YR 4/4) iron concentrations; weak very coarse prismatic structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots mainly between peds and few in peds; common very fine and fine tubular pores; few fine very pale brown (10YR 8/2) carbonate veins, and few comparatively long, slender carbonate nodules; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.7).

TYPE LOCATION: Lincoln County, Nevada; about 1650 feet south and 250 feet east of the northwest corner of sec. 21, T. 2 S., R. 56 E.; USGS Worthington Peak SW 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 37 degrees 45 minutes 40 seconds N and longitude 115 degrees 41 minutes 59 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 37.7611111 latitude, -115.6997222 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry during most years, mainly during the late spring, summer and autumn; typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 13 to 15 degrees C.
Calcium carbonates equivalent: Range from 40 to 60 percent.
Sodium adsorption ratio (SAR): 13 to 30.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 12 to 18 percent.
Sand: Greater than 15 percent sand coarser than very fine sand.
Rock fragment: 0 to 5 percent.

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

C horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y,
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 7 moist,
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: Fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam or silt loam.
Clay content: 10 to 18 percent clay.
Consistence: Very hard or hard and firm or very firm.

2Bk horizon
Hue 10YR thru 2.5Y.
Chroma: 3 through 6. High chroma iron mottles are between 50 and 100 cm depth.
Redoximorphic features: Mottles are from prehistoric wetness: Hue of 5YR thru 10YR.
Texture: Fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, silt loam, or loam.

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

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Puddle soils are on smooth, nearly level prehistoric lake plains at elevations of 1,370 to 1,680 meters. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. The soils formed in loamy alluvium superimposed over lacustrine sediments derived from mixed rock sources. These sediments have been influenced by evaporation of carbonate-rich ground waters. The mean annual precipitation is 150 to 200 mm. The mean annual temperature is 11 to 13 degrees C and the frost-free season is 120 to 150 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Fang, Penoyer, Stumble, and Woodrow soils. These soils lack calcic horizons. Also, Penoyer soils are coarse-silty, Stumble soils are sandy, and Woodrow soils are fine-silty.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well-drained; very slow runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Livestock grazing, ground cover is 8 to 10 percent and is mainly shadscale, littleleaf horsebrush, galleta, winterfat and fourwing saltbush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Nevada, Southern Utah where the soil is inextensive. MLRA 29, 28A.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lincoln County (Pahranagat and Penoyer Valleys), Nevada, 1974.

REMARKS: These soils were classified as Calcium Carbonate Solonchak soils.

Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A and C1 horizons).
Calcic horizon - The zone from 33 to 152 cm (2Bk1, 2Bk2 and 2Bk3 horizon).
Particle size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (C2, 2Bk1, 2Bk2 and part of the 2Bk3 horizon).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.