LOCATION PUFFER                  NV

Established Series
Rev. WED-RLB-JVC-JBF
05/2016

PUFFER SERIES

The Puffer series consists of shallow and very shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum derived from sedimentary rocks. Puffer soils are on mountains. Slopes are 4 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 250 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 8 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, active, calcareous, mesic Lithic Xeric Torriorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Puffer extremely cobbly loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with approximately 25 percent gravel, 30 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones.

A1--0 to 5 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) extremely cobbly loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate very thin platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine vesicular pores; 25 percent gravel, 30 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)

A2--5 to 10 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly very fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate very thin platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 25 percent gravel and 5 percent stones; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)

Bk--10 to 28 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, common fine, and few coarse roots; common very fine tubular pores; 40 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; strongly effervescent; secondary carbonates are segregated as coats on all surfaces of rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 25 cm thick)

R--28 cm; limestone; weathered in the upper 3 cm.

TYPE LOCATION: Pershing County, Nevada; in the Augusta Mountains; about 630 feet west and 400 feet north of the southeast corner of section 15, T. 25 N., R. 39 E.; USGS Cain Mountain, NV 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 1 minutes 42.8 seconds N and longitude 117 degrees 34 minutes 24.0 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.0285556 latitude, -117.573333 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture; Usually moist in winter and spring, dry in summer and fall; aridic soil moisture regime that borders on xeric.

Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C.
Depth to bedrock: 10 to 36 cm to a lithic contact.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline through strongly alkaline.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 10 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 45 to 75 percent, mainly gravel and 10 to 25 percent cobbles. Lithology of fragments is sedimentary rocks such as limestone, dolostone, shale, and sandstone.

A horizons
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 3, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 0.5 to 1.0 percent.

Bk horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Very gravelly fine sandy loam, extremely gravelly sandy loam, or very gravelly loam.
Clay content: 10 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 70 percent, mainly gravel.
Organic matter content: 0 to 0.5 percent.
Structure: Subangular blocky, granular, or is massive.
Consistence: Soft or slightly hard, dry; nonsticky or slightly sticky, wet.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: Occurs as coats on rock fragments.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent.

R layer
The upper boundary is weathered to a depth of 3 to 5 cm in some pedons.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Promo series.

Promo soils average more than 1 percent organic matter in the epipedon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Puffer soils are on mountains. These soils formed in residuum derived from sedimentary rocks such as limestone, dolostone, shale, and sandstone. Slopes are 4 to 75 percent. Elevations range from 1,375 to 2,290 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 300 mm, mean annual temperature is 7 to 9 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 90 to 130 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Berzatic and Findout soils. Berzatic soils have a typic aridic (torric) moisture regime. Findout soils have a typic aridic moisture regime, carbonatic mineralogy, and calcic horizons.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Puffer soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly Lahontan sagebrush, ephedra, spiny hopsage, Indian ricegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, and pine bluegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central Nevada. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRAs 24 and 27.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Pershing County (East Part), Nevada, 1986.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A1, A2 and part of the Bk horizons).
Identifiable secondary carbonates - The zone from 10 to 28 cm (Bk horizon).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 28 cm to underlying hard bedrock (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from the soil surface to 28 cm (A1, A2, and Bk horizons).

The active cation exchange activity class was added to the taxonomic classification in December 2002 based on soil property data.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.