LOCATION PUMEL                   NV

Established Series
Rev: TM/WED/JBF
05/2016

PUMEL SERIES

The Pumel series consists of very shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from granitic rocks. Pumel soils are on mountain slopes and hills. Slopes are 2 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 180 mm; and the mean annual temperature is about 12 degrees C.

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

TYPICAL PEDON: Pumel very gravelly sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 5 cm; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) very gravelly sandy loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine tubular pores; 45 percent gravel; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 10 cm thick)

C--5 to 13 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 60 percent gravel; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 33 cm thick)

Cr--13 to 58 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) weathered granodiorite, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist, with white (10YR 8/1) silica seams and many very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) mica flakes; massive; hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots in cleavage planes; clear wavy boundary. (20 to 46 cm thick)

R--58 cm; granodiorite.

TYPE LOCATION: Nye County, Nevada; 265 feet south and l30 feet west of the northeast corner of section l, T. 3 N., R. 42 E.; USGS Rays, NV 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 9 minutes 3 seconds N and longitude 117 degrees 12 minutes 17 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.1509444 latitude, -117.204722 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in some part for short periods during winter and early spring months and for l0 to 20 days cumulative between July and October due to convection storms; typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 12 to 15 degrees C.
Depth to soft rock: 10 to 36 cm.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Carbonates: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.

Particle-size control section - Clay content Average 8 to 15 percent.
Rock fragments: 50 to 70 percent, predominantly gravel.

A horizon
Hue: l0YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Structure: Platy or granular or is massive.

C horizon
Hue: l0YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Texture: Sandy loam or coarse sandy loam.
Clay content: 8 to 15 percent.
Rock fragments: 50 to 70 percent, dominantly gravel.
Structure: Platy, granular or is massive.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Moentria, Shayla and Slocave series.

Moentria have hard calcareous shale or siltstone within 50 cm. Shayla soils lack a lithic contact within 100 cm and have a silt loam or silty clay loam control section. Shayla soils are not intermittingly moist for l0 to 20 days cumulative between July and October due to convection storms

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Pumel soils are on mountain slopes, and hills. Pumel soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from granitic and related rocks. Slopes are 2 to 75 percent. Elevations are 1,615 to 2,361 meters. The mean annual precipitation is 150 to 200 mm, the mean annual temperature is 10 to 12 degrees C, and the frost-free season is l00 to 130 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Gabbs, Osobb soils. Gabbs soils are moderately deep over duripans. Osobb soils are shallow over duripans resting on tuff bedrock.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; rapid or medium runoff; high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is principally shadscale, spiny hopsage, winterfat, Indian ricegrass, desert needlegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, and galleta.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 29.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Nye County (Big Smoky Valley Area), Nevada, 1972.

REMARKS:Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 13 cm. (A and C horizons)
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 13 cm. (Cr layer)
Particle-size control section - The zone of soil surface to 13 cm (A and C horizons)

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.