LOCATION QUARZ NV

Established Series
Rev. JVC/JBF
03/2016

QUARZ SERIES

The Quarz series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived mainly from sedimentary rocks. Quarz soils are on hills, plateaus, mountains, and rock pediments. Slopes are 4 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 300 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 7 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, smectitic, frigid Aridic Argixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Quarz very gravelly loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.). The surface is covered by 15 percent gravel.

A1--0 to 13 cm, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate thin platy structure; soft, very friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 40 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 20 cm thick)

A2--13 to 28 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak very thin and thin platy structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 40 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 20 cm thick)

Bt1--28 to 48 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine angular blocky structure; hard, friable, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 45 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 25 cm thick)

Bt2--48 to 76 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly clay, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine and medium angular blocky structure; hard, friable, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 30 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt irregular boundary. (13 to 38 cm thick)

R--76 cm; interbedded sandstone, shale, and quartzite.

TYPE LOCATION: Eureka County, Nevada; about 38 miles south of Carlin and 0.25 mile northeast of Cave Hill; approximately 100 feet west and 1,800 feet south of the northeast corner of section 15, T. 26 N., R. 52 E.; USGS Mineral Hill 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 08 minutes 10 seconds N and longitude 116 degrees 05 minutes 11 seconds W: WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.1361111 latitude, -116.0863889 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in winter and spring, dry late July through October; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 7 to 8 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 18 to 40 cm; includes the Bt1 horizon in some pedons.
Depth to base of argillic horizon: 50 to 100 cm.
Depth to bedrock: 50 to 100 cm to a lithic contact.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 35 to 55 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 35 to 60 percent, mainly gravel with up to 15 percent that are cobbles or stones. Lithology is variable depending on area but is mainly sedimentary rocks such as sandstone at the type location.

A horizons
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 2 or 3 percent.

Bt horizons
Hue: 5YR through 10YR.
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 through 5, dry or moist.
Texture: Very gravelly clay, very gravelly clay loam, or very cobbly clay loam. some pedons have thin subhorizons of extremely gravelly clay.
Structure: Subangular blocky, angular blocky, or prismatic.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bagard, Blitzen, Fera, Gosumi, Kleckner, Slaven, and Snellby series.

Bagard and Kleckner soils are very deep. Blitzen soils are moderately deep to paralithic contacts. Fera and Gosumi soils are deep to lithic contacts. Slaven soils average 60 to 75 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section. Snellby soils have depth to base of the argillic horizon above a depth of 50 cm and have a horizon with identifiable secondary carbonates between the argillic horizon and the lithic contact.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Quarz soils are on hills, plateaus, mountains, and rock pediments. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from sandstone, shale, chert, conglomerate, quartzite, quartz latite, welded tuff, andesite, or rhyolite. Slopes are 4 to 50 percent. Elevations range from 1,525 to 2,445 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 240 to 360 mm, mean annual temperature is 5 to 7 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 70 to 100 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bregar, Chen, Duff, Highams, Pie Creek, and Torro soils. Bregar soils are loamy-skeletal, shallow to lithic contacts, and have ochric epipedons. Chen soils are shallow to lithic contacts. Duff soils are fine-loamy, deep to lithic contacts, have thick mollic epipedons, and have a cryic temperature regime. Highams soils are loamy-skeletal, shallow to lithic contacts, have ochric epipedons, and have carbonatic mineralogy. Pie Creek soils are very-fine and have an abrupt increase in clay between the mollic epipedon and the argillic horizon. Torro soils are loamy-skeletal and are very deep.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Quarz soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is mainly mountain big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, Thurber's needlegrass, basin wildrye, Nevada bluegrass, and Idaho fescue.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Nevada. These soils are extensive with about 110,000 acres of the series mapped to date. The series concept and main acreage is in MLRA 25, while other acreage occurs in MLRAs 24 and 28B.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Eureka County Area, Nevada, 1983.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 28 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 28 to 76 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 76 cm to underlying hard, unweathered bedrock (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 28 to 76 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: Previous authors and editors include: RAF-PWB-RLB.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.