LOCATION RAMIRES                 NV

Established Series
Rev. RAF/RLB/JBF
10/2019

RAMIRES SERIES

The Ramires series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from tuff, andesite and rhyolite with a component of loess high in volcanic ash. Ramires soils are on hill and mountain side slopes and fan piedmonts with a rock core. Slopes are 4 to 50 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 280 mm and mean temperature is about 7 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, frigid Calciargidic Argixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Ramires gravelly clay loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 5 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial and common very fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 10 cm thick)

A2--5 to 23 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly light clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium granular and angular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine, few medium roots; many fine interstitial, common medium and fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 23 cm thick)

Bt1--23 to 36 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly clay, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; strong medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; many very fine and fine, few medium roots; many very fine tubular pores; 15 percent gravel; many faint clay films on peds and in pores; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 20 cm thick)

Bt2--36 to 56 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; common faint, few distinct clay films on peds, and continuous faint clay films in pores; 25 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 30 cm thick)

Bk1--56 to 66 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly sandy clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 30 percent gravel; noneffervescent matrix but effervescent in a few medium and coarse soft masses of carbonate; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 20 cm thick)

Bk2--66 to 86 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) sandy loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist with many coarse distinct brown (10YR 5/3) and brown (10YR 4/3) mottles; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent matrix and strongly effervescent in medium soft seams of carbonate; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 40 cm thick)

R--86 to 91 cm; partially weathered tuff with carbonate coatings in cracks.

TYPE LOCATION: Eureka County, Nevada; about one mile south of Safford Canyon; about 2,000 feet east and 40 feet north of the southwest corner of section 15, T. 31 N., R. 51 E.; USGS Palisade 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 33 minutes 44 seconds N and longitude 116 degrees 12 minutes 54 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.5622222 latitude, -116.2150000 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Moist in winter and spring, dry mid-June to mid-October; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 7 to 8 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 20 to 38 cm and commonly includes the upper Bt horizons.
Depth to the base of the Bt horizon: 50 to 90 cm.
Depth to bedrock: 60 to 100 cm.
Other features: Some pedons lack Bk horizons, but have a lower Btk subhorizon that extends to the bedrock, or have Btk horizons above the Bk.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 35 to 50 percent.
Rock fragments: Up to 35 percent, mainly gravel with some cobbles.

A horizon
Chroma: 1 through 3.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.

Bt and Btk horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Texture: Gravelly clay, gravelly sandy clay, gravelly clay loam, clay loam or clay. Some pedons have a thin subhorizon of very gravelly clay above the lithic contact.
Structure: Weak to strong medium or coarse subangular blocky, weak or moderate fine to coarse prismatic.
Consistence: Hard or very hard, friable or firm, sticky or very sticky, plastic or very plastic.
Reaction: Neutral through moderately alkaline.
Other features: The lower Bt subhorizons of some pedons contain secondary carbonates.

Bk horizon (when present)
Value: 4 through 7 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Texture: Sandy clay loam or sandy loam.
Rock fragments: 10 to 50 percent, mainly gravel and cobbles.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Drakesflat and Marack series.

Drakesflat soils mollic epipedon does not include the upper part of the Bt horizon and has a Bk with a texture of loam or clay loam. Marack soils are greater than 100 cm to a paralithic contact.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ramires soils are on hill and mountain side slopes and fan piedmont remnants with a rock core. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium weathered from tuff, rhyolite, and andesite with a component of loess high in volcanic ash. Slopes are 4 to 50 percent. Elevations are 1,520 to 2,135 meters. The climate is cool, semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 250 to 300 mm; mean annual temperature is 6 to 7 degrees C., and the frost-free season is 70 to 100 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Creva, Chen, Singletree, Slaven and Taylor Creek soils. Creva soils have an ochric epipedon and a loamy-skeletal Bt horizon interrupted by a lithic contact. Chen soils have a clayey-skeletal particle-size control section and have a lithic contact within a depth of 50 cm. Singletree soils have a fine-loamy particle-size control section. Slaven soils have a clayey-skeletal particle-size control section and lack a Bk horizon. Taylor Creek soils have a 30 to 46 cm thick A horizon, abrupt textural boundary between the A and Bt horizon, argillic horizon with more than 60 percent clay, and mean summer soil temperatures of less than 15 degrees C.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is principally big sagebrush, Douglas rabbitbrush, lupine, Sandberg bluegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail and bluebunch wheatgrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northcentral and northeastern Nevada. MLRA 24, 25 and 28B. These soils are moderately extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Eureka County, (Tuscarora Mountain Area), Nevada, 1974.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to about 36 cm (A1, A2, and Bt1 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from about 23 to 56 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Soft powdery carbonate - The zone from about 56 to 86 cm (Bk1 and Bk2 horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at about 86 cm (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from about 23 to 56 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from about 23 to 56 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.