LOCATION ROWEL                   NV

Established Series
Rev: WMA/GJS/JBF
01/2023

ROWEL SERIES

The Rowel series consists of shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum from volcanic rocks. These soils are on hills, mountains and plateau side slopes. Slopes are 8 to 50 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 200 mm annual and mean temperature is about 11 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Lithic Xeric Haplargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Rowel extremely cobbly sandy loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).

A1--0 to 3 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) extremely cobbly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots, many very fine interstitial pores; 45 percent pebbles, 25 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 5 cm thick)

A2--3 to 15 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very cobbly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few medium, common fine, and many very fine roots; many fine vesicular pores; 30 percent pebbles, 20 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 15 cm thick)

Bt--15 to 36 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/4) extremely cobbly clay, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; strong medium and fine angular blocky structure; hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common medium, fine, and very fine roots; few fine and common very fine pores; shiny pressure faces, not grooved; 20 percent pebbles, 40 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (15 to 30 cm thick)

R--36 cm; hard, fractured andesite with clay coatings and roots in cracks.

TYPE LOCATION: Lyon County, Nevada; about 3/4 mile southwest of the top of Aldrich Grade; 800 feet south and 1,200 feet east of the northwest corner of Section 13, T. 7 N., R. 27 E.; USGS Ninemile Ranch 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 28 minutes 12 seconds N. and longitude 118 degrees 55 minutes 20 seconds W.; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.4700000 latitude, -118.9222222 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture - Moist in winter and spring, dry in summer and fall except for l0 to 20 days cumulative between July and October due to convection storms, aridic moisture regime bordering on xeric.

Soil temperature - 12 to 14 degrees C.

Control section - Clay content: Averages 25 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 50 to 80 percent, weighted average. Cobbles predominate in most pedons.

Depth to bedrock - 25 to 36 cm.

Reaction - Neutral or slightly alkaline.

A horizon - Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Rock fragments: 50 to 80 percent.
Structure: Granular or platy structure or subangular blocky.

Bt horizon - Hue: 7.5YR or l0YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry and moist.
Chroma: 3 through 5.
Clay content: 40 to 55 percent.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Atlow, Boomstick, Checkett, Chubard, Cottle, Fortyday, Gabbvally, Hooplite, Nevo, Olac, Old Camp, Phliss, Richinde, Soughe, Stewval and Thike soils. These soils all have a Bt horizon with an average clay content of less than 40 percent.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Rowel soils are on hills, mountains and have a convex surface. These soils formed in residuum from basic volcanic rocks. Slopes are 8 to 50 percent. Elevations are 1,700 to 2,260 meters. The mean annual temperature is 10 to 12 degrees C., and the mean annual precipitation is 200 to 300 mm. Frost-free season is 80 to l20 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Fulstone series. Fulstone soils are on very old fans below the Rowel soils and have an indurated duripan.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium or rapid runoff; slow permeability (moderately low saturated hydraulic conductivity).

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is low sagebrush, galleta and squirreltail.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Nevada. These soils are not extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lyon County Area, Nevada, l98l.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 15 cm (The A1 and A2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from about 15 to 36 cm. (Bt horizon)
Abrupt A-B textural boundary - The boundary at about 15 cm.
Lithic contact - The boundary at about 36 cm - (R horizon)
Particle-size control section - The zone from about 0 to 36 cm. (A1, A2, Bt horizon)

ADDITIONAL DATA: User Pedon ID 2006NV019083.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.