LOCATION RELLEY                  NV

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

RELLEY SERIES

The Relley series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed dominantly volcanic rocks with a component of loess and volcanic ash. These soils are on fan skirts and inset fans. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 180 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Durinodic Haplocambids

TYPICAL PEDON: Relley silt loam--cropland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

Ap1--0 to 10 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; weak coarse and very coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine vesicular and tubular pores; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 20 cm thick)

Ap2--10 to 20 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate thin and medium platy; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, few fine and medium roots; many very fine vesicular, interstitial and tubular pores; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 15 cm thick)

Bw--20 to 41 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine, and few fine tubular pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (12 to 28 cm thick)

Bqk1--41 to 53 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) silt loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 25 percent 5 to 40 mm, weak and strongly silica-cemented durinodes; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 36 cm thick)

Bqk2--53 to 71 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) silt loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; weak and moderate thin platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 10 percent weak durinodes; 40 percent discontinuous weak silica cementation; violently effervescent; many medium white (10YR 8/1) and very pale brown (10YR 8/3) moist secondary carbonate coatings on peds; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 48 cm thick)

Bk1--71 to 132 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; common fine filaments or threads and small isolated pockets of secondary carbonates; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 64 cm thick)

Bk2--132 to 160 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; common fine distinct brown (7.5YR 5/4) mottles and common fine faint dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist mottles; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; common fine filaments or threads of secondary carbonates; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).

TYPE LOCATION: Lander County, Nevada; approximately 52 miles southwest of Battle Mountain; about 660 feet south and 530 feet east of the northwest corner of section 12, T. 24 N., R. 40 E.; USGS Gilbert Creek NW 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 58 minutes 26 seconds N and longitude 117 degrees 25 minutes 57 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.9738889 latitude, -117.4325000 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in winter and spring, dry late May through November; typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Soil temperature: 8 to 12 degrees C.
Depth to duric horizon: 28 to 64 cm.
Depth to carbonates: 28 to 64 cm
Relict mottles: Faint or distinct relict mottles are common in any horizon below 41 cm.
Salt and sodium: These soils are normally moderately or strongly salt and sodium affected at depths below 76 cm.
Volcanic ash: A layer of volcanic ash 10 to 20 cm thick is common at some depth between 41 to 114 cm.
Other features: Some pedons have coarse sandy loam textures below depths of 127 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 18 to 27 percent.

A horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Hue: 2.5Y or 10YR
Chroma: 2 or 3
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.

Bw horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 3 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4 dry.
Structure: Prismatic, platy or subangular blocky.
Consistence: Slightly hard or hard, very friable or friable; slightly sticky or sticky and slightly plastic or plastic, wet.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.

Bq, Bk and Bqk horizons
Value: 5 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Texture: Silt loam with strata of very fine sandy loam or silty clay loam in some pedons.
Structure: Platy or it is massive.
Consistence: Slightly sticky or sticky and slightly plastic or plastic, wet.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline through very strongly alkaline.
Carbonates: Slightly or violently effervescent, noneffervescent Bq horizons are overlying Bkq horizons in some pedons.
Silica cementation: 20 to 50 percent weak or strongly cemented durinodes. A 10 to 18 cm thick horizon that is 30 to 50 percent discontinuous weakly silica-cemented that is hard and brittle is common between depths of 41 to 86 cm.

Other features: A continuous weakly or strongly cemented hardpan is below 127 cm in some pedons.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Antel series.

Antel soils have a silty clay loam particle-size control section with 27 to 35 percent clay and are moderately well drained.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Relley soils are on fan skirts and inset fans. These soils formed in alluvium derived from mostly volcanic rocks, with a component of loess and volcanic ash. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. Elevations are 1,345 to 1,650 meters. The climate is cool, arid with cool, moist winters and hot, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 150 to 200 mm; mean annual temperature is 8 to 10 degrees C., and the frost-free season is 100 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Batan, Bubus, Creemon, Cren, Hessing, Wholan, and the competing Antel soils. Batan soils lack a cambic horizon and are calcareous throughout the profile. Bubus soils are coarse-loamy. Creemon, Cren, and Wholan soils are coarse-silty. Hessing and Wholan soils lack a Bq horizon.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. Many areas are irrigated and used for growing alfalfa seed, grass seed, small grains or as hayland and pasture. The dominant vegetation is shadscale, halogeton, Russian thistle, pepperweed and other mustards.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central Nevada. MLRA 24, 25. These soils are not extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lander County, Northern Part, Nevada, 1974.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the surface to 18 cm (Ap1 and part of the Ap2 horizons).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 20 to 41 cm (the Bw horizon).
Duric feature - The zone from 41 to 71 cm (Bkq1 and Bkq2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (Bkq1 and Bkq2 horizons and parts of the Bw and Bk1 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.