LOCATION SALTYDOG                NV

Established Series
Rev. CWL/TM/JVC/JBF
06/2016

SALTYDOG SERIES

The Saltydog series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium and lacustrine deposits derived from limestone and welded tuff. Saltydog soils are on alluvial flats. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 150 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 14 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Sodic Haplocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Saltydog loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with about 10 percent cyanobacteria and 40 percent lichens which are evident when wet.

A--0 to 10 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; strong very thick platy structure parting to moderate medium platy; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine, and few medium roots; many very fine and fine, common medium and few coarse vesicular pores; 18 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 13 cm thick)

Bw1--10 to 23 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and common fine roots; common very fine and fine, and few medium interstitial and tubular pores; 20 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear smooth boundary.

Bw2--23 to 43 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to strong medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine, and few medium interstitial and tubular pores; 16 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; violently effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2); gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw1 and Bw2 horizons is 30 to 46 cm).

Bk1--43 to 89 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate coarse subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine, and few medium interstitial and tubular pores; secondary calcium carbonate is finely disseminated; 25 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; violently effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.4); gradual smooth boundary.

Bk2--89 to 117 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine and fine, and few medium interstitial pores; secondary calcium carbonate is finely disseminated; 22 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; violently effervescent; bottom 5 cm of the horizon contains thin (0.5 cm) bands of strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) iron accumulation; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.1); abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bk1 and Bk2 horizons is 61 to 81 cm).

2C--117 to 165 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; 1 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; 25 percent gravel; very slightly effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.5).

TYPE LOCATION: Lincoln County, Nevada; about 2.5 miles southwest of the Ely Springs Ranch and about 50 feet south of jeep trail in Dry Lake Valley; approximately 200 feet north and 1,600 feet west of the southeast corner of section 12, T. 1 S., R. 64 E.; USGS Deadman Spring SE 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 37 degrees 52 minutes 17 seconds N. and longitude 114 degrees 45 minutes 25 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 37.8713889 latitude, -114.7569444 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist for short periods in winter and early spring and intermittently moist in some part for 10 to 20 days cumulative from July through September due to convection storms; typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 13 to 15 degrees C.
Depth to calcic horizon: 38 to 100 cm.
Depth to strongly contrasting sandy material: 110 to 175 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 27 to 35 percent total clay, 18 to 30 percent silicate (non-carbonate) clay.

A horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 20 percent.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Salinity (EC): 0 to 2 mmhos/cm.

Bw horizons
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Clay content: 27 to 40 percent, non-carbonate clay is 20 to 30 percent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 24 percent.
Reaction: Strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline.
Sodicity (SAR): 10 to 30.
Salinity (EC): 0 to 4 mmhos/cm.

Bk horizons
Value: 7 or 8 dry, 5 or 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Texture: Clay loam or loam.
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent, non-carbonate clay ranges from 15 to 25 percent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 20 to 35 percent.
Reaction: Strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline.
Sodicity (SAR): 13 to 45.
Salinity (EC): 0 to 4 mmhos/cm.

2C horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 1 or 2, dry or moist.
Texture: Sand or loamy sand.
Clay content: 0 to 6 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 5 percent.
Effervescence: Very slightly effervescent or slightly effervescent.
Sodicity (SAR): 13 to 30.
Salinity (EC): 0 to 4 mmhos/cm.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Grandview series. Grandview soils do not have horizons of sandy material within the series control section and have mean annual soil temperature of 11 to 13 degrees C.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Saltydog soils are on alluvial flats. These soils formed in alluvium and lacustrine deposits derived from limestone and welded tuff. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. Elevations range from 1,387 to 1,448 meters. The mean annual precipitation is 125 to 180 mm, the mean annual temperature is 11.5 to 14 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 120 to 160 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ambush, Geer, and Panacker soils. Ambush soils occur on alluvial flats and have 20 to 40 percent carbonate-cemented nodules in the calcic horizon. Geer soils occur on alluvial plains and do not have a calcic horizon. Panacker soils do not have cambic horizons and have less than 27 percent total clay.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained;; high saturated hydraulic conductivity. There is a thin perched water table from about 107 to 127 cm for a brief period in the spring during wet years. Internal free water occurrence is very thin, deep and very transitory or transitory.

USE AND VEGETATION: Saltydog soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The potential native vegetation includes Indian ricegrass, galleta, greenmolly kochia, shadscale, and bud sagebrush. This pedon is correlated to ecological site R029XY120NV, Saline Terrace 5-8 P.Z.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South-central Nevada. These soils are not extensive with about 6,700 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRA 29.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lincoln County, Nevada, North Part, 2006. The name is coined.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A horizon and part of the Bw1 horizon).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 10 to 43 cm (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons).
Calcic horizon - The zone from 43 to 117 cm (Bk1 and Bk2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (Bk1 horizon and parts of the Bw2 and Bk2 horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: The typical pedon at the series type location has full characterization data by the Soil Survey Laboratory (SSL), Lincoln, NE, as pedon ID S05NV-017-001 (pedon # 05N0662).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.