LOCATION SARAPH                  NV+CA

Established Series
Rev. JBF/TM-JVC
01/2020

SARAPH SERIES

The Saraph series consists of shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum derived from tuff. Saraph soils are on rock pediments and plateaus. Slopes are 2 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 250 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 7 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy, glassy, mesic, shallow Vitrixerandic Haplargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Saraph ashy loamy sand--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with 10 percent gravel.

A1--0 to 5 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) ashy loamy sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak thin platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and fine vesicular pores; 5 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 20 cm thick)

A2--5 to 10 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) ashy sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to10 cm thick)

Bt1--10 to 23 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) ashy sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds; 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (13 to 20 cm thick)

Bt2--23 to 41 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) ashy clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; strong fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; many faint clay films on faces of peds; 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 23 cm thick)

Cr--41 cm; soft tuff; few fine coats of secondary carbonate at the soil-bedrock contact.

TYPE LOCATION: Humboldt County, Nevada; about 0.5 mile east of Wildcat Gorge; approximately 2,800 feet east and 630 feet north of the southwest corner of section 28, T. 42 N., R. 24 E.; USGS Badger Mountain SE 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 41 degrees 32 minutes 2 seconds N and longitude119 degrees 16 minutes 20 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 41.5338889 latitude, -119.2722222 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in winter and spring; dry from late June through October; aridic soil moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C.
Depth to base of argillic horizon: 36 to 50 cm.
Depth to bedrock: 36 to 50 cm to a paralithic contact. The paralithic materials below the contact are vitric tuffs.
Volcanic glass content: 45 to 70 percent in the coarse silt through fine sand fractions.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 18 to 30 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent, mainly gravel. Lithology of fragments is tuff or basalt.

A horizons
Value: 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.

Bt1 horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Texture: Ashy sandy loam or ashy sandy clay loam.
Clay content: 15 to 25 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent.

Bt2 horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Texture: Ashy sandy clay loam or ashy clay loam.
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent.
Structure: Moderate or strong, fine or medium, angular blocky or subangular blocky.
Other features: Some pedons may be slightly effervescent and have few or common masses of identifiable secondary carbonates.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Ashart series. Ashart soils have albic horizons.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Saraph soils are on rock pediments and plateaus. These soils formed mainly in residuum derived from soft vitric tuff, with minor amounts of loess and colluvium derived from basalt. Slopes are 2 to 50 percent. Elevations range from 1,400 to 2,030 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 300 mm, the mean annual temperature is 6 to 7 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 80 to 100 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Tuffo and Yellowhills soils. Tuffo soils are ashy, very shallow and shallow to paralithic contacts, and do not have diagnostic subsurface horizons. Yellowhills soils are ashy, very deep, and have mollic epipedons and cambic horizons.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Saraph soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, and Thurber's needlegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Nevada and northeastern California. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 23.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Humboldt County, Nevada (West Part), 1993.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 10 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 10 to 41 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 41 cm to underlying soft bedrock (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section and ashy substitute class with glassy mineralogy - The zone from 10 to 41 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: A reference pedon has glass count data available from the Soil Survey Laboratory, Lincoln, NE as pedon number 92Z0403.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.