LOCATION SAY                     NV

Established Series
Rev. TEB/CRS/DD/JBF
03/2016

SAY SERIES

The Say series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in residuum derived from granitic rocks. Say soils are on sideslopes of mountains. Slopes are 15 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 280 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 6 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Aridic Argixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Say loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with approximately 10 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles and 3 percent stones.

A1--0 to 8 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate very thin platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and common fine roots; common very fine vesicular pores; 10 percent gravel, 2 percent cobbles, and 1 percent stones; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 13 cm thick)

A2--8 to 23 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) cobbly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak very thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 7 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 15 cm thick)

BA--23 to 30 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) cobbly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; 6 percent gravel and 20 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 15 cm thick)

Bt---30 to 48 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) cobbly loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; few faint clay films on peds and in pores; 8 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (18 to 43 cm thick)

C--48 to 64 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few medium roots; few fine and very fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 25 cm thick)

Cr--64 cm; weathered granite.

TYPE LOCATION: Pershing County, Nevada; approximately 5 miles north of McKinney Pass on the Vista Valley side of Granite Mountain, about 180 feet south and 130 feet east of the northwest corner of section 23, T. 28 N., R. 37 E.; USGS Granite Mountain 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 17 minutes 24 seconds N and longitude 117 degrees 47 minutes 43 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.2900000 latitude, -117.7952778 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Moist in winter and spring, dry from July through October; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 6 to 8 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 18 to 30 cm.
Depth to C horizon: 48 to 80 cm.
Depth to paralithic contact: 50 to 100 cm.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.
Other features: Noncalcareous throughout. Most pedons have a thin BA horizon.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 18 to 25 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent.

A horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Consistence: Soft or slightly hard, dry.

Bt horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Texture: Gravelly loam, gravelly sandy clay loam, cobbly loam, or cobbly sandy clay loam; with more than 45 percent sand.
Structure: Subangular blocky or horizon is massive.
Consistence: Slightly hard or hard, dry.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.

C horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Texture: Gravelly sandy loam, gravelly loamy sand, very gravelly sandy loam, very gravelly loamy sand.
Clay content: 4 to 15 percent.
Rock fragments: 20 to 50, dominantly gravel.
Consistence: Slightly hard or loose.
Other features: This horizon is discontinuous in some pedons.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Eboda, Reluctan, Simon, and Toeja series.

Eboda soils have Bt horizons with less than 15 percent rock fragments, less than 45 percent sand, and 25 to 35 percent clay. Reluctan soils are 50 to 100 cm deep to a lithic contact and lack moderately coarse textured C horizons. Simon and Toeja soils are over 40 inches deep to bedrock.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Say soils are on side slopes of mountains. These soils formed in residuum derived from granitic rocks. Slopes are 15 to 75 percent. Elevations are 1,650 to 2,380 meters. The climate is cool, semiarid with cold, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 250 to 360 mm, mean annual temperature is 6 to 7 degrees C, and the frost-free season is 80 to 100 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bregar and Gol series. Both soils are shallow and lack a mollic epipedon.

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 present vegetation is mainly mountain big sagebrush, Sandberg bluegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, basin wildrye, rabbitbrush, Indian ricegrass, Thurbers needlegrass, and desert peachbrush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central Nevada. These soils are of moderate extent. MLRA 24, 27.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Pershing County, Nevada, East Part, 1986.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 23 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 30 to 48 cm (Bt horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 30 to 48 cm (Bt horizon).

NASIS pedon and site ID 80NV769937jbf.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.