LOCATION SCHWALBE                NV

Established Series
Rev. JBF/RLB/TM
07/2016

SCHWALBE SERIES

The Schwalbe series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in colluvium and residuum derived from volcanic rocks. The Schwalbe soils are on mountain and hill sideslopes. Slopes are 15 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 280 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 12 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Haploxerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Schwalbe very cobbly fine sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted.) The surface is covered with 30 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles and 10 percent stones.

A1--0 to 3 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very cobbly fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots, many very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 25 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles and 10 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 20 cm thick)

A2--3 to 15 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) cobbly fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots, many very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 10 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles and 1 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 20 cm thick)

A3--15 to 38 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine, few medium roots, many very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles and 1 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 30 cm thick)

Bw--38 to 53 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, common fine and medium roots; many very fine tubular pores; 45 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles and 1 percent stones; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 325 cm thick)

C--53 to 71 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly very fine sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; 40 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt irregular boundary. (0 to 30 cm thick)

R--71 cm; hard fractured andesitic tuff with soil and roots in fractures.

TYPE LOCATION: Nye County, Nevada, 400 feet east and 50 south of the northwest corner of section 33, T.8N., R.46E.; USGS Belmont East 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 30 minutes 24 seconds N and longitude 116 degrees 49 minutes 3 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.5066667 latitude, -116.8175000 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Moist in winter and spring, dry in summer and fall except for 10 to 20 days cumulative July to October due to convection storms; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 12 degrees C.
Depth to bedrock: 50 to 100 cm.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 25 to 38 cm but does not include the Bw horizon.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 6 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 50 to 70 percent.

A horizons
Value 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3.

Bw horizon
Value 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Texture: Loam, fine sandy loam or very fine sandy loam.
Consistence: Nonsticky to slightly sticky, nonplastic to slightly plastic.

COMPETING SERIES: These are Cheviot, Hencratt, Pait, Redcliff and Whichman soils.

Cheviot, Hencratt, Pait and Whichman soils are greater than 100 cm deep to bedrock. Redcliff soils average 18 to 30 percent clay in the particle-size control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Schwalbe soils are on mountain and hill sideslopes. They formed in colluvium and residuum derived from volcanic rocks. Schwalbe soils are at elevations of 2,045 to 2,445 meters. Slopes range from 15 to 75 percent slopes. The mean annual precipitation is 250 to 300 mm. The average annual air temperature is 8 to 11 degrees C. The frost free season is 90 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Beelem, Bellehelen and Stewval soils. These soils are less than 50 cm to hard bedrock.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is Wyoming big sagebrush, snowberry, bluegrass, Thurber needlegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail and Indian ricegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South-Central Nevada. The soils are inextensive. MLRA 29.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Nye County, Nevada, Northwest Part, 1996.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 38 cm (A1, A2 and A3 horizons).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 38 to 53 cm (Bw horizon).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 71 cm (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 cm to 71 cm (part of the A3, Bw and C horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.