LOCATION SHABLISS NV+ID UT

Established Series
Rev. JVC/JBF
03/2016

SHABLISS SERIES

The Shabliss series consists of shallow to a duripan, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks with a thin loess mantle high in volcanic ash. Shabliss soils are on fan aprons, partial ballenas, and fan remnants. Slopes are 0 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 230 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic, shallow Xereptic Haplodurids

TYPICAL PEDON: Shabliss very fine sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).

A--0 to 10 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak thin platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 15 cm thick)

Bw--10 to 28 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2); moist; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (15 to 25 cm thick)

Bq--28 to 35 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; strong medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; few very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 30 percent very hard, very firm, brittle, coarse and very coarse (1 to 2.5 cm diameter) durinodes; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 15 cm thick)

Bqkm--35 to 51 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) cemented material, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; strong thick platy structure; extremely hard, very firm; strongly cemented by opaline silica; few very fine roots; few very fine interstitial and tubular pores; secondary calcium carbonates segregated as many fine distinct very pale brown (10YR 8/2) laminae; many fine discontinuous secondary silica laminae with some iron mottling on the surface; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 46 cm thick)

Bqk--51 to 74 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; very hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 30 percent extremely hard, very firm, brittle, coarse and very coarse (0.5 to 0.6 cm) weakly cemented durinodes; secondary calcium carbonates segregated as many fine distinct very pale brown (10YR 8/2) masses; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 70 cm thick)

2Bk--74 to 132 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; secondary calcium carbonate is disseminated in the matrix; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 64 cm thick)

3Bqk--132 to 142 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loamy sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine interstitial and tubular pores; violently effervescent; weakly cemented; secondary calcium carbonate is disseminated in the matrix; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 18 cm thick)

4C--142 to 157 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) gravelly loamy sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine interstitial pores; 20 percent gravel; violently effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.4).

TYPE LOCATION: Humboldt County, Nevada; about 2 miles southeast of Winnemucca; approximately 1,600 feet south and 400 feet west of the northeast corner of section 34, T. 36 N., R. 38 E.; USGS Winnemucca East 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 57 minutes 20 seconds N and longitude 117 degrees 40 minutes 46 second W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.9555556 latitude, -117.6794444 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist during winter and spring, dry summer through fall; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 13 degrees C.
Depth to base of cambic horizon: 25 to 50 cm.
Depth to strongly cemented duripan: 25 to 50 cm.
Depth to bedrock: 150 cm or more.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 5 to 15 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 0 to 25 percent, mainly gravel.

A horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Reaction: Neutral through strongly alkaline.
Other features: Some pedons have volcanic glass content of 15 to 35 percent in the coarse silt through fine sand fractions; Some pedons have few fine soft pockets and films of secondary calcium carbonate and are violently effervescent.

Bw horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Very fine sandy loam, silt loam or loam with thin subhorizons with fine sandy loam in some pedons.
Consistence: Soft or slightly hard, very friable to friable, nonsticky to slightly sticky and nonplastic to slightly plastic.
Reaction: Neutral through strongly alkaline.
Other features: Some pedons have volcanic glass content of 15 to 35 percent in the coarse silt through fine sand fractions; Some pedons have few fine soft films of secondary calcium carbonate that are effervescent in pockets. Some pedons have few distinct secondary calcium carbonate masses on rock fragments.

Bq or Bqk horizons (when present above the duripan)
Durinodes: 5 to 45 percent durinodes in a friable or brittle matrix.
Texture: Very fine sandy loam, loam or silt loam, with fine sandy loam layers in some pedons.
Structure: Subangular blocky or massive.
Consistence: Slightly hard or hard dry; very friable or friable moist.

Bqkm horizon
Structure: Platy or massive.
Consistence: Very hard or extremely hard.
Other features: In some pedons, 2 or more strongly cemented layers are interbedded with weakly cemented material.
Carbonates: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.

Bqk, Bk, or C horizons (When present below the duripan)
Clay content: 0 to 10 percent.
Rock fragments: Some pedons are gravelly or very gravelly below the duripan.
Consistence: Soft to very hard, very friable to firm.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline.
Cementation: The Bqk horizon (when present below the duripan) have 5 to 45 percent extremely hard, extremely firm, brittle 0.3 to 1.3 cm cylindrical durinodes in a friable or firm matrix or have a continuous brittle matrix.

COMPETING SERIES: This are the Rabbithills, Rouette, Scalade, Trio, Truvar, and Unius series.

Rabbithills soils do not have cambic horizons and have duripans that are weakly cemented. Rouette soils are intermittently moist for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October. Scalade soils contain free carbonates above the duripan. Trio soils have lithic contacts at depths of 50 to 100 cm. Truvar soils have mean annual soil temperature of 12 to 15 degrees C. Unius soils contain 18 to 25 percent clay in the particle-size control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Shabliss soils are on fan aprons, partial ballenas, and fan remnants. These soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks with a thin loess mantle high in volcanic ash. Slopes are 0 to 50 percent. Elevations range from 825 to 2,260 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm, the mean annual temperature is 6 to 12 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 100 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bliss and Chiara soils. Bliss soils are 50 to 90 cm deep over a strongly cemented duripan. Chiara soils have an indurated duripan.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Shabliss soils are used for irrigated cropland, livestock grazing, and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation in rangeland is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, rabbitbrush, spiny hopsage, bottlebrush squirreltail, Sandberg's bluegrass, and cheatgrass. Crops are alfalfa hay, barley, wheat, and pasture.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Nevada, southwestern Idaho, and western Utah. These soils are extensive with about 232,000 acres of the series mapped to date. The series concept is in MLRA 24, the main acreage is in adjacent MLRA 28B, and other acreage occurs in MLRAs 11, 25, and 28A.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Humboldt County, Nevada, (BLM Sonoma Planning Unit), 1974.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A and part of Bw horizons).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 10 to 28 cm (Bw horizon).
Identifiable secondary carbonates - The zone from 35 to 74 cm (Bqkm and Bqk horizons).
Duripan - The zone from 35 to 51 cm (Bqkm horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 38 cm (Bq horizon and part of the Bw horizon).

ADDITIONAL DATA: A pedon of Shabliss from Nye County, Nevada has full characterization and geochemistry data by the Soil Survey Laboratory (SSL), Lincoln, NE, as soil survey sample number S79NV-023-001 (pedon # 80P0185).

Previous authors and editors include: ELS-MJZ-RLB.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.