LOCATION SHAYLA                  NV

Established Series
Rev. DWW/PWB/RLB
11/2019

SHAYLA SERIES

The Shayla series consists of shallow and very shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from tuffs, siltstone or welded tuffs. Shayla soils are on rock core areas of hills and fan piedmont remnant side slopes. Slopes are 15 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 230 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 8 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic, shallow Typic Torriorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Shayla very gravelly silty clay loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with 40 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles.

A1--0 to 5 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) very gravelly silty clay loam, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure parting to strong very fine granular; soft, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 10 cm thick)

A2--5 to 13 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) gravelly silty clay loam, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and few fine roots; common very fine tubular and few very fine interstitial pores; violently effervescent; 15 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)

C1--13 to 20 cm; pale yellow (2.5Y 8/4) very gravelly silty clay loam, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) moist; moderate fine and medium angular blocky structure; soft, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine, common medium roots; few very fine tubular and interstitial pores; violently effervescent; 50 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 18 cm thick)

C2--20 to 33 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) very gravelly silt loam, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; strong very fine and fine angular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, few fine and medium roots along ped surfaces; violently effervescent; 55 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 18 cm thick)

Cr--33 to 64 cm; pale yellow (2.5Y 8/2) weathered calcareous tuff; common fine and medium prominent reddish brown (5YR 4/4) and dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) relic redox concentrations; few very fine, fine and medium roots along fractures.

TYPE LOCATION: Elko County, Nevada; about 21 miles north of Elko, approximately 700 feet west and 1,700 feet south of the northeast corner of section 3, T. 37 N., R. 56 E.; USGS Coal Mine basin 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 41 degrees 07 minutes 37 seconds N and longitude 115 degrees 38 minutes 40 seconds longitude; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 41.1269444 latitude, -115.6447222 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in winter and spring, dry in late May through early November; aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 10 degrees C.
Depth to paralithic contact: 20 to 38 cm.
Depth to C horizon: 8 to 20 cm.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 23 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent, mostly gravel

A horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Structure: Platy, subangular blocky, or granular.

C horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 7 or 8 dry.
Texture: Very gravelly silty clay loam or very gravelly silt loam.
Rock fragments: 45 to 60 percent, mostly gravel.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Moentria, Pumel and Slocave series.

Moentria, Pumel and Slocave soils have less than 23 percent clay in the particle-size control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Shayla soils are on rock core areas of fan piedmont remnant side slopes and hills. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from tuffs, siltstone or welded tuffs. Slopes are 30 to 50 percent. Elevations are 1,581 to 2,015 meters. The climate is cool and semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm, mean annual temperature is 7 to 9 degrees C, and the frost-free season is 100 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Dewar, Gance, Roca and Vanwyper series. All these soils have argillic horizons.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is black sagebrush, downy rabbitbrush, littleleaf horsebrush, shadscale, Eriogonum, snowberry, Indian ricegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail and phlox.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 25.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Elko County, Nevada, Central Part, 1986.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the surface to 18 cm (A1, A2 and part of the C1 horizons).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 33 cm (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from the soil surface to 33 cm (A1, A2, C1, and C2 horizons)

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.