LOCATION SLATTER                 NV

Established Series
Rev. EWB-TM-JVC-JBF
06/2017

SLATTER SERIES


The Slatter series consists of very shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum derived from granitic rock. Slatter soils are on mountains. Slopes are 4 to 30 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 360 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 6 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Aridic Lithic Argixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Slatter extremely gravelly sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with about 5 percent stones, 10 percent cobbles, and 60 percent gravel.

A--0 to 8 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely gravelly sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and common fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores; 5 percent stones, 5 percent cobbles, and 60 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 13 cm thick)

Bt--8 to 18 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely gravelly sandy clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and common fine and medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 60 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.7); abrupt irregular boundary. (8 to 18 cm thick)

R--18 to 30 cm; hard, fractured granodiorite with soil and roots in fractures.

TYPE LOCATION: Douglas County, Nevada; in the Pine Nut Mountains about 3 miles northeast of Mount Siegel; about 1,800 feet north and 850 feet west of the southeast corner of section 12, T. 12 N., R. 22 E.; USGS Pine Nut Valley 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 54 minutes 58 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 27 minutes 32 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.9160000 latitude, -119.4587667 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in winter and spring, dry from July through October; aridic soil moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 7 to 8 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 10 to 25 cm; includes the entire Bt horizon where depth to bedrock is less than 18 cm.
Depth to bedrock: 10 to 25 cm to a lithic contact.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 18 to 25 percent.
Rock fragments: 60 to 80 percent, mainly gravel. Lithology of fragments is granitic rocks such as granodiorite.

A horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.

Bt horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Extremely gravelly sandy loam or extremely gravelly sandy clay loam.
Structure: Weak or moderate fine or medium subangular blocky.
Consistence: Slightly hard or hard dry, very friable or friable moist.
Organic matter content: 1 or 2 percent.
Other features: Bt2 subhorizons are present in some pedons where depth to bedrock is 18 to 25 cm.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Anaud, Cleavage, Cleavmor, Cropper, Gaciba, Granquin, Grosschat, Horsetrack, Mascamp, Pernty, Shalper, and Tractuff series.

Anaud and Grosschat soils are moist for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October due to convection storms. Cleavage, Cleavmor, Cropper, Gaciba, Granquin, Pernty, Mascamp, and Tractuff soils have lithic contacts that are deeper than 25 cm. Horsetrack soils have 27 to 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Shalper soils have 35 to 60 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Slatter soils are on mountains. They typically occur on summit and shoulder positions. These soils formed in residuum derived from altered granitic rock. Slopes are 4 to 30 percent. Elevations range from 2,135 to 2,445 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 300 to 380 mm, mean annual temperature is 5 to 7 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 65 to 75 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Delmo and Dooh soils. Delmo soils are clayey-skeletal and very deep. Dooh soils are very deep and have thick mollic epipedons.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Slatter soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly low sagebrush, bluegrass, pine needlegrass, and prairie junegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 26.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Douglas County, Nevada, 2012.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A and Bt horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 8 to 18 cm (Bt horizon).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 18 cm to underlying hard bedrock (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A and Bt horizons).

Classification was updated to 11th edition on 07/2011 changed Lithic Argixerolls to Aridic Lithic Argixerolls.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.