LOCATION SLAW                    NV

Established Series
Rev. JBF
05/2016

SLAW SERIES

The Slaw series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium over lacustrine deposits derived from mixed rocks. Slaw soils are on alluvial flats, flood plains, basin floors, lake plains, flood plain playas, drainageways, and low stream terraces. Slopes are 0 to 4 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 150 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 12 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Typic Torrifluvents

TYPICAL PEDON: Slaw loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 5 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak thin platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine interstitial pores; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 13 cm thick)

A2--5 to 20 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; common fine interstitial pores; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 28 cm thick)

C--20 to 38 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; common fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.7); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 28 cm thick)

2C--38 to 51 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; common fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 76 cm thick)

3C--51 to 71 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; common fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 60 cm thick)

4C--71 to 152 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) stratified very fine sandy loam to silty clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; common fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0).

TYPE LOCATION: Esmeralda County, Nevada; approximately 1,800 feet south and 2,500 feet west of the northeast corner of section 30, T. 6 N., R. 37 1/2 E.; USGS Kibby Flat, NV 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle;latitude 38 degrees 21 minutes 01 seconds N and longitude 117 degrees 47 minutes 46 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.3502778 latitude, -117.796111 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in some part of the moisture control section for short periods during winter and early spring months and intermittently moist above the moisture control section for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October due to convection storms; typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 12 to 14 degrees C.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 4 percent.
Reaction: Strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline.
Organic carbon content: Decreases irregularly with depth due to alluvial stratification.
Other features: Clay minerals are dominated by smectites. Ash layers may be found in some pedons.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 18 to 35 percent.

A horizons
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent to violently effervescent.

C horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Stratified very fine sandy loam to silty clay, averaging silty clay loam or silt loam.
Structure: Subangular blocky, prismatic, platy or is massive. Subhorizons are granular in some pedons
Consistence: Soft to hard dry, very friable to friable moist, nonsticky to very sticky, nonplastic to very plastic.
Electrical conductivity (EC): 0 to 32 mmhos/cm.
Sodium absorption level (SAR): 0 to 99.
Other features: Relict redox concentrations of iron or manganese are common in any subhorizon.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Fivemile, Slawha, and Tours series.

Fivemile soils are not moist for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October, have mean annual soil temperature of 8 to 12 degrees C., and have 4 to 10 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in the C horizon. Slawha soils are not intermittently moist for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October. Tours soils have hue of 2.5YR or 5YR.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Slaw soils are on alluvial flats, flood plains, basin floors, lake plains, flood plain playas, drainageways, and low stream terraces. They formed in alluvium over lacustrine deposits derived from mixed rocks. Slopes are 0 to 4 percent. Elevations range from 1,066 to 2,010 meters. The climate is arid with cool, moist winters and hot, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 130 to 200 mm, the mean annual temperature is 10 to 13 degrees C., and the frost-free period is 120 to 140 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Cirac, Kawich, Nuyobe and Rustigate series. Cirac soils are coarse-loamy. Kawich soils are sandy. Nuyobe soils are poorlydrained with a water table at 60 to 90 cm. Rustigate are somewhat poorly drained with a water table at 90 to 150 cm.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; negligible to high runoff depending on slope and landform; moderately low saturated hydraulic conductivity. These soils are occasionally flooded unless protected by flood control structures.

USE AND VEGETATION: Slaw soils are used mainly for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. They are also used for limited irrigated cropland and for urban development. The present vegetation is mainly black greasewood, fourwing saltbush and seepweed. Ecological site: R029XY076NV Sodic Flat.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western and central Nevada. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRAs 27, 28A, and 29.

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:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A1 and part of the A2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (C, 2C and 3C horizons and parts of the 4C horizon).

ADDITIONAL DATA: The type location was moved in 6/2009 to better reflect the series concept.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.