LOCATION SLAWMASTER              NV

Established Series
JBF-JVC
05/2016

SLAWMASTER SERIES

The Slawmaster series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in volcanic ash and alluvium derived from mixed igneous rocks. Slawmaster soils are on stream terraces. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 125 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 12 degrees C.

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

TYPICAL PEDON: Slawmaster ashy silt loam--irrigated cropland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

Ap--0 to 10 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) ashy silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots and few medium and coarse roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 18 cm thick)

A--10 to 23 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) ashy silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots and few medium and coarse roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; 3 percent fine and medium faint light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) relict masses of iron and manganese accumulation; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 30 cm thick)

AB--23 to 53 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) ashy silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots and few medium and coarse roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; 10 percent medium distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) relict masses of iron accumulation; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 30 cm thick)

Bk1--53 to 81 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silty clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 2 percent fine prominent moderately cemented iron-manganese concretions and 10 percent medium distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) relict masses of iron accumulation; strongly effervescent; 10 percent fine strongly cemented carbonate nodules and 15 percent fine masses of secondary carbonates in the matrix; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 36 cm thick)

Bk2--81 to 112 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silty clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 2 percent fine prominent moderately cemented iron-manganese concretions and 10 percent medium distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) relict masses of iron accumulation; strongly effervescent; 3 percent fine masses of secondary carbonates in the matrix and 3 percent fine strongly cemented carbonate nodules; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 40 cm thick)

Bk3--112 to 152 cm; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) silty clay loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 2 percent fine prominent moderately cemented iron-manganese concretions and 10 percent fine and medium faint light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) relict masses of iron accumulation; violently effervescent; 1 percent fine masses of secondary carbonates in the matrix and 1 percent fine strongly cemented carbonate nodules; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).

TYPE LOCATION: Mineral County, Nevada; on the Walker River Indian Reservation about 2.7 miles northwest of Schurz; approximately 1,880 feet south and 400 feet west of the northeast corner of section 21, T. 13 N., R. 28 E.; USGS Schurz 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 38 degrees 58 minutes 38.2 seconds north latitude and 118 degrees 50 minutes 57.3 seconds west longitude; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.9774722 latitude, -118.849389 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture - Usually moist in some part of the moisture control section for short periods during winter and early spring, dry from later spring through fall unless irrigated; Typic torric moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature - 12 to 14 degrees C.
Depth to seasonal high water table - Greater than 152 cm.
Other features - Organic carbon decreases irregularly with depth due to stratification of textures; Relict masses of iron and manganese accumulation are common in most pedons; strongly contrasting sandy textures occurs in some pedons at depths of 100 to 152 cm from the soil surface.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 18 to 27 percent.


Ap and A horizons
Value: 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Volcanic glass content: 15 to 35 percent in coarse silt through fine sand fractions.
Oxalate aluminum plus one-half oxalate iron: 0.1 to 0.4 percent.
Other features: Munsell colors are dark enough to fit mollic epipedon criteria when thickness is 25 cm or more. The epipedon fails the moisture criterion of the mollic epipedon required characteristics due to lack of adequate moisture during the growing season.


AB horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Ashy silt loam or ashy silty clay loam; some pedons have texture of ashy very fine sandy loam.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Volcanic glass content: 15 to 35 percent in coarse silt through fine sand fractions.
Oxalate aluminum plus one-half oxalate iron: 0.1 to 0.4 percent.
Effervescence: Very slightly effervescent to strongly effervescent.
Other features: Some pedons have identifiable secondary carbonates in the form of masses in the matrix.


Bk horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Silt loam, silty clay loam, loam, ashy silty clay loam, or ashy silt loam.
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Salinity (EC): 0 to 4 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 5 to 13.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 4 percent.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: Occurs as masses in the matrix or coats on faces of peds; carbonate concretions occur in some pedons and may be relict groundwater features.
Volcanic glass content: 5 to 15 percent in coarse silt through fine sand fractions.
Oxalate aluminum plus one-half oxalate iron: 0.1 to 0.4 percent.
Other features: Some pedons have few moderately cemented iron-manganese concretions; 10 to 30 percent biotite mica in the fine sand fraction by grain count.


2C horizon (when present)
Texture: Stratified gravelly coarse sand to ashy silty clay loam.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Rotinom series. Rotinom soils have mean annual soil temperature of 8 to 11 degrees C. and have discontinuous zones of silica cementation.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Slawmaster soils are on stream terraces. They formed in volcanic ash and alluvium derived from mixed igneous rocks such as granodiorite and andesite. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. Elevations range from 1,220 to 1,280 meters. The climate is arid with cool, moist winters and hot, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 100 to 150 mm, the mean annual temperature is 11 to 13 degrees C., and the frost-free period is 130 to 150 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Schurz and Walkeriver soils. Schurz soils are ashy and average 8 to 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Walkeriver soils are sandy.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; medium surface runoff; moderately low saturated hydraulic conductivity. These soils are susceptible to rare flooding year-round.

USE AND VEGETATION: Slawmaster soils are used mainly for irrigated cropland, rangeland, wildlife habitat, and some urban development. Alfalfa hay is the main crop. The vegetation in rangeland is mainly black greasewood, shadscale, Torrey quailbush, and rabbitbrush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 27.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mineral County Area, Nevada, 2005.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (Ap and part of the A horizon).
Vitrandic intergrade feature - The zone from the soil surface to 53 cm (Ap, A, and AB horizons).
Identifiable secondary carbonates - The zone from 53 to 152 cm (Bk1, Bk2, and Bk3 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (Bk1 horizon and parts of the AB and Bk2 horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: Volcanic glass and mica contents determined locally by optical grain count with a polarizing petrographic microscope.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.