LOCATION SMAUG NV+UT

Established Series
Rev. EWB-WED-JVC-JBF
05/2016

SMAUG SERIES

The Smaug series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in lacustrine deposits. Smaug soils are on basin floor remnants and lake plains. Slopes are 0 to 8 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 180 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 10 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-silty, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Typic Torriorthents

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

A1--0 to 2 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate thin platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (2 or 5 cm thick)

A2--2 to 13 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 28 cm thick)

A3--13 to 25 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 20 cm thick)

2C1--25 to 58 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silt loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; strong thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (15 to 38 cm thick)

2C2--58 to 71 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) silt loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; strong thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent in spots; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 25 cm thick)

2C3--71 to 117 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) silt loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/4) moist; weak thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine, fine and medium roots; many very fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 64 cm thick)

3C4-- 117 to 157 cm; pale yellow (2.5Y 8/2) silt loam, pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) moist; weak thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine tubular and interstitial pores; common 0.5 to 2 mm gastropod shells; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0)

TYPE LOCATION: Washoe County, Nevada; between Honey Lake Valley and the Smoke Creek Desert about 1.5 miles west of Bonham Well; 1,800 feet north and 700 feet east of the southwest corner of section 2, T. 27 N., R. 19 E.; USGS Astor Pass 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 14 minutes 10 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 49 minutes 32 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.2360528 latitude, -119.825556 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Moist for short periods in winter and spring, dry in summer and fall; typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 12 to 15 degrees C.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: Averages 15 to 30 mixed but subhorizons vary from less than 5 to 50 percent; no identifiable secondary carbonates evident.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 10 to 18 percent.
Sand fraction: Less than 15 percent fine sand or coarser.

A horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent through violently effervescent

C horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 7 or 8 dry, 5 through 7 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Very fine sandy loam or silt loam
Structure: Weak to strong, thin to thick platy.
Consistence: Soft to hard dry, friable to very friable moist, slightly sticky or moderately sticky and nonplastic to slightly plastic wet.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline through very strongly alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Garbutt, Penoyer, Toano, and Yipor series.

Garbutt soils have 20 to 25 percent volcanic glass in the sand and silt fractions. Garbutt, Penoyer and Yipor soils average less than 15 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in their control section. Toano soils have Bw horizons and do not have platy structure. Yipor soils have mean annual temperature of 8 to 11 degrees C.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Smaug soils are on small basin floor remnants and on lake plains. They formed in silty lacustrine deposits. Slopes are 0 to 8 percent. Elevations range from 1,190 to 1,495 meters. The climate is arid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 150 to 200 mm, mean annual temperature is 9 to 11 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 100 to 130 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Davey, Dun Glen, and Stumble soils. Davey soils are sandy and have cambic horizons. Dun Glen soils are coarse-loamy and have cambic horizons. Stumble soils are sandy and do not have diagnostic subsurface horizons.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Smaug soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly winterfat, shadscale, bud sagebrush, and Indian ricegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada and northwestern Utah. These soils are moderately extensive. The series concept is in MLRA 27 in Nevada, while the main acreage is in MLRA 28A in Utah.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Box Elder County (Western Part), Utah, 1985.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A1, A2, and part of the A3 horizon)
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (2C1, 2C2 and part of the 2C3 horizons).

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.