LOCATION SNAPEED                 NV

Established Series
Rev. GWM/PNL/RLB/JBF
12/2019

SNAPEED SERIES

The Snapeed soil consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from quartz monzonite. The Snapeed soils are on rock pediments. Slopes are 4 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 330 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 6 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Aridic Haploxerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Snapeed very gravelly coarse sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with approximately 25 percent gravel.

A1--0 to 5 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate very fine and fine granular, weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine and common fine roots; many very fine vesicular and few very fine tubular pores; 40 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 15 cm thick)

A2--5 to 38 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine and common fine roots; many very fine vesicular and few fine tubular pores; 35 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 33 cm thick; combined thickness of the A horizons is less than 38 cm)

Bw--38 to 53 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine and common fine roots; many fine tubular pores; 35 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 25 cm thick)

C--53 to 84 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very gravelly loamy coarse sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many fine interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (7 to 15 inches thick)

R--84 cm; hard quartz monzonite bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: White Pine County, Nevada; approximately 2 miles west along the Blue Mass scenic area road from the intersection with Pleasant Valley Rd.; about 1400 feet south and 375 feet west of the northeast corner of Sec. 31, T. 22 N., R. 69 E.; USGS Blue Mass Canyon 7.5-minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 44 minutes 32 seconds N and longitude 114 degrees 12 minutes 44 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.7422222 latitude, -114.2122222 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist late fall through early summer, dry mid-summer through early fall, but moist for 10 to 20 days cumulative from July to October due to convection storms; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 6 to 8 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 18 to 38 cm.
Depth to hard bedrock: 50 to 100 cm.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 5 to 15 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 35 to 60 percent gravel, mainly 2 to 5 mm diameter.

A horizons
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.

Bw horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Textures: Very gravelly coarse sandy loam or very gravelly sandy loam.
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent.

C horizon
Value: 5 through 7 dry.
Textures: Loamy coarse sand or loam or loamy sand.
Clay content: 5 to 10 percent.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Fitzwater, Hartig, Linrose, Loncan, Riddleranch, and Swahlen.

Fitzwater soils contain 18 to 25 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Hartig soils have a lithic contact between 100 and 150 cm and are dry from June through mid-October. Loncan contain 18 to 27 percent clay. Linrose soils also have a Bk horizon. Riddleranch soils contain 18 to 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Swahlen soils contain 18 to 25 percent clay and are very deep.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Snapeed soils are on rock pediments. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from quartz monzonite. Slopes are 4 to 15 percent. Elevations are 1,925 to 2,625 meters. The climate is cool, semiarid with warm dry summers and cool moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 300 to 360 mm, mean annual temperature is 4 to 7 degrees C, and the frost-free season is 60 to 80 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bluemass and Willynat soils. Bluemass soils are shallow to a strongly cemented duripan. Willynat soils are very deep and have a mollic epipedon that is 40 to 60 inches thick.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly mountain big sagebrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, Thurber needlegrass, needleandthread, muttongrass and antelope bitterbrush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East-central Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 28A.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Pine County, Nevada, East Part. 2004.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the surface to 38 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 38 to 53 cm (Bw horizon).
Lithic contact - The boundary with hard bedrock 84 cm (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 84 cm (part of the A2, Bw and C horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.