LOCATION SPRINGMEYER NV+CA UT
Established Series
Rev. WED-ELS-JVC-JBF
06/2017
SPRINGMEYER SERIES
The Springmeyer series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed igneous rocks. Springmeyer soils are on fan remnants and inset fans. Slopes are 0 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 280 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 10 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Springmeyer gravelly fine sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 8 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate thick platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine vesicular pores; 25 percent gravel and 1 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 23 cm thick)
A2--8 to 25 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium and fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; 25 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 25 cm thick)
Bt1--25 to 41 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly sandy clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds, lining pores, and bridges between sand grains; 20 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 25 cm thick)
Bt2--41 to 56 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly sandy clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds, lining pores, and on bottoms of rock fragments; 20 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 46 cm thick)
BC--56 to 157 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly sandy clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure in upper part and massive in lower part; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; few clay films on faces of peds in the upper part of the horizon; many fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and few medium distinct reddish brown (5YR 5/4) relict masses of iron accumulation; 30 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Douglas County, Nevada; about 2,200 feet southwest of the west abutment of Mud Lake Reservoir; about 1,400 feet north and 2,200 feet east of the southwest corner of section 4, T. 11 N., R. 20 E.; USGS Carters Station 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 50 minutes 30 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 44 minutes 37 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.8415556 latitude, -119.7434722 longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist from November to early June, dry from early June through early November for about 145 consecutive days; aridic soil moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 12 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 18 to 50 cm; includes the Bt1 horizon.
Depth to base of argillic horizon: 50 to 100 cm.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: 25 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 5 to 35 percent, mainly gravel. Lithology of fragments are mainly volcanic rocks such as andesite.
A horizons
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Structure: Granular, subangular blocky, or platy.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
Organic matter content: 1 to 5 percent.
Bt horizons
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Clay loam, sandy clay loam, or gravelly sandy clay loam.
Rock fragments: 5 to 35 percent.
Structure: Prismatic or subangular blocky.
Reaction: Slightly acid through slightly alkaline.
Organic matter content: 0.5 to 3 percent.
BC or C horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Stratified extremely gravelly loamy sand to sandy clay loam.
Rock fragments: 5 to 70 percent.
Reaction: Neutral through moderately alkaline.
Other features: Relict redox concentrations of iron are in the B and C horizons of some pedons; Up to 5 percent durinodes are in some pedons below 100 cm.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Bissell,
Bjork,
Cowiche,
Dodes,
Fernpoint,
Hullsgulch,
Indiano,
Jerusalem,
Madras,
Margerum,
Noslo,
Orr,
Pahrange,
Quailridge,
Quiero,
Ralls,
Shoebend,
Simcoe,
Truax,
Uhaldi, and
Wenatchee series.
Bissell and
Cowiche soils have less than 5 percent rock fragments.
Bjork,
Dodes,
Pahrange,
Noslo,
Shoebend, and
Uhaldi soils are moderately deep to paralithic contacts.
Fernpoint and
Orr soils have 18 to 25 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
Hullsgulch and
Quailridge soils are moister during summer and fall and have sandy textures with lamellae below the argillic horizon.
Indiano,
Madras,
Quiero, and
Simcoe soils are moderately deep to lithic contacts.
Jerusalem soils have depth to the base of the argillic horizon of more than 150 cm.
Margerum soils contain 15 to 35 percent pumice pararock fragments, have a large component of volcanic ash, and have combined thickness of the A and Bt horizons of 100 to 132 cm.
Ralls soils have slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline A and Bt horizons and are dry in all parts for about 105 to 120 consecutive days in most years.
Truax soils average 20 to 25 percent clay in the particle-size control section and have Bq horizons.
Wenatchee soils have a component of loess and volcanic ash and very firm moist consistence in the argillic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Springmeyer soils are on fan remnants and inset fans. These soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed igneous rocks. Slopes are 0 to 50 percent. Elevations range from 1,220 to 2,286 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 360 mm, the mean annual temperature is 7 to 14 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 80 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Aldax,
Borda,
Reno, and
Indian Creek soils. Aldax soils are loamy-skeletal. Borda and Reno soils are fine. Indian Creek soils are clayey and shallow to duripans.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; medium or high surface runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: Springmeyer soils are used for rangeland, pasture, and hay production. The vegetation is principally Wyoming big sagebrush, mountain big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, rabbitbrush, singleleaf pinyon, bottlebrush squirreltail, and Sandberg's bluegrass. This pedon is correlated to ecological site R026XY010NV, Loamy 10-12" P.Z.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada, northeastern California, and western Utah. These soils are moderately extensive. The series concept and main acreage is in MLRA 26, while other acreage occurs in MLRAs 21, 23, and 28A.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Douglas County (Carson Valley Area), Nevada, 1974.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 41 cm (A1, A2, and Bt1 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 25 to 56 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 56 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
ADDITIONAL DATA: User Pedon ID: 2006NV005086.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.