LOCATION STONELL                 NV

Established Series
Rev. RWW/RLB/JBF
07/2016

STONELL SERIES

The Stonell series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks including volcanic tuffs and sedimentary rocks. Stonell soils are on fan piedmont remnants. Slopes are 2 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 180 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 12 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Haplargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Stonell gravelly sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with about 50 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles.

A--0 to 8 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate medium platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many fine and medium vesicular pores; 15 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)

Btk--8 to 20 cm; pink (7.5YR 7/4) very gravelly sandy clay loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and few medium roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on peds and in pores; common coarse silica-carbonate coats on undersides of rock fragments; 35 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 18 cm thick)

Bkq1--20 to 30 cm; pinkish gray (7.5YR 7/2) very gravelly sandy loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; many coarse silica-carbonate coats on undersides of rock fragments; 45 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 25 cm thick)

Bkq2--30 to 71 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very gravelly sandy loam; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; many very coarse silica-carbonate coats on undersides of rock fragments; 35 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 100 cm thick)

Bkq3--71 to 155 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very gravelly loamy sand, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; many coarse silica-carbonate coats on undersides of rock fragments; 40 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; violently effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2)

TYPE LOCATION: Nye County, Nevada; 3 miles west of Mud Lake; 2,500 feet east and 500 feet south of the northwest corner of section 4, T. 1 S., R. 43 E; USGS Mud Lake NW 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 37 degrees 53 minutes 15 seconds N and 117 degrees 09 minutes 25 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 37.8875000 latitude, -117.1569444 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry; moist in some part for short periods during the winter and early spring months and for 10 to 20 days cumulative due to summer convection storms; typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 11 to 15 degrees C.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.
Depth to lower boundary of Bt horizon: 15 to 25 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 7 to 12 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 55 percent; mainly gravel.

A horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.

Btk horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Texture: Sandy clay loam, clay loam or loam.
Percent clay: 20 to 30 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent mainly gravel.
Structure: Subangular blocky or massive.
Consistence: Slightly sticky to sticky, slightly plastic to plastic.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.

Bqk horizons
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Texture: Stratified very gravelly sandy loam to very gravelly loamy sand.
Clay content: 5 to 10.
Consistence: Nonsticky to slightly sticky, non-plastic to slightly plastic.
Reaction: Strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Fireball, Jurado, Minnye, Perazzo, Preatorson, Rednik, and Zaba series.

Fireball soils have bedrock at depth of 100 to 150 cm. Jurado, Minnye, Perazzo, and Preatorson soils all have more than 18 percent clay in the control section. Rednik and Zaba soils have more than 15 percent exchangeable sodium in the argillic horizon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Stonell soils are on fan piedmont remnants. These soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks including volcanic tuffs and sedimentary rocks. Slopes are 2 to 15 percent. Elevations are 1,405 to 1,904 meters. The climate is arid with cool winters; summers are hot and dry with occasional convection storms. The mean annual precipitation is 130 to 200 mm, mean annual temperature is 10 to 13 degrees C, the frost-free season is 120 to 170 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ardivey, Cotail, Dodaw, Izo, Lidan, Stonewall, and Unsel soils. Ardivey and Unsel soils have weakly silica-cemented layers. Cotail soils have a calcic horizon, and lack an argillic horizon. Dodaw soils are coarse-loamy. Izo soils are sandy-skeletal and are in wash areas. Lidan and Stonewall soils have a clayey-skeletal argillic horizon.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly shadscale, Bailey greasewood, bud sagebrush, ephedra and Indian ricegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Nevada. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 29.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Esmeralda County, Nevada, 1984.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 8 cm (A horizon).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 8 to 20 cm (Btk horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 8 to 100 cm (Btk, Bkq1, Bqk2 and part of the Bkq3 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.