LOCATION SUMMERMUTE NV

Established Series
Rev. JVC/JBF
03/2012

SUMMERMUTE SERIES

The Summermute series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived mainly from limestone. Summermute soils are on fan remnants and fan skirts. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 180 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 8 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, carbonatic, mesic Durinodic Haplocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Summermute gravelly loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with approximately 40 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles.

A1--0 to 8 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine, fine and medium roots; many very fine and fine vesicular pores; 15 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 15 cm thick)

A2--8 to 28 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and medium roots; common fine tubular and interstitial pores; 10 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 27 cm thick)

Bk--28 to 41 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) gravelly loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common fine tubular and interstitial pores; 15 percent gravel; many secondary calcium carbonates pendants on bottoms of rock fragments; 36 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 13 cm thick)

2Bqk1--41 to 71 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very gravelly sandy loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular and common interstitial pores; discontinuous weak cementation by secondary calcium carbonate and secondary silica, 20 percent strong silica cementation, discontinuous 1 mm laminar cap; 30 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; 40 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; brittle matrix; violently effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2); clear wavy boundary. (25 to 50 cm thick)

2Bqk2--71 to 109 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; discontinuous weak cementation by secondary calcium carbonate and secondary silica,10 percent strong silica cementation; 45 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; 39 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; brittle matrix; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); gradual wavy boundary. (25 to 50 cm thick)

2C--109 to 152 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 50 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles, and 2 percent stones; 44 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; strongly effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2).

TYPE LOCATION: White Pine County, Nevada; about 7 miles south of the Stonehouse at the junction of the Tippett Road and Spring Valley Road; about 550 feet north and 450 feet east of the southwest corner of section 21, T. 21 N., R. 66 E.; USGS Silver Canyon 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 40 minutes 34 seconds N and longitude 114 degrees 31 minutes 40 seconds W; NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in some part for short periods during winter and early spring and for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October due to convection storms; typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C.
Depth to secondary calcium carbonate: 15 to 30 cm.
Depth to horizons with discontinuous weak silica cementation: 33 to 50 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 10 to 18 percent.
Rock fragment content: 35 to 60 percent, mainly gravel. Lithology of fragments is mainly limestone.

A horizons
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry.
Calcium carbonate content: 5 to 15 percent in the less than 2 mm fraction.

Bk horizon (when present)
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Clay content: 10 to 18 percent
Rock fragments: Average 15 to 35 percent mainly gravel, but a subhorizon may havv up to 60 percent.
Calcium carbonate content: 25 to 40 percent in the less than 2 mm fraction and 40 to 60 percent in the less than 20 mm fraction.

2Bqk horizons
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Sandy loam or fine sandy loam.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent, mainly gravel.
Consistence: Hard, dry; firm, moist; nonsticky or slightly sticky and brittle when wet.
Reaction: Strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline.
Calcium carbonate content: 25 to 40 percent in the less than 2 mm fraction and 40 to 60 percent in the less than 20 mm fraction.
Secondary silica: 10 to 20 percent lenses of strong silica cementation and up to 80 percent discontinuous weakly cemented lenses and masses.

2C horizon (when present)
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Clay content: 10 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent, mainly gravel.
Calcium carbonate content: 25 to 45 percent in the less than 2 mm fraction and 40 to 60 percent in the less than 20 mm fraction.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Summermute soils are on fan remnants and fan skirts. These soils formed in alluvium derived mainly from limestone. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. Elevations range from 1,525 to 2,290 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 150 to 200 mm, the mean annual temperature is 7 to 11 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 100 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Armespan, Jericho, Heist, and Timpie soils. Armespan soils have an aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric. Jericho soils have duripans at 36 to 50 cm. Heist and Timpie soils do not have calcic horizons.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Summermute soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly shadscale, rabbitbrush, bud sagebrush, Indian ricegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, sand dropseed, and galleta.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Nevada. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 28A.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona.

SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Pine County, Nevada, East Part, 2004. The name is coined.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 28 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).
Calcic horizon - The zone from 28 to 109 cm (Bk, 2Bqk1, and 2Bqk2 horizons).
Duric feature - The zone from 41 to 109 cm (2Bqk1 and 2Bqk2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (Bk and 2Bqk1 horizons and parts of the A2 and 2Bqk2 horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: The typical pedon at the series type location has full characterization data by the Soil Survey Laboratory (SSL), Lincoln, NE, as soil survey sample number S94NV-033-005 (pedon # 94P0730).

Previous authors and editors include: GWM-PNL-TM.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.