LOCATION TANAZZA                 NV

Established Series
Rev. HJB/TM
12/2015

TANAZZA SERIES

The Tanazza series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in lacustrine sediments. Tanazza soils are on lake terraces. Slopes are 0 to 8 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 4 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 62 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, gypsic, thermic Typic Calcigypsids

TYPICAL PEDON: Tanazza fine sandy loam, rangeland and wildlife habitat. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered by approximately 30 percent pan fragments.

A--0 to 2 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) fine sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate medium platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common fine vesicular pores; 13 percent petrocalcic fragments; strongly effervescent (25 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in the fine earth fraction); moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)

Bk1--2 to 4 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) fine sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak medium prismatic structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; many fine interstitial pores; violently effervescent (35 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in the fine earth fraction); moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 3 inches thick)

Bk2--4 to 15 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; common medium and fine roots; many fine interstitial pores; calcium carbonate is disseminated and common medium very pale brown (10YR 8/2) masses; violently effervescent (50 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in the fine earth fraction); strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 12 inches thick)

2Bky1--15 to 26 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) silty clay loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure; hard, friable, very sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and medium roots; few fine tubular pores; 5 percent gypsum crystals, violently effervescent (75 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in the fine earth fraction); strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)

2Bky2--26 to 31 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) gypsiferous silty clay loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure; hard, friable, very sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 25 percent gypsum crystals; violently effervescent (65 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in the fine earth fraction); moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 6 inches thick)

2Bky3--31 to 37 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gypsiferous material, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard; firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; common fine tubular pores; apparent texture of the fine earth material is clay loam; 50 percent large honeycomb gypsum masses; few white (10YR 8/1) calcium carbonate masses; slightly effervescent matrix and strongly effervescent calcium carbonate masses (15 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in the fine earth fraction); strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)

2Bky4--37 to 45 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) silty clay loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 10 percent gypsum crystals; violently effervescent (70 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in the fine earth fraction); strongly alkaline (pH 8.8) abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 30 inches thick)

2Bky5--45 to 61 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gypsiferous material, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; matrix is slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; apparent texture of the fine earth material is silty clay loam; 75 percent large honeycomb gypsum masses; noneffervescent; common small slightly effervescent patches (15 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in the fine earth fraction); strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).

TYPE LOCATION: Nye County, Nevada; approximately 5 miles southwest of Pahrump, about 700 feet south and 2,300 feet east of the northeast corner of section 8, T. 21, S., R. 53 E.; USGS Sixmile Spring, NV 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 36 degrees, 08 minutes, 40 seconds north latitude and 116 degrees, 02 minutes, 11 seconds west longitude; UTM zone 11, 586689e, 4000401n, NAD83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture - Usually dry; the upper part of the soil moisture control section is moist for a short time in late winter and late summer for 10 to 20 days following summer convection storms; Typic Aridic moisture regime.

Soil temperature - 62 to 67 degrees F.

Depth to calcic horizon - 2 to 6 inches.

Depth to gypsic horizon - 14 to 30 inches.

Control section - Clay content: 25 to 35 percent by weighted average.

Texture: Silty clay loam, silt loam and clay loam with less than 15 percent fine sand or coarser.


A horizon - Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry or moist.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 30 percent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline


Bk1 horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Texture: Fine sandy loam or very fine sandy loam.
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 30 to 60 percent.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.


Bk2 horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 40 to 80 percent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.


2Bky1, 2Bky2 or 2Bky4 horizons - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 5 through 7 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Texture: Silt loam, clay loam or silty clay loam.
Clay content: 25 to 35 percent.
Structure: Massive or prismatic.
Consistence: Slightly hard or hard, friable or firm, moderately sticky to very sticky.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 40 to 80 percent.
Gypsum content: 5 to 40 percent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.


2Bky3 or 2Bky5 horizons - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 5 through 7 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 20 percent.
Gypsum content: 40 to 80 percent.
Effervescence: Noneffervescent or slightly effervescent in the matrix.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.

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

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Tanazza soils are on lake terraces. These soils formed in lacustrine sediments. Slopes are 0 to 8 percent. Elevations are 2,400 to 3,700 feet. The climate is warm and arid with hot, dry summers and cool winters, typical of the Mojave Desert. The mean annual precipitation is 3 to 7 inches; mean annual temperature is 60 to 65 degrees F., and the frost-free season is 200 to 240 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Woda and Nopah series. Woda soils have petrocalcic horizons and Nopah soils lack gypsic horizons.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, low or medium runoff; moderately slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly creosotebush, shadscale, mesquite and big galleta.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mojave Desert of southern Nevada; MLRA 30. These soils are not extensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: PHOENIX, ARIZONA

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Nye County, Nevada, Southwest Part, 1994. The name is from a mine in the area.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - 0 to 2 inches (A horizon).

Calcic horizon - 2 to 31 inches (Bk1, Bk2, 2Bky1 and 2Bky2 horizons).

Gypsic horizon - 15 to 61 inches (2Bky1, 2Bky2, 2Bky3, 2Bky4 and 2Bky5 horizons).

Particle-size control section - 10 to 40 inches (2Bky1, 2Bky2, 2Bky3, and part of the Bk2 and 2Bky4 horizons).

Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 12/2015. The last revision to the series was 8/2006. ET

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.