LOCATION TAYLOR CREEK            NV

Established Series
Rev. RPZ/GJS/JBF
01/2023

TAYLOR CREEK SERIES

The Taylor Creek series consists of very deep, well drained soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from volcanic rocks with a large component of volcanic ash and loess. Taylor Creek soils are on uplands and have slopes of l5 to 50 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 380 mm and mean annual temperature is about 6 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Very-fine, smectitic Vertic Argicryolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Taylor Creek loam - rangeland (Colors for dry conditions unless otherwise noted).

A1--0 to 8 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 5 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)

A2--8 to 25 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium and fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 5 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 25 cm thick)

A3--25 to 38 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium and fine granular structure; hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 5 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 20 cm thick.)

Bt1--38 to 64 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly clay, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; strong coarse prismatic structure; very hard, friable, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine, and few fine tubular pores; many pressure faces; l5 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); gradual smooth boundary. (20 to 38 cm thick)

Bt2--64 to 101 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly clay, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; strong coarse prismatic structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; many pressure faces; 20 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); gradual smooth boundary. (20 to 114 cm thick)

Btk--101 to 152 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly clay, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; continuous prominent clay films on peds and in pores; 20 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; noneffervescent but strongly effervescent in a very few, fine, distinct white (10YR 8/1) carbonate segregations; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).

TYPE LOCATION: Elko County, Nevada. Approximately 1,300 feet west and 1,000 feet north of the southeast corner of section 1, T. 36 N., R. 52 E., Mount Diablo base line and meridian; USGS Blue Basin 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 41 degrees 2 minutes 2 seconds N and longitude 116 degrees 4 minutes 6 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 41.0338889 latitude, -116.0683333 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: moist in the winter and spring months, but are dry for more than 60 consecutive days in the mid-summer and fall of most years. Xeric moisture regime bordering on aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 7 to 8 degrees C.
Mean summer soil temperature: 14 to 15 degrees C.
Thickness of the mollic: 30 to 40 cm.
Depth of the argillic horizons: 90 to more than 150 cm.
Depth to bedrock: 150 to 200 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Greater than 60 percent

A horizons
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma of 1 to 3. Chroma of 1 if present, are only in the A1 horizon. Structure: Thin or medium platy, weak or moderate, very fine to medium granular, or subangular blocky. Platy structure is only in the A1 horizon.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.

Bt horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Texture: dominantly fine clay, but includes clay, and commonly is modified by up to 35 percent gravel.
Structure: Commonly strong or moderate, medium and coarse prismatic, but in some pedons is moderate or strong fine to coarse sub angular blocky.
Consistence: Hard or very hard dry, and friable to very firm moist.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.

Btk horizons
Carbonates: Few soft flecks and fine masses of carbonate at depths between 105 and 150 cm.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Buckwilder series. The Buckwilder soils are moderately deep to lithic bedrock.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Taylor Creek soils are on uplands at elevations of 1,830 to 2,290 meters. Slopes are 15 to 50 percent. The soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from rhyolite, andesite, and tuff rocks with large components of loess and volcanic ash. The climate is cool and semiarid with moist winters and dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 360 to 400 mm; mean annual temperature is 6 to 7 degrees C.; and the frost-free season is about 60 to 80 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Chen, Mosquet, Pie Creek, Ramires, Singletree and Torro series. Chen and Mosquet soils have lithic contacts above 50 cm. Pie Creek and Ramires soils have mean summer soil temperatures warmer than 15 degrees C. Singletree soils have clay loam argillic horizons. Torro soils have clay loam argillic horizons with more than 50 percent coarse fragments.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; rapid runoff; very slow permeability; moderately low saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly big sagebrush, Douglas rabbitbrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, Idaho fescue and Sandberg bluegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Taylor Creek soils are moderately extensive. North Central Nevada. MLRA 25.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Elko County (Tuscarora Mountain Area), Nevada, l979.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to about 38 (A1 and A2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from about 38 to 152 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizon).
Secondary carbonates - The zone from about 101 to 152 cm (Btq horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from about 38 to 88 cm (Bt1 and part of Bt2 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.