LOCATION TESSFIVE                NV

Established Series
Rev. CEJ/GJS/JBF
03/2016

TESSFIVE SERIES

The Tessfive series consists of shallow, well drained soils formed in residuum derived from tuffaceous sediments with an admixture of loess. These soils are on rolling hill crests and side slopes. Slopes are 2 to 30 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 200 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Lithic Xeric Torriorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Tessfive gravelly loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted). The soil surface is partially covered with 35 percent gravel.

A1--0 to 8 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate thin platy structure; soft, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine vesicular pores; 20 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)

A2--8 to 15 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak thin platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 20 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 8 cm thick)

Bk1--15 to 25 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; few very fine tubular pores; carbonate occurs in few fine filaments or threads and as coats on undersides of rock fragments; 20 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 15 cm thick)

Bk2--25 to 41 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; carbonate occurs in few fine and medium filaments or threads and as coats on undersides of rock fragments; 25 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt wavy boundary(8 to 15 cm thick)

R--41 to 51 cm; hard, fractured consolidated tuffaceous sediments; carbonate coats rock fragments.

TYPE LOCATION: Lander County, Nevada; about 23 miles north of Austin; approximately 10,000 feet south and 4,250 feet west of the southwest corner of section 27, T. 24 N., R. 43 E.; USGS Manhattan Mountain NW 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 53 minutes 8 seconds N and longitude 117 degrees 8 minutes 53 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.8877778 latitude, -117.1494444 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in winter and spring, dry late June through October; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C.
Depth to bedrock: 25 to 100 cm.
Carbonates: 5 to 15 percent CaCO3 equivalent. A1 horizons of some pedons are leached of carbonates.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Other features: The upper few cm of bedrock in some pedons is highly weathered paralithic material.

Particle-size control section - Percent clay: 14 to 24 percent.
Rock fragments: 20 to 35 percent, mainly gravel.

A horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.

Bk horizon
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 6.
Structure: Subangular blocky or is massive.
Texture: Loam or sandy loam.
Other features: Some pedons have up to l5 percent weakly cemented durinodes in the lower subhorizons.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Beelem and Shotwell series.

Beelem soils have mean annual soil temperatures warmer than 11 degrees C and are 10 to 25 cm deep to a lithic contact. Shotwell soils have less than 20 percent rock fragments in the lower profile and lack carbonate accumulations as filaments or as coats on undersides of rock fragments.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Tessfive soils occur on rolling hill crests and side slopes. These soils formed in residuum derived from stratified consolidated and semiconsolidated tuffaceous sediments with an admixture of loess. Slopes are 2 to 30 percent. Elevations are 1,465 to 1,830 meters. The climate is cool, semiarid with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 180 to 250 mm; mean annual temperature is 7 to 9 degrees C, and the frost-free season is 90 to 110 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Grina, Orovada, Pegler and Puett soils. Grina, Pegler and Puett soils have paralithic contacts within 50 cm. Orovada soils are very deep.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly black sagebrush, spiny hopsage, ephedra, Sandberg bluegrass and bottlebrush squirreltail.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Nevada. These soils are of small extent. MLRA 24.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lander County, Nevada, South Part, 1985.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A1, A2 and part of the Bk1 horizon).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 41 cm (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 41 cm (Bk2 horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 41 cm (Bk2 horizon).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.