LOCATION THIKE NV
Established Series
Rev. DPC/JBF/JVC
07/2016
THIKE SERIES
The Thike series consists of very shallow and shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from granitic rocks. Thike soils are on mountains. Slopes are 15 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 250 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 11 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Lithic Xeric Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Thike very cobbly sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with 40 percent gravel, 30 percent cobbles, and 10 percent stones.
A--0 to 5 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very cobbly sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak thin platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; common very fine and fine vesicular and interstitial pores; 35 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 10 cm thick)
Bt1--5to 13 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine, common fine tubular and interstitial pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 30 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)
Bt2--13 to 20 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) extremely cobbly sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 30 percent gravel and 40 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 15 cm thick)
R--20 cm; fractured granite; bedrock is weathered with some clay and roots in cracks in the upper 10 cm; bedrock becomes harder and less fractured at 30 cm.
TYPE LOCATION: Esmeralda County, Nevada, about 2 miles east of Willow Springs; 2,600 feet south and 2,600 feet east of the northwest corner of section 17, T. 8 S., R. 42 E; USGS Gold Mountain 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 37 degrees 14 minutes 42.7 seconds N and 117 degrees 17 seconds 15.3 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 37.2451944 latitude, -117.2875833 longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Moist in winter and spring months, dry in summer and fall except for 10 to 20 days between July and October due to convection storms; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 12 to 15 degrees C.
Depth to bedrock: 13 to 36 cm to a lithic contact.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.
Effervescence: Noneffervescent throughout.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: 12 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 45 to 70 percent with less than 5 percent stones, 15 to 40 percent cobbles, and 20 to 50 percent gravel. More than half of the gravel are coarse (about 25 mm in size).
A horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Structure: Platy or subangular blocky.
Bt1 horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Texture: Sandy loam, loam or coarse sandy loam.
Clay content: 10 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 40 to 70 percent.
Bt2 horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Texture: Coarse sandy loam, loam, sandy clay loam.
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent.
Rock fragments: 50 to 70 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are
Atlow,
Boomstick,
Checkett,
Chubard,
Cottle,
Doorkiss,
Fortyday,
Gabbvally,
Hooplite,
Nevo,
Olac,
Old Camp,
Phliss,
Richinde,
Rowel,
Soughe and
Stewval series. Potential competitors in a similar family are the , and series.
Atlow,
Boomstick,
Checkett,
Chubard,
Cottle,
Doorkiss,
Fortyday,
Hooplite,
Nevo,
Olac,
Old Camp,
Phliss,
Richinde,
Rowel,
Soughe, and
Stewval soils average more than 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
Gabbvally soils have less than 50 percent rock fragments in the control section, most of which are gravel.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Thike soils are on mountains. They formed in residuum and colluvium derived from granitic rocks. Slopes are 15 to 75 percent. Elevations range from 1,465 to 2,260 meters. The climate is cool-semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 300 mm, the mean annual temperature is 10 to 12 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 90 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Calpeak,
Slatery, and
Gabbvally series. Calpeak soils do not have an argillic horizon and are on less stable slopes. Slatery soils are over siltstone and are calcareous throughout. Gabbvally soils are over tuff and have 18 to 27 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; high surface runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: Thike soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, ephedra, galleta, desert needlegrass, and Sandberg bluegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada. These soils are not 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 5 cm (A horizon).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 5 to 20 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 20 cm to underlying hard bedrock (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from the soil surface to 20 cm (A, Bt1, and Bt2 horizons).
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.