LOCATION THREESEE                NV

Established Series
Rev. PWB-LB-RLB-JBF-BKP
02/2016

THREESEE SERIES

Threesee series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in a loess cap over reworked alluvium derived from mixed rocks. Threesee soils are on beach plains and beach bars. Slopes are 0 to 8 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 230 mm and the mean annual air temperature is about 8 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Xeric Haplocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Threesee gravelly loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The surface is partially covered by approximately 20 percent gravel.

A--0 to 8 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 15 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)

Bw--8 to 23 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, fine and few medium roots; few very fine interstitial and few fine tubular pores; 5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; 15 percent gravel; 2 percent thin lime coats on rock fragments; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 20 cm thick)

Bk--23 to 36 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine to medium and few coarse roots; few very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 15 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; 15 percent gravel; 3 percent thin lime coats on rock fragments; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 15 cm thick)

2Bk--36 to 61 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) very gravelly loamy sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine to medium roots; few very fine tubular and interstitial pores; continuous weak lime cementation; 20 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; 35 percent gravel; many thin lime coats on rock fragments; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 30 cm thick)

2Bkq1--61 to 117 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) very gravelly loamy sand, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine to medium roots; 50 percent discontinuous weak lime and silica cementation, slightly hard and friable; 20 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; 50 percent gravel; common thin lime coats on undersides of rock fragments; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); gradual smooth boundary. (46 to 66 cm thick)

3Bkq2--117 to 137 cm; variegated stratified coarse sand to very gravelly coarse sand; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 10 percent discontinuous weak lime and silica cementation; 30 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; 40 percent gravel; common thin lime coats on undersides of rock fragments; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); gradual smooth boundary. (15 to 25 cm thick)

3C--137 to 152 cm; variegated coarse sand; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 5 percent discontinuous weak lime and silica cementation; 18 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; 10 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).

TYPE LOCATION: Elko County, Nevada; approximately 13 miles south of Highway 229 on the CCC Road in Ruby Valley, about 2,900 feet west and 475 feet north of the southeast corner of section 8, T. 30 N., R. 61 E.; USGS Delcer Buttes 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 29 minutes 20 seconds N and longitude 115 degrees 07 minutes 8 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.488889 latitude, -115.118889 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist late fall and early spring, dry late spring through mid-fall; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C.
Depth to calcic horizons: 23 to 50 cm.
Depth to contrasting particle size: 36 to 50 cm.

Particle-size control section - Percent clay: Averages 10 to 18 in the upper part and 4 to 10 percent in the lower part.
Rock fragments: Averages 15 to 35 percent in the upper part and 35 to 55 percent in the lower part.

A horizon
Value 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: (Less than 2 mm fraction) 1 to 10 percent.

Bw horizon
Value 6 or 7 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Clay content: 10 to 18 percent.
Rock fragment: 15 to 35 percent.Consistence: Soft or slightly hard dry, slightly sticky to nonsticky wet.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: (less than 2mm fraction) 5 to 15 percent.

Bk horizon
Value 6 or 7 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Clay content: 10 to 18 percent.
Rock fragment: 15 to 35 percent.
Consistence: Soft or slightly hard dry, slightly sticky to nonsticky wet.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: (less than 2mm fraction) 15 to 25 percent.

2Bk horizons
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 2 or 3 moist, sub-horizons are variegated.
Clay content: 4 to 10 percent.
Rock fragments 35 to 55 percent.Consistence: Soft or slightly hard dry.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: (less than 2mm fraction) 20 to 30 percent.
Other Features: Sub-horizons are continuously weakly lime cemented.

3C horizons
Calcium carbonate equivalent: (less than 2mm fraction) 15 to 30 percent.
Texture: Loamy coarse sand or coarse sand.

COMPETING SERIES: Currently there are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Threesee soils are on beach plains and beach bars. These soils formed in loess over reworked alluvium derived from mixed rocks. Slopes are 0 to 8 percent. Elevations are 1,680 to 1,955 meters. The climate is cool, semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm, mean annual temperature is 7 to 9 degrees C, and the frost-free season is 100 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Blimo, Pyrat and Tosser soils. Blimo soils have continuous weak silica cementation and a coarse-loamy control section. Pyrat soils have discontinuous weak silica-lime cementation and a loamy-skeletal control section. Tosser soils lack contrasting textures in the particle size control section and have reactions that range to strongly alkaline at or near the surface.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, Indian ricegrass, needleandthread and bottlebrush squirreltail.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Nevada. MLRA 28B. These soils are not extensive.

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

SERIES PROPOSED: Elko County, Nevada, Southeast Part, 1991. The name is coined from the CCC Road.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to a depth of 18 cm (A and part of the Bw1 horizons).
Cambic horizons - The zone from 8 to 23 cm (Bw horizon).
Calcic horizons - The zone from 23 to 137 cm (Bk, 2Bk, 2Bkq1 and 3Bkq2 horizons).
Xeric feature - Soil moisture and organic matter content meets the requirements for xeric.
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (part of the Bk, 2Bk and part of the 2Bkq1 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.