LOCATION TRAILAMP                NV

Established Series
Rev. JHD-JBF-WED-JVC
07/2016

TRAILAMP SERIES

The Trailamp series consists of very shallow and shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from siltstone, shale, and sandstone. Trailamp soils are on mountains. Slopes are 15 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 360 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 7 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid, shallow Typic Argixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Trailamp very gravelly loam--forestland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with about 2.5 cm of pinyon needle duff.

A--0 to 5 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) very gravelly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak thin platy structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 35 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)

Bt1--5 to 13 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) very gravelly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few coarse and many medium and fine and very fine roots; many very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 40 percent gravel; few faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear irregular boundary. (8 to 15 cm thick)

Bt2--13 to 23 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) very gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common medium and fine roots; common very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 45 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; few faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 13 cm thick)

Cr--23 cm; weathered and highly fractured siltstone.

TYPE LOCATION: Esmeralda County, Nevada; about 0.75 miles south of Lida Summit; about 700 feet south and 200 feet east of the northwest corner of section 17, T. 6 S., R. 40 E.; USGS Magruder Mountain 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 37 degrees 25 minutes 21 seconds N and longitude 117 degrees 34 minutes 30 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 37.4225000 latitude, -117.5750000 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in winter, spring, and early summer; dry in summer and fall but intermittently moist for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and September due to convection storms; dry in all parts at least 45 consecutive days following the summer solstice; xeric moisture regime that borders on aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 7 to 8 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 18 to 25 cm; includes all or part of the argillic horizon.
Depth to bedrock: 18 to 36 cm to a paralithic contact. The paralithic materials below the contact are highly fractured and partially weathered sedimentary rocks.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 15 to 25 percent.
Rock fragments: Average 35 to 60 percent, mainly gravel. Lithology of fragments is sedimentary rocks such as siltstone, shale, and sandstone.

A horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Clay content: 10 to 18 percent.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.

Bt1 horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Very gravelly loam, very gravelly fine sandy loam, or very gravelly sandy clay loam.
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent.
Organic matter content: 1 or 2 percent.

Bt2 horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Very gravelly loam, very gravelly fine sandy loam, or very gravelly sandy clay loam.
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent.
Organic matter content: 1 or 2 percent.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Crispy, Cucamungo, Grandridge, Pinew, and Quopant series.

Crispy soils are slightly acid or neutral, have paralithic contacts at depths of 36 to 50 cm, have rock fragments that are metamorphic rocks such as schist or gneiss, have paralithic materials of weathered metamorphic rocks in the series control section, and are not intermittently moist due to summer convection storms. Cucamungo soils are dominated by fine gravel (2 to 5 mm diameter) of granitic lithology in the particle-size control section and have paralithic materials of weathered granitic rock in the series control section. Grandridge soils are dominated by fine gravel (2 to 5 mm diameter) of granitic lithology in the particle-size control section, have paralithic materials of weathered granitic rock in the series control section, and are not intermittently moist for 10 to 20 days during the summer due to convection storms. Pinew soils are slightly acid or neutral, have paralithic contacts at depths of 36 to 50 cm, have paralithic materials of weathered volcanic rocks in the series control section, and are not intermittently moist due to summer convection storms. Quopant soils have 2C horizons below the argillic horizon and have paralithic materials that are weathered ash-flow tuff in the series control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Trailamp soils are on mountains. They typically occur on backslope positions. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from siltstone, shale, and sandstone. Slopes are 15 to 75 percent. Elevations range from 2,075 to 2,595 meters. The mean annual precipitation is 300 to 400 mm, the mean annual temperature is 8 to 9 degrees C. and the frost-free period is 80 to 110 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Logring, Sylvaniam, and Ubehebe soils and the competing Cucamungo soil. Logring soils are calcareous throughout, have carbonatic mineralogy, an aridic (torric) moisture regime, and a mesic temperature regime. Sylvaniam soils are moderately deep to lithic contacts, have cambic and calcic horizons, and carbonatic mineralogy. Ubehebe soils have an aridic moisture regime and a mesic temperature regime.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; very high surface runoff; high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Trailamp soils are used for forestland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is a forest canopy of singleleaf pinyon with an understory of mountain big sagebrush, desert bitterbrush, green ephedra, bottlebrush squirreltail, and curlleaf mountainmahogany.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West-central Nevada. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 29.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Esmeralda County, Nevada, l984.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 23 cm (A, Bt1, and Bt2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 5 to 23 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 23 cm to underlying weathered bedrock (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from the soil surface to 23 cm (A, Bt1, and Bt2 horizons).

---

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.