LOCATION TRIPLEN                 NV

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

TRIPLEN SERIES

The Triplen series consists of very deep, well-drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from tuff and loess high in volcanic ash. The Triplen soils are on terraces. Slopes are 4 to l5 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 230 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 8 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Durinodic Xeric Haplocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Triplen silt loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry conditions unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 8 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; strong thick platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine, and few medium roots; many very fine, and common fine vesicular pores; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 15 cm thick)

Bw--8 to 20 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak medium prismatic structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few medium and fine roots; many very fine interstitial, common very fine and few fine tubular pores; noneffervescent but strongly effervescent on randomly scattered tuff fragments; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 20 cm thick)

Bq--20 to 33 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial, and few very fine tubular pores; 20 percent very hard, firm, brittle durinodes; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 18 cm thick)

Bqk--33 to 53 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial, and few very fine tubular pores; 30 percent extremely hard, very firm, brittle durinodes; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 23 cm thick)

2Bqk--53 to 152 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) gravelly sandy loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; massive; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; few thin (3 mm) randomly scattered silica laminae; 25 percent gravel; violently effervescent, with carbonate coated gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).

TYPE LOCATION: Eureka County, Nevada. Approximately 1,700 feet north and 900 feet east of the southwest corner of Section 9, T. 35 N., R. 48 E. About 3 miles east of Rock Creek Mountain; USGS Sheep Creek Range NE 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 55 minutes 17 seconds N and longitude 116 degrees 34 minutes 24 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.9213889 latitude, -116.5733333 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in the winter and early spring; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 10 degrees C.
Depth to Bq horizon: 18 to 30 cm

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 5 to 15 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 30 percent gravel, which are dominantly durinodes.

A horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry and 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma of 2 or 3.
Structure: Weak to strong, thin to thick platy structure, or is massive.

Bw horizon
Values of 6 or 7 dry and 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma of 2 or 3.
Texture: Fine sandy loam or sandy loam.
Structure: Weak medium or coarse prismatic, or weak medium or fine subangular blocky.

Bq and Bqk horizon
Texture: Somewhat stratified with predominant textures of fine sandy loam or sandy loam. Some pedons have minor strata of loamy fine sand or sand.
Cementation: 20 to 35 percent hard to extremely hard, firm or very firm durinodes in a friable or very friable matrix.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 10 percent.

2Bqk horizon
Cementation: few to common small thin silica laminae.
Carbonates: All coarse fragments have carbonate coatings.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 10 percent.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Ardep, Biblesprings, Ilton and Kunzler series.

Ardep soils have a calcium carbonate equivalent of 10 to 22 percent. Biblesprings soils are slightly to strongly effervescent throughout. Ilton soils are moderately deep a paralithic contact. Kunzler soils are slightly effervescent to strongly effervescent in the A horizon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Triplen soils are on terraces at elevations of 1,520 to 1,680 meters. Slopes are 4 to l5 percent. These soils formed in calcareous alluvium derived from tuff with a component of loess high in volcanic ash. The climate is cool and semi-arid. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm; mean annual temperature is 7 to 8 degrees C.; and the frost-free season is l00 to l20 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cherry Spring, Orovada, Puett, and Tenabo soils. Cherry Spring soils have a natric horizon and a strongly cemented duripan at a depth between 50 and 100 cm. Orovada soils lack a calcic horizon. Puett soils are shallow to weathered tuff bedrock. Tenabo soils are shallow to an indurated duripan.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderately rapid permeability; high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Vegetation is mainly big sagebrush, Sandberg bluegrass and cheatgrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central Nevada. Triplen soils are of small extent. MLRA 25.

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

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

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 18 cm (A1 and part of Bw horizons).
Durinodes - The zone from 20 to 53 cm (Bq and Bqk horizons).
Calcic horizon - The zone from 53 to 152 cm (2Bqk horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (Bqk and part of Bq and 2Bqk horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.