LOCATION UCOPIA                  NV

Established Series
Rev: RPZ/GJS/JBF
12/2019

UCOPIA SERIES

The Ucopia series consists of deep, well drained soils formed in residuum derived from pumiceous tuffs. Ucopia soils are on mountains. Slopes are l5 to 50 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 280 mm and mean annual temperature is about 7 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Xeric Haplocambids

TYPICAL PEDON: Ucopia loamy fine sand - rangeland (Colors for dry conditions unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 13 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loamy fine sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; neutral (pH 6.7); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 18 cm thick)

Bw--13 to 28 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine tubular and interstitial pores; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 25 cm thick)

C--28 to 127 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; neutral (pH 6.8) gradual wavy boundary. (75 to 125 cm thick)

Cr--127 cm; weathered pumiceous tuff.

TYPE LOCATION: Elko County, Nevada. Approximately l,050 feet south and 250 feet east of the northwest corner of section 29, T. 35. N., R. 52 E.; USGS Swales Mountain 7.5-minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 53 minutes 47 seconds N and longitude 116 degrees 9 minutes 35 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.8972222 latitude, -116.1597222 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry but are moist in the winter or spring, aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperatures: 7 to 8 degrees C.
Depth to paralithic contact: 100 to 150 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 5 to 15 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent gravel.

A horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Structure: Medium or coarse, subangular blocky or is massive or single grained. Consistence: Soft or slightly hard dry.

Bw horizon
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma of 2 or 3.
Texture: Fine to coarse sandy loam, with up to l5 percent gravel.
Structure: Weak, fine to coarse subangular blocky. Consistence is slightly hard or hard dry.

C horizon
Hue: l0YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 through 7 dry.
Chroma of l through 3.
Texture: Fine to coarse sandy loam with up to l5 percent gravel.
Other features: At depths below 90 cm, some pedons contain up to l0 percent durinodes.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Modkin series. Modkin soils have a lithic contact within a depth of 100 cm.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ucopia soils are on mountains at elevations of 1,640 to 1,830 meters. Slopes are l5 to 50 percent. The soils formed in residuum of weathered pumiceous tuffs. The climate is cool and semiarid with moist winters and dry summers. Mean annual precipitation is 250 to 300 mm; mean annual temperature is 6 to 7 degrees C.; mean summer temperature is about 16 degrees C.; and the frost-free season is about 80 to l00 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: Humdun and Toeja soils are in the same general area. Humdun soils have a horizon containing more than 20 percent durinodes in a friable or very friable matrix. Toeja soils have clay loam argillic horizons.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for livestock grazing. The present vegetation is mainly needleandthread grass, Indian ricegrass, thickspike wheatgrass, basin wildrye, cheatgrass and big sagebrush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North Central Nevada. Ucopia soils are of small extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Elko County (Tuscarora Mountain Area), Nevada,

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).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 13 to 28 cm (Bw horizon).
Paralithic contact - The zone at 127 cm (Cr layer)
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (Parts of Bw and C horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.