LOCATION UNIONVILLE              NV

Established Series
Rev: DLJ-CRS-GJS-JBF
05/2016

UNIONVILLE SERIES

The Unionville series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed residuum and colluvium derived from granitic rocks with some influence from tufa. The Unionville soils are on dissected gently rolling foothills. Slopes are 2 to 8 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 150 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 11 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Haplocambids

TYPICAL PEDON: Unionville coarse sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 3 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) coarse sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common fine vesicular pores; 10 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 8 cm thick)

A2--3 to 13 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)

Bw--13 to 28 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and common fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 18 cm thick)

Bk--28 to 58 cm; light pale red (2.5YR 6/2) coarse sandy loam, weak red (2.5YR 5/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; common fine irregularly shaped carbonate seams; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 30 cm thick)

Cr--58 cm; soft, weathered granodiorite.

TYPE LOCATION: Pershing County, Nevada; approximately 3.5 miles west of Lovelock; about 1,700 feet west and 900 feet north of the southeast corner of section 19, T. 27 N., R. 31 E.; USGS West of Lovelock 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 11 minutes 24 seconds N and longitude 118 degrees 32 minutes 21 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.1901111 latitude, -118.5391667 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist for short periods in winter and spring, dry from May through October, typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 12 to 14 degrees C.
Depth to the paralithic contact: 50 to 70 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 5 to 10 percent.
Rock fragments: 5 to 15 percent, mainly gravel.

A horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Other features: Some pedons have up to 15 percent lake laid tufa fragments in subhorizons.

Bw horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Texture: Averages coarse sandy loam or sandy loam.
Structure: Subangular blocky or the horizon is massive. Consistence: Soft through hard, dry.

Bk horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Texture: Averages coarse sandy loam or sandy loam.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Consistence: Soft or slightly hard, dry.

C horizons (when present):
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Texture: Loamy coarse sand or coarse sand.
Clay content: Up to 10 percent.
Rock fragments: 5 to 15 percent, mainly gravel.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Embudo, Hessing, Koyen, Lusetti, Monue, Quima and Wall series.

All these soils are very deep. Embudo soils are underlain by stratified sandy and gravelly materials at 46 to 76 cm. Hessing soils have very gravelly sand or loamy sand at depths of 64 to 90 cm. Koyen soils have sola 36 to 53 cm thick and sandy loam control sections. Monue soils have 5YR hues. Quima soils are noncalcareous in their upper profiles. Wall soils have less than 25 percent coarse and very coarse sand in their control sections and A and Bw horizons that are neutral or mildly alkaline.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Unionville soils are on dissected gently rolling foothills. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from granitic rocks that was influenced by tufa. Slopes are 2 to 8 percent. Elevations are 1,200 to 1,340 meters. The climate is cool, arid with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 125 to 200 mm; mean annual temperature is 9 to 13 degrees C, and the frost-free season is 100 to 130 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bluewing and Mazuma soils. Bluewing soils are very deep and have 50 to 80 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section. Mazuma soils are very deep and have a particle-size control section that averages fine sandy loam or loam.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly shadscale and Bailey greasewood.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Nevada. MLRA 27. These soils are not extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Pershing County, Nevada, (Lovelock Area). 1963.

REMARKS: The type location has been moved to a more representative area. The concepts of the series remain the same.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric horizon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A1, A2 and part of Bw horizons).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 13 to 28 cm (Bw horizon).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 58 cm (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 58 cm (part of Bw and Bk horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.