LOCATION VANWYPER                NV+OR

Established Series
Rev. DWW-PWB-JVC-JBF
05/2016

VANWYPER SERIES

The Vanwyper series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from mixed rocks. Vanwyper soils are on hills, plateaus, and mountains. Slopes are 8 to 70 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 250 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 7 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, smectitic, mesic Xeric Haplargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Vanwyper very cobbly loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with 20 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles and 2 percent stones.

A1--0 to 8 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very cobbly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; strong thin and medium platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and few fine roots; many very fine vesicular pores; 20 percent gravel and 20 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 13 cm thick)

A2--8 to 20 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very cobbly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and few fine and medium roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel and 20 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 20 cm thick)

Bt1--20 to 28 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very cobbly clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and few fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 10 percent gravel and 35 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 20 cm thick)

Bt2--28 to 53 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very cobbly clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; many distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 20 percent gravel and 35 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 50 cm thick)

Bt3--53 to 74 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very cobbly clay, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; many distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 15 percent gravel and 25 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 23 cm thick)

Bt4--74 to 99 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) cobbly clay, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; many distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 15 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt irregular boundary. (0 to 12 cm thick)

R--99 cm; unweathered quartzite.

TYPE LOCATION: Elko County, Nevada; about 16 miles north of Elko; approximately 1,700 feet north and 2,150 feet east of the southwest corner of section 29, T. 37 N., R. 56 E.; USGS The Buttes 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 41 degrees 03 minutes 50 seconds N and longitude 115 degrees 41 minutes 31 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 41.0638889 latitude, -115.6919444 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in the winter and spring, dry from late June through mid October; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 10 degrees C.
Depth to bedrock: 50 to 100 cm to a lithic contact.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 35 to 55 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent, mainly cobbles. Lithology of fragments are volcanic rocks such as rhyolite or metamorphic rocks such as quartzite.

A horizons
Value: 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.

Bt horizons
Hue: 10YR through 5YR.
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Very cobbly clay loam or very cobbly clay; very gravelly clay loam occurs in the Bt1 horizon of some pedons.
Structure: Angular or subangular blocky or prismatic structure is in the lower part.
Consistence: Moderately sticky or very sticky and moderately plastic or very plastic wet.
Other features: Some pedons have secondary carbonates as coats on the bottoms of rock fragments.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Berning, Bilbo, Clenage, Havingdon, Lambranch, Maderbak, Pula, Surgem, Tanawit, Tenmile, and Zephan series.

Berning, Bilbo, Lambranch, Pula, Tanawit, and Tenmile soils are very deep. Clenage soils have a lithologic discontinuity within the argillic horizon and have calcic horizons. Havingdon soils have 50 to 80 percent angular chert gravel, lack cobbles in the argillic horizon, and have carbonate accumulations along bedrock fractures. Maderbak soils are moist for 10 to 20 days in the summer. Surgem soils have massive A horizons, abrupt boundaries between A and Bt horizons, 60 to 80 percent rock fragments, and more than 40 percent sand in the argillic horizon. Zephan soils are moderately deep to paralithic contacts.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Vanwyper soils are on hills, plateaus and mountains. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from mixed rocks including rhyolite, basalt, tuff, andesite, shale, conglomerate, sandstone, and quartzite. Slopes are 8 to 70 percent. Elevations range from 1,465 to 2,170 meters. The climate is semi-arid with cool, moist winter and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 300 mm, mean annual temperature is 7 to 8 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 90 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Akler, Alley, Bucan, Humdun, Loomis, Millerlux, and Roca soils. Akler soils are shallow to paralithic contacts. Alley and Humdun soils are very deep and average less than 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Bucan soils are deep to lithic contacts. Loomis and Millerlux soils are shallow to lithic contacts. Roca soils have a frigid temperature regime. In addition, Akler, Alley, Bucan, Humdun and Millerlux soils have less than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Vanwyper soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, Douglas rabbitbrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, Sandberg's bluegrass, and Thurber's needlegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Nevada and south-central Oregon. These soils are extensive with about 140,000 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRAs 24 and 25.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lander County (North Part), Nevada, 1985.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 20 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 20 to 99 cm (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3, and Bt4 horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 99 cm to underlying hard bedrock (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 20 to 70 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons and part of the Bt3 horizon).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.