LOCATION VIGUS                   NV

Established Series
Rev. JBF/WED/JVC
05/2016

VIGUS SERIES

The Vigus series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks. Vigus soils are on fan remnants, alluvial fans, and fan skirts. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 150 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 12 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Durinodic Haplargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Vigus gravelly loamy sand--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 5 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly loamy sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine interstitial and many very fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 8 cm thick)

A2--5 to 10 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate fine platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine vesicular and common very fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)

A3--10 to 18 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; strong medium platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; neutral (pH 7.3); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 15 cm thick)

Bt--18 to 33 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; with many light gray (10YR 7/2) bleached sand grains; weak medium columnar structure; hard, very friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine, common fine and few medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films lining pores and bridging sand grains; 5 percent gravel; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 30 cm thick)

2Bq--33 to 53 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly loamy sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine tubular pores; 25 percent gravel; 20 percent durinodes that are hard and firm; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 30 cm thick)

3Bqk1--53 to 91 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; 70 percent durinodes that are hard and very firm; many fine white (10YR 8/1) carbonate filaments; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (28 to 70 cm thick)

3Bqk2--91 to 155 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) sandy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; strong medium and fine platy structure; very hard, firm; continuous brittle matrix; 10 percent gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).

TYPE LOCATION: Nye County, Nevada; about 6 miles south-southeast of the San Antonio Ranch; about 50 feet west and 2,600 feet north of the southeast corner of section 36, T. 7 N., R. 42 E.; USGS Baxter Spring NW 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 25 minutes 15 seconds N and longitude 117 degrees 12 minutes 17 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.4208333 latitude, -117.2047222 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in some part for short periods during winter and early spring months and for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October due to convection storms; typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 12 to 15 degrees C.
Depth to base of argillic horizon and Bq horizons containing durinodes: 25 to 60 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 18 to 27 percent.
Rock fragments: 5 to 15 percent, mainly gravel. Lithology of fragments are mixed, and consist of such rocks as tuff, limestone, shale, and granite.

A horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Effervescence: Commonly noneffervescent, but is slightly effervescent in some pedons.
Reaction: Neutral through moderately alkaline.

Bt horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Sandy clay loam, fine sandy loam, or loam.
Structure: Columnar, subangular blocky, or prismatic.
Consistence: Slightly hard to hard, very friable to firm, slightly sticky or moderately sticky, nonplastic to plastic.
Effervescence: Noneffervescent or slightly effervescent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.

Bq and Bqk horizons
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Texture: Stratified gravelly loamy sand to fine sandy loam.
Rock fragments: 10 to 30 percent, mainly gravel.
Consistence: Soft through hard, dry; friable, moist in the horizon with durinodes; most pedons have subhorizons with a continuous brittle matrix which is hard or very hard, and firm or very firm.
Silica cementation: Most pedons have 20 to 70 percent durinodes and most pedons have subhorizons with a continuous brittle matrix which is hard and very hard, firm or very firm.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline through very strongly alkaline.
Sodicity (SAR): 13 to 30.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 10 to 20 percent.
Other features: A 2Bk horizon is present in some pedons.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Caudle, McKeeth, Nyala, Tocan, and Unsel series.

Caudle, McKeeth, and Tocan soils are not intermittently moist in the upper part of the moisture control section for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October. In addition, Caudle soils have 25 to 35 percent clay and 0 to 5 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section and McKeeth soils have 20 to 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section. Nyala soils have identifiable secondary carbonates in the argillic horizon. Unsel soils have 27 to 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Vigus soils are on fan remnants, fan skirts, and alluvial fans. They formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. Elevations range from 1,278 to 2,091 meters. The climate is arid with cool, moist winters and hot, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 100 to 200 mm, the mean annual temperature is 11 to 14 degrees C, and frost-free period is 100 to 150 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Broe, Dobel, Orphant, and Roic soils. Broe soils are sandy, very deep, and have cambic horizons and horizons with durinodes. Dobel and Orphant soils are loamy, very shallow and shallow to duripans, and have argillic horizons. Roic soils are loamy, very shallow and shallow to paralithic contacts, and do not have diagnostic subsurface horizons.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Vigus soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is mainly shadscale, bud sagebrush, galleta, spiny horsebrush, Douglas rabbitbrush, Indian ricegrass, and winterfat.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern and central Nevada. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRAs 29, 28B, and 27.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Nye County, Nevada (Big Smoky Valley Area), 1972.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A1, A2, and A3 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 18 to 33 cm (Bt horizon).
Duric feature - The zone from 33 to 155 cm (2Bq, 3Bqk1, and 3Bqk2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 18 to 33 cm (Bt horizon).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.