LOCATION VYCKYL                  NV

Established Series
Rev. GWM/PNL/TM/JBF
12/2019

VYCKYL SERIES

The Vyckyl series consists of very shallow and shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from quartz monzonite. The Vyckyl soils are on mountains. Slopes are 15 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 360 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 6 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid, shallow Aridic Haploxerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Vyckyl very cobbly loamy sand--woodland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with approximately 25 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones.

A1--0 to 8 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very cobbly loamy sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak thin platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine vesicular pores; 25 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 10 cm thick)

A2--8 to 18 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; few fine and medium tubular pores; 35 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 15 cm thick)

A3--18 to 25 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common medium roots; common fine tubular pores; 75 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)

Cr--25 to 66 cm; highly weathered quartz monzonite.

TYPE LOCATION: White Pine County, Nevada; about 1.5 miles south along the Rock Springs Road from the intersection with Pleasant Valley Road; about 2400 feet west and 800 feet north of the southeast corner of Sec. 10, T. 21 N., R. 69 E.; USGS Blue Mass Canyon 7.5-minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 42 minutes 21 seconds N and longitude 114 degrees 09 minutes 52 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.7058333 latitude, -114.1644444 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry; moist in winter and spring, dry summer and fall except for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October due to summer convection storms; aridic bordering on xeric soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 6 to 8 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 18 to 28 cm.
Depth to paralithic contact: 18 to 36 cm.
Depth to unweathered bedrock: 56 to 100 cm.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.
Other features: Some pedons contain thin C horizons.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 5 to 15 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 35 to 70 percent, mainly gravel, with over half 2 to 5 mm in diameter.

A horizons
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Ureal series. The Ureal soils do not receive the 10 to 20 days of summer precipitation and have soil temperature of 4 to 6 degrees C.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Vyckyl soils are on mountain sideslopes. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from quartz monzonite. Slopes are 15 to 50 percent. Elevations are 1,955 to 2,685 meters. The climate is cool, semiarid with warm, dry summers and cool moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 300 to 400 mm, mean annual temperature is 4 to 7 degrees C, and the frost-free season is 60 to 80 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Kious soils. Kious soils are shallow to a lithic contact.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Woodland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly singleleaf pinyon, curlleaf mountainmahogany, mountain big sagebrush, and antelope bitterbrush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East central Nevada. MLRA 28A. These soils are not extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Pine County, Nevada East Part, 2004.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the surface to 25 cm (A1, A2 and A3 horizons).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 25 cm (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from the soil surface to 25 cm (A1, A2 and A3 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.