LOCATION WATCHABOB NV+ID

Established Series
MA/MD/GJS
12/2019

WATCHABOB SERIES

The Watchabob series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in colluvium and residuum from granite. Watchabob soils are on side slopes of hills. Slopes are l0 to 40 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 380 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 6.7 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Pachic Ultic Argixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Watchabob gravelly coarse sandy loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 13 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) gravelly coarse sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine and few medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 18 cm thick)

A2--13 to 23 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly coarse sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine, and few medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; 25 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (10to 23 cm thick.)

A3--23 to 38 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly coarse sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine, and few medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 15 cm thick)

Bt1--38 to 53 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly coarse sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; few thin clay films on peds and lining pores; 25 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.5); gradual wavy boundary. (15 to 23 cm thick.)

Bt2--53 to 66 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly sandy clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; few thin clay films on peds and lining pores; 26 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 20 cm thick)

C--66 to 71 cm; variegated color, extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam, variegated color, but dominantly dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist, single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 75 percent gravel; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 20 cm thick)

2R--71 cm; granite.

TYPE LOCATION: Elko County, Nevada, about l mile north and 2 miles west of Mountain City; l,800 feet north and 2,400 feet east of the southwest corner of section 27, T. 46 N., R. 53 E.; USGS Ungina Wongo 7.5-minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 41 degrees 51 minutes 11.5 seconds N and longitude 116 degrees 00 minutes 40.7 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 41.8531944 latitude, -116.0113056 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually moist, dry late July through mid October.
Typic xeric moisture regime.
Soil temperature - 5.6 to 8.3 degrees C.
Thickness of solum and depth to bedrock - 50 to 100 cm.
Control section - Rock fragments: 20 to 30 percent, mainly gravel.
Base saturation (in all or part of upper 75 cm by sum of cations - 50 to 75 percent.

A horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Reaction: Neutral through medium acid.

Bt horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 to 4.
Clay content: l8 to 30 percent.
Texture: Gravelly sandy clay loam or gravelly coarse sandy loam. Some pedons have thin subhorizons that are very gravelly sandy clay loam or very gravelly coarse sandy loam.
Reaction: Neutral through medium acid.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bauscher, Brinegar, DeMasters, and Pinehurst series. Bauscher soils are more than 150 cm to bedrock. Brinegar soils are moderately well drained and more than 150 cm to bedrock. DeMasters soils have bedrock at a depth of 100 to 150 cm. Pinehurst soils have 5YR hue.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Watchabob soils are on side slopes of hills. They formed in alluvium and colluvium from granite. Slopes are l0 to 40 percent. Elevations are 1,710 to 2,075 meters. The mean annual precipitation is 330 to 410 mm, most of which falls as snow or spring rain. The mean annual temperature is 6.1 to 7.2 degrees C., and the frost-free season is 70 to 90 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Bearskin soil. The Bearskin soil is less than 50 cm deep to bedrock and is on summits and toe-slopes of low hills.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; medium or rapid runoff; moderate saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is mainly mountain big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, Idaho fescue, bluebunch wheatgrass, basin wildrye, and lupine.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central Nevada and southwestern Idaho. Watchabob soils are not extensive. MLRA 25.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Elko County, Nevada, Duck Valley Indian Reservation, Idaho and Nevada, 1984.

REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 66 cm (A1, A2, A3, Bt1, Bt2 horizons)
Argillic horizon - The zone from 38 to 66 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 28 inches (The R boundary).

Particle-size control section - The zone from 38 to 66 cm (The Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).

The superactive cation exchange activity class was added in 03/2003 to the taxonomic classification by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the Reno MLRA office, without review of the soil series property data. The remainder of this document has not been updated.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.