LOCATION WAYHIGH NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive Xeric Haplocryepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Wayhigh very gravelly fine sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with approximately 30 percent gravel.
Oi--0 to 5 cm; slightly decomposed roots and leaves.
Oe--5 to 8 cm; moderately decomposed plant leaves, stems and roots. (Combined thickness of the 0 horizons is 3 to 12 cm thick.)
A--8 to 20 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) very gravelly fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; strong medium granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and common fine roots; common very fine and fine, and few medium tubular and interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 16 cm thick)
Bw1--20 to 36 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very gravelly fine sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate medium granular; soft, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and common fine roots; common very fine and fine, and few medium tubular and interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 20 cm thick)
Bw2--36 to 71 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very gravelly fine sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine and fine, and few medium tubular and interstitial pores; 35 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles; very slightly effervescent; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (20 to 40 cm thick)
Bw3--71 to 89 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) extremely gravelly fine sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; strong coarse subangular blocky structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine, and few medium tubular and interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel and 25 percent cobbles; slightly effervescent; neutral (pH 7.1); abrupt smooth boundary. (20 to 30 cm thick)
R--89 cm; indurated, fractured quartzite bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: White Pine County, Nevada; in Great Basin National Park about 0.75 miles northwest of Mount Washington at the limestone and quartzite contact; USGS Wheeler Peak 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 55 minutes 29.8 seconds N and longitude 114 degrees 18 minutes 12.6 seconds W; UTM zone 11N, 733759e, 4311905n, NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually moist in winter, spring, and early summer, dry in all parts at least 45 consecutive days following the summer solstice (July and August), but intermittently moist in the upper part for 10 to 20 days cumulative due to convection storms between July and September; Additional moisture falls on the site in the form of drifting snow and run-on moisture; Xeric soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature - 1 to 4 degrees C.
Mean summer soil temperature - 5 to 7 degrees C.
Depth to bedrock - 50 to 100 cm to a lithic contact.
Reaction - Slightly acid or neutral.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: 12 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 40 to 70 percent, mainly gravel. Lithology of fragments is quartzite with minor amounts of limestone.
O horizons - Slightly to moderately decomposed organic matter from alpine vegetation.
A horizon - Value: 4 or 5 dry, and 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.
Bw horizons - Value: 5 or 6 dry, and 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 4 or 5, dry or moist.
Texture: Loam or fine sandy loam.
Clay content: 12 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 40 to 70 percent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 2 percent.
Effervescence: Noneffervescent to slightly effervescent.
Some pedons may have a thin C horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Holdon,
Ketchum,
Longhike, Tubbs, Hollow, and
Yankeefork series.
Holdon are deep to a lithic contact and have fragmental material at 50 to 100 cm.
Ketchum and Yankeefork soils are very deep.
Longhike are moderately deep to a Cr horizon.
Tubbs Hollow soils have a mean annual summer soil temperature of 13 to 15 degrees C. and do not have an O horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wayhigh soils are on mountains.
These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from quartzite with minor amounts of limestone.
Slopes are 2 to 15 percent.
Elevations range from 2,850 to 3,980 meters.
The climate is alpine tundra, with cold wet winters and cool dry summers.
The mean annual precipitation is 500 to 700 mm.
Mean annual temperature is 1 to 3 degrees C.
Frost-free period is 20 to 40 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Bricone,
Cobblywheel,
Keyole and
Windwash, soils.
Bricone soils are shallow to a lithic contact.
Cobblywheel soils very deep.
Keyole soils are loamy-skeletal over fragmental and very deep.
Windwash soils have a calcic horizon and lack an O horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; low surface runoff; moderately rapid permeability; high saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: Wayhigh soils are used for recreation, livestock grazing, and wildlife habitat. The potential native vegetation is mainly Wheeler bluegrass, snowy springparsley, Holgren's eriogonum, and Ross's sedge. This site is correlated to Ecological Site R28AY129NV Alpine Meadow.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 28A.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Pine County, Great Basin National Park, Nevada, 2009. The name is coined.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (Oi, Oe, and part of the A horizons).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 20 to 89 cm (Bw1, Bw2, and Bw3 horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 89 cm to underlying hard unweathered bedrock (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from the 33 to 89 cm (lower part of the Bw1, Bw2, and Bw3 horizons).
ADDITIONAL DATA: NASIS user pedon ID: 08NV708001-CWL