LOCATION WEEPAH                  NV

Established Series
Rev: JHD/WED/JBF
07/2016

WEEPAH SERIES

The Weepah series consists of very shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum derived from sedimentary rocks. Weepah soils are on mountain slopes. Slopes are l5 to 75 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 230 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 11 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic, shallow Xeric Torriorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Weepah very channery loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) Approximately 40 percent of the surface is channers fragments and 5 percent flagstones.

A--0 to 5 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very channery loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; moderate medium platy structure parting to moderate medium and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many fine and very fine interstitial pores; 45 percent channers (about l5 percent of these will break down in l5 hours of shaking in water or in sodium hexametaphosphate) and 5 percent flagstones; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)

Bk--5 to 20 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very channery loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and very fine, few medium roots; many fine and very fine interstitial pores; 40 percent channers (about l0 percent of these will break down in l5 hours of shaking in water or in sodium hexametaphosphate) and l5 percent flagstones; common thin carbonate coatings and pendants on undersides of rock fragments; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear irregular boundary. (8 to 28 cm thick)

Cr--20 cm; soft shale bedrock, highly fractured with common very fine and fine roots matted in fractures.

TYPE LOCATION: Esmeralda County, Nevada; mine exploratory cut on a north slope about 2,200 feet south and l,800 feet west of the northeast corner of section 20, T. l N., R. 40 E. USGS Weepah 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 37 degrees 55 minutes 38 seconds N and 117 degrees 30 minutes 15 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 37.9272222 latitude, -117.5041667 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Moist in winter and spring months, dry in summer and fall except for l0 to 20 days cumulative between July and October due to convection storms; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 9 to 13 degrees C.
Depth to paralithic contact: 10 to 30 cm.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Salinity (EC): Less than 0.l S/M
Calcium carbonate equivalent: l5 to 35 percent.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: l0 to l8 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 65 percent, mostly channers.

A horizon
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist (dark colors are due mainly to parent material).
Chroma: 1 through 3.
Structure: Subangular blocky or platy.

Bk horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 2 through 4 moist (dark colors are due mainly to parent material).
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Texture: Averages loam or fine sandy loam.
Structure: Subangular blocky or massive.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Calpeak, Kaffur and Kzin series.

Calpeak soils have less than l5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and have mostly 2 to 5 mm gravel. Kaffur and Kzin soils are not moist for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October due to convection storms

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Weepah soils are on mountain slopes and ridges at elevations of 1,770 to 2,380 meters. They formed in residuum derived from shale, sandstone, siltstone and other sedimentary rocks. Slopes range from l5 to 75 percent. The average annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm, the average annual temperature is 8 to 12 degrees C, and the frost-free season is 90 to l20 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Downeyville and Kyler soils. Downeyville soils have a lithic contact and less carbonates. Kyler soils have a lithic contact and are carbonates.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland. Principal vegetation includes black sagebrush, Nevada ephedra, spiny hopsage, pine bluegrass, galleta grass and bottlebrush squirreltail.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West-central Nevada. This series is of small extent. MLRA 29.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Esmeralda County, Nevada, l984.

REMARKS: Carbonates measured with field calcimeters.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A and part of the Bk horizons).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 20 cm (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from the soil surface to 20 cm (A and Bk horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.