LOCATION WHEELERPEK              NV

Established Series
Rev. JVC/JBF
03/2012

WHEELERPEK SERIES

The Wheelerpek series consists of shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from quartzite. Wheelerpek soils are on mountains. Slopes are 30 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 750 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 2 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, active, nonacid Lithic Cryorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Wheelerpek extremely gravelly loam--wildlife habitat. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with approximately 50 percent gravel, l0 percent cobbles, and 15 percent stones.

A1--0 to 10 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine subangular block structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and non plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 50 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, and 10 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.3); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)

A2--10 to 23 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely cobbly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel, 25 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 18 cm thick)

C--23 to 33 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; common very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 45 percent gravel and 25 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt irregular boundary. (10 to 27 cm thick)

R--33 cm; indurated, fractured quartzite bedrock with soil and roots in fractures.

TYPE LOCATION: White Pine County, Nevada; in Great Basin National Park about 0.5 mile southwest of Wheeler Peak; USGS Wheeler Peak 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 58 minutes 58 seconds N and longitude 114 degrees 19 minutes 24 seconds W; UTM zone 11N, 731852e, 4318268n, 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; Most of the moisture that falls on the site is in the form of snow and is removed from these convex slopes by the wind; xeric soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 1 to 4 degrees C.
Mean summer soil temperature: 8 to 10 degrees C.
Depth to lithic contact: 25 to 50 cm.
Reaction: Moderately acid or slightly acid.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 12 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 60 to 80 percent, mainly gravel and cobbles. Lithology of fragments is quartzite.

A horizons
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Consistence: Soft or slightly hard, dry.

C horizon
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Sandy loam or loam.
Clay content: 12 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 60 to 80 percent.
Consistence: Soft or slightly hard, dry.

COMPETING SERIES: At present, there are no other series in this family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wheelerpek soils are on mountains. They typically occur on shoulder and backslope positions. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from quartzite. Slopes are 30 to 75 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 600 to 950 mm, mean annual temperature is 0 to 3 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 20 to 40 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Keyole and Bricone soils.
Keyole soils are loamy-skeletal over fragmental and very deep.
Bricone soils have carbonatic mineralogy.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Wheelerpek soils are used for recreation, livestock grazing, and wildlife habitat. The potential native vegetation is mainly Wheeler bluegrass, granite pricklygilia, wax currant, and Ross's sedge. This site is correlated to Ecological Site R28AY069NV Alpine Ridge.

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 from a local peak.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A1 and part of the A2 horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 33 cm to underlying hard unweathered bedrock (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from the soil surface to 33 cm (A1, A2, and C horizons).

The active cation exchange activity class was added to the taxonomic classification in December 2002 based on soil property data.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Previous authors and editors include: EWB-RLB-TRM.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.