LOCATION WHOLAN                  NV+ID

Established Series
Rev. RAF/RLB/JVC/JBF
12/2019

WHOLAN SERIES

The Wholan series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks, loess, and volcanic ash. Wholan soils are on inset fans, fan skirts, fan remnants, and lake plains. Slopes are 0 to 4 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 125 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Haplocambids

TYPICAL PEDON: Wholan silt loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 3 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and few medium roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 15 cm thick)

A2--3 to 15 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 15 cm thick)

Bw1--15 to 25 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 33 cm thick)

Bw2--25 to 56 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few medium roots; many very fine and few fine tubular pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 30 cm thick)

Bk--56 to 76 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent; common fine distinct white carbonate masses; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 117 cm thick)

C1--76 to 101 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 50 cm thick)

C2--101 to 152 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8).

TYPE LOCATION: Eureka County, Nevada; about 3 miles north of Beowawe; 2,200 feet north and 1,800 feet west of the southeast corner of section 28, T. 32 N., R. 49 E. USGS Beowawe 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 37 minutes 1 seconds N and longitude 116 degrees 27 minutes 1 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.6169444 latitude, -116.4502778 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in winter and spring, dry late May through October; typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 12 degrees C.
Depth to base of cambic horizon: 28 to 60 cm.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline through very strongly alkaline, increasing with depth.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 5 to 15 percent.

A horizons
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist (5 dry and 3 moist in the A1 horizon only.)
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Effervescence: Noneffervescent or slightly effervescent.

Bw horizons
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Texture: Silt loam, loam or very fine sandy loam.
Structure: Weak fine to coarse subangular blocky, medium or coarse prismatic.
Consistence: Soft or slightly hard dry; nonsticky or slightly sticky and nonplastic or slightly plastic, wet.
Salinity (EC): 4 to 8 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 0 to 12.

Bk and C horizons
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Texture: Silt loam, loam or very fine sandy loam with thin strata of fine sandy loam in some pedons.
Consistence: Soft to slightly hard nonsticky or slightly sticky and nonplastic or slightly plastic, wet.
Salinity (EC): 4 to 8 mmhos/cm in the Bk horizon and 8 to 16 mmhos/cm in the C horizons.
Sodicity (SAR): 0 to 12.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: Few to many, fine or medium soft masses of carbonate in veins and coats in the Bk horizons.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 15 percent.
Other features: Some pedons have thin strata in C horizons with up to 5 percent coarse, very hard durinodes; C horizons are below a depth of 150 cm in some pedons.

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

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wholan soils are on inset fans, fan skirts, fan remnants, and lake plains. They formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks, loess, and volcanic ash. Slopes are 0 to 4 percent. Elevations range from 1,160 to 1,722 meters. The climate is cool-arid with cool, moist winters and hot, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 150 to 230 mm, the mean annual temperature is 8 to 11 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 100 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bubus, Dunphy, Ocala, and Rosney soils. Bubus soils are coarse-loamy. Dunphy soils are coarse-loamy and somewhat poorly drained. Ocala soils are fine-silty and somewhat poorly drained. Rosney soils are fine-silty.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; low surface runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity. These soils are rarely or occasionally flooded.

USE AND VEGETATION: Wholan soils are used for rangeland, irrigated agriculture, and wildlife habitat. Cultivated crops are alfalfa and small grains such as wheat and oats. The vegetation in rangeland is mainly cheatgrass and pepperweed with some Indian ricegrass, shadscale, and winterfat.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western and central Nevada and southwestern Idaho. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRAs 24, 25, 27, and 28B.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lander County, Nevada, Northern Part 1974.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A1, A2 and part of the Bw1 horizons).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 15 to 56 cm (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (Bw2, Bk and part of the C1 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.