LOCATION WILSOR                  NV

Established Series
Rev. RAF-TSB-RLB-JBF
12/2019

WILSOR SERIES

The Wilsor series consists of deep, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from tuff with a component of loess and volcanic ash. Wilsor soils are on shoulders footslopes and summits of foothills. Slopes are 4 to 30 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 280 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 6 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Durinodic Xeric Haplargids

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

A1--0 to 5 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3); weak medium platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and very fine roots; many fine vesicular pores; 5 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 8 cm thick)

A2--5 to 18 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 15 cm thick)

Bt--18 to 30 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 5 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 23 cm thick)

Bq--30 to 43 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; 20 percent brittle durinodes; 10 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 15 cm thick)

Bqk1--43 to 76 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) gravelly loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; 20 percent brittle durinodes; common fine lime in seams; 15 percent gravel; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); gradual smooth boundary. (30 to 36 cm thick)

Bqk2--76 to 117 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) gravelly sandy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 15 percent brittle durinodes; common fine lime in seams; violently effervescent; 15 percent gravel; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); gradual wavy boundary. (38 to 43 cm thick)

Cr--117 cm; soft weathered tuff bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Owyhee Desert, Elko County, Nevada; approximately 15 miles northwest of Midas; about 4,400 feet north and 300 feet west of the southeast corner of section 4, T. 40 N., R. 45 E.; USGS Roder Flat 7.5-minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 41 degrees, 22 minutes, 51 seconds N and longitude 116 degrees, 53 minutes, 30 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 41.3808333 latitude, -116.8908333 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in winter and spring, dry from early July through October; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 7 to 8 degrees C.
Depth to Bq or Bqk horizons: 28 to 50 cm.
Depth to bedrock: 100 to 150 cm.
Depth to lime: 36 to 50 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 25 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent, mainly gravel.

A horizon
Value: 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.

Bt horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Texture: Loam, clay loam.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent, mainly gravel.

Bq and Bqk horizons
Rock fragments: 10 to 30 percent, mainly gravel.
Cementation: Commonly has durinodes in a friable matrix, with some pedons weakly discontinuously silica cemented.

COMPETING SERIES: These are no other series in this family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wilsor soils are on shoulders footslopes and summits of foothills. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from tuff with a component of loess and volcanic ash. Slopes are 4 to 30 percent. Elevations are 1,680 to 1,985 meters. Climate is cool and semiarid with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 250 to 300 mm; the average annual temperature is 6 to 7 degrees C.; and the frost-free season is 70 to 100 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bucan and Roca series. The Bucan and Roca soils have more than 35 percent clay in their argillic horizons. In addition, Roca soils also have argillic horizons with more than 35 percent rock fragments.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, Sandberg bluegrass, Douglas rabbitbrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, and Idaho fescue.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central Nevada. MLRA 25. Wilsor soils are of small extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Elko County, Nevada, Northwest Part, 1986.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 18 to 30 cm (Bt horizon).
Duric feature - The zone from 30 to 117 cm contains durinodes (Bq, Bqk1 and Bqk2 horizons).
Secondary carbonates - The zone from 43 to 117 cm (Bqk1 and Bqk2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 18 to 30 cm (Bt horizon).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.