LOCATION WISKAN                  NV

Established Series
Rev. BJS/RLB/WED/JBF
05/2016

WISKAN SERIES

The Wiskan series consist of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in a thin loess layer over residuum and colluvium derived from chert, argillite and other mixed rocks. Wiskan soils are on mountain crests, shoulders and side slopes. Slopes are 15 to 75 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 300 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 6 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Xeric Haplargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Wiskan very gravelly silt loam-rangeland, (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 5 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very gravelly silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak very thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine vesicular pores; 35 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)

A2--5 to 20 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very gravelly silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and few fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 40 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 20 cm thick)

2BA--20 to 41 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 30 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 20 cm thick)

2Btk1--41 to 64 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; few faint clay films on peds and lining pores; 35 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; thin carbonate coatings on undersides of rock fragments; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 30 cm thick)

2Btk2--64 to 71 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on peds and lining pores; 45 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; thin carbonate coatings on underside rock fragments; few carbonate filaments or threads; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 20 cm thick)

2R--71 cm; unweathered fractured chert.

TYPE LOCATION: Lander County, Nevada about 6 miles southwest of Battle Mountain at a site 750 feet south and 250 feet west of the approximate northeast corner of section 36, T. 32 N., R. 43 E.; USGS Galena Canyon 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 36 minutes 29 seconds N and longitude 117 degrees 4 minutes 28 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.6080556 latitude, -117.0744444 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in winter and spring, dry in mid-July through October; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 7 to 8 degrees C.
Depth to bedrock: 50 to 100 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 25 to 35 percent.

A horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist.
Reaction: Neutral through moderately alkaline.
Other features: Horizons having mollic colors lack the required thickness for a mollic epipedon.

BA horizons (when present)
Value 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Consistence: Very friable or friable, moist.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.
Rock fragment: 15 to 30 percent.

Bt horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 through 6.
Texture: Very gravelly clay loam, very gravelly loam, extremely gravelly clay loam, cobbly clay loam, very cobbly clay loam, or very cobbly loam.
Clay content: 25 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: Average 35 to 65 percent, range 30 to 65 percent mainly gravel.
Structure: Subangular blocky or prismatic.
Secondary lime: None to few fine, filaments or threads, thin coats on some to all rock fragments. Some pedons lack lime in the upper Bt horizons.
Consistence: Slightly sticky or sticky and slightly plastic or plastic, wet.
Effervescence: Noneffervescent through slightly effervescent matrix.
Reaction: Neutral through moderately alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Gabel and Nobuck series.

Gabel soils are 56 to 80 cm to a paralithic contact (tuff). Nobuck soils are more than 150 cm to bedrock.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wiskan soils are typically on mountain crests, shoulders and side slopes. They also may occur on lava plateau escarpments in Oregon. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from chert, argillite and other siliceous and volcanic rock and are commonly overlain with a thin loess mantle. Slopes are 15 to 75 percent. Elevations are 1,345 to 2,445 meters. The climate is cool semiarid with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 250 to 360 mm; mean annual temperature is 6 to 7 degrees C, and the frost-free season is 70 to 100 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Roca, Slaven, Cederan, and Linrose soils. The Roca and Slaven soils have greater than 35 percent clay in their particle-size control sections. The Cederan and Linrose soils have bedrock within 50 cm.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly black sagebrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, Thurber needlegrass, Sandberg bluegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, pine bluegrass, Idaho fescue and downy rabbitbrush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central Nevada. Wiskan soils are of small extent. MLRA 24.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Pershing County, East Part, Nevada, 1986.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 41 cm. (A1, A2 and 2BA horizons)
Argillic horizon - the zone from about 41 to 71 cm. (2Btk1 and 2Btk2 horizons)
Xeric Intergrades - Meets organic carbon requirement for Xeric.
Lithic horizon - The boundary at about 71 cm. (R layer)
Particle-size control section - The zone from about 41 to 71 cm. (2Btk1 and 2Btk2 horizon)

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.