LOCATION WOOFUS NV

Established Series
Rev. DWW-RLB-JBF
12/2019

WOOFUS SERIES

The Woofus series consists of very deep, very poorly drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rock sources with a component from loess and volcanic ash. Woofus soils are on stream flood plains. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 250 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 8 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Fluvaquentic Endoaquolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Woofus silty clay loam - meadow hayland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 20 cm; gray (10YR 5/1) silty clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; moderate, medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and medium roots; common fine and medium tubular pores; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 25 cm thick)

A2--20 to 41 cm; gray (10YR 5/1) clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few coarse, many medium and fine roots; few fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 36 cm thick)

AC--41 to 76 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; few distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist iron mottles; massive; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine and medium roots; few fine tubular pores; many irregular shaped lime filaments and seams; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 70 cm thick)

2C1--76 to 91 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loamy fine sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (13 to 76 cm thick)

2C2--91 to 152 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) coarse sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; single grained; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; 10 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).

TYPE LOCATION: Elko County, Nevada; approximately 3 miles southwest of Elko, about 1,600 feet east and 2,400 feet south of the northwest corner of section 29, T. 34 N., R. 55 E.; USGS Elko West 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 48 minutes 13 seconds N and 115 degrees 48 minutes 30 seconds longitude; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.8036111 latitude, -115.8083333 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Saturated at or near the surface for at least one month during most years, mainly during the late winter through early summer months.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 10 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 25 to 61 cm.
Depth to 2C horizon: 50 to 97 cm.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent through violently effervescent from 25 to 50 cm. Commonly effervescent throughout the profile.
Other features: Buried A horizons commonly occur in some pedons. Some pedons have a thin (less than 13 cm thick) horizon with fine sandy loam or sandy loam textures above the 2C horizons.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 20 to 30 percent in the upper part; 0 to 5 percent in the lower part.

A horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 1 or 2.

AC horizon
Secondary carbonates: Absent to many.
Redox concentration: Few or common.

2C horizon
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 3.
Texture: Stratified loamy fine sand to gravelly coarse sand.
Clay content: 0 to 5 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 30 percent.
Structure: Massive or single grained.
Redox concentration: Absent to many in any one subhorizon.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Lex, Loveland and Swope series

Lex, Loveland and Swope soils are somewhat poorly drained. In addition, Lex soils have fine sandy loam through loam Cl horizons and have a moister climate. Loveland soils have accumulations of gypsum in the Cykg horizon, and C horizons with 2 to 4 percent calcium carbonate. Swope soils have mean annual temperatures of 12 to 14 degrees C., and moderately fine textured C horizons that underlie the Mollic epipedon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Woofus soils are on stream flood plains. These soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed rock sources with a component from loess and volcanic ash. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. Elevations are 1,500 to 1,800 meters. The climate is cool, semiarid with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm, mean annual temperature is 7 to 9 degrees C, and the frost-free season is 100 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Devilsgait, Welch and Tweba soils. The Devilsgait and Welch soils lack sands in the lower part of the particle-size control section and have Mollic epipedons over 60 cm thick. Tweba soils have ochric epipedons and a coarse-loamy particle-size control section.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Very poorly drained; very slow runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Meadow hayland, rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly basin wildrye, creeping wildrye, Nevada bluegrass, inland saltgrass and willows.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Nevada. MLRA 25. These soils are not extensive.

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

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

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 41 cm. (A1 and A2 horizon)
Endosaturation features - The zone from 41 to 76 cm (The A2 horizon).
Fluventic feature - Irregular decrease in organic matter
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm. (AC and 2C1 and part of the A2 and 2C2 horizons)

Classification was changed in 1992 from Haplaquolls to Endoaquolls.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.