LOCATION TENPIN NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, smectitic, mesic Xeric Paleargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Tenpin extremely gravelly loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Al--0 to 3 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely gravelly sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine interstitial pores; 70 percent pebbles, 5 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)
A2--3 to 10 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very gravelly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and many very fine roots; many very fine and fine vesicular pores; 35 percent pebbles, 5 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)
A3--10 to 18 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few medium and many fine and very fine roots; many fine and very fine tubular pores; 40 percent pebbles, l0 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 10 cm thick)
BA--18 to 28 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few medium and common fine and very fine roots; many fine and very fine tubular pores; 40 percent pebbles, l0 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)
Bt1--28 to 53 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/4) extremely gravelly clay, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium and fine angular and subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few fine and common very fine roots; common fine and very fine tubular pores; few thick and many thin and moderately thick clay films on peds and lining pores; 50 percent pebbles, l5 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (20 to 38 cm thick)
Bt2--53 to 69 cm; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) extremely cobbly sandy clay, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; few fine and common very fine tubular pores; continuous thin and moderately thick clay films on peds and lining pores; 40 percent pebbles, 20 percent cobbles and l0 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 20 cm thick)
Bt3--69 to 84 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) extremely cobbly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; common thin clay bridges; 40 percent pebbles, l5 percent cobbles and l5 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.6); gradual smooth boundary. (15 to 36 cm thick)
C--84 to 152 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely cobbly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few fine and many very fine interstitial pores; 40 percent pebbles, 20 percent cobbles and l5 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.6)
TYPE LOCATION: Lyon County, Nevada; 900 feet south, 400 feet west of the northeast corner of section 6, T. 7 N., R. 25 E. latitude 38 degrees 29 minutes and 55 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 13 minutes and 27 seconds W; NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Moist in winter, spring and early summer; dry from midsummer through fall; aridic moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature - 8 to 9 degrees C.
Base of the argillic horizon - 76 to 100 cm.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly acid throughout.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: 35 to 45 percent.
Rock fragments: 60 to 75 percent, mainly cobbles and stones.
A horizons - Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Other features: The surface 7 inches mixed, have value greater than 5.5 dry.
Bt horizons - Hue: 7.5YR or l0YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 and 4.
Structure: Angular and subangular blocky.
Texture: Sandy clay, or clay with a sand fraction of more than 40 percent.
C horizon - Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Texture: Sandy loam or loam, commonly with 60 to 75 percent rock fragments, mainly cobbles and stones.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Cant series. Cant soils have bedrock at 50 to 100 cm.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Tenpin soils are on convex alluvial fans and remnants of dissected fans. Slopes are commonly 4 to 8 percent but range up to l5 percent on dissected side slopes. Elevations are 1,950 to 2,320 meters. The soils formed in alluvium derived from granitic and pyroclastic rocks. The mean annual temperature is 7 to 9 degrees C.; and the mean annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm. Frost-free season is 80 to l00 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Shree and Veta soils. Shree soils have a mollic epipedon and less than 35 percent clay in the argillic horizon. Veta soils lack an argillic horizon and are very gravelly sandy loam throughout.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow or medium runoff; slow permeability; moderately high or moderately low saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: Tenpin soils are used for livestock grazing. Native vegetation is low sagebrush, Thurber needlegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, and Sandberg bluegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada. The soils are not extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lyon County Area, Nevada, l98l.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to about 18 cm (A1, A2 and A3 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 28 to 84 cm (Bt1, Bt2 and Bt3 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 28 to 78 cm (Bt1, Bt2 and part of the Bt3 horizons).