Orovada series soils are extensive in northern Nevada, where they have an extent of more than 360,000,000 acres (1,500,000 km²). They are common soils on semiarid rangeland with sagebrush-grass plant communities. Orovada soils are arable (able to be cultivated) when irrigated and are considered prime farmland.[citation needed] Alfalfa for hay and seed, winter wheat and barley, and grass for hay and pasture are the principal crops grown on these soils. Orovada soils are well drained and formed in alluvium derived from mixed rock sources and in loess and volcanic ash. These soils typically occur in the Great Basin section of the Basin and Range physiographic province. The mean annual precipitation is about 8 inches (200 mm), and the mean annual temperature is about 47 °F (8 °C).
Orovada series profile
- Surface layer: light brownish gray sandy loam
- Subsurface layer: light brownish gray loam
- Subsoil: light gray fine sandy loam
- Substratum - upper: light brownish gray very fine sandy loam with carbonates
- Substratum - lower: pale brown silt loam with carbonates