Slopes are 4 to 75 percent. Elevations range from 4,400 to 6,500 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 4 to 8 inches, the mean annual temperature is 49 to 55 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 110 to 140 days. These are the Blacktop , Pintwater , and Stewval soils. Blacktop and Pintwater soils are loamy-skeletal, have ochric epipedons, and do not have argillic horizons.
Stewval soils are loamy-skeletal and have an aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Downeyville soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly bud sagebrush, shadscale, Indian ricegrass, and galleta. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRAs 29 and 27. Esmeralda County Area, Nevada, 1984.