LOCATION ASHONE NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy, glassy, mesic Vitritorrandic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Ashone very gravelly ashy fine sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 2 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very gravelly ashy fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate thin and medium platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; many very fine interstitial and vesicular pores; 50 percent pebbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
A2--2 to 8 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly ashy fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine, few medium roots; many very fine tubular pores; 20 percent pebbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 9 inches thick)
Bt1--8 to 12 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly ashy sandy clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; strong fine and medium angular blocky structure; very hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; common faint and few distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 20 percent pebbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
Bt2--12 to 22 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly ashy sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium and coarse angular blocky structure; very hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; common faint and few distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 30 percent pebbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); gradual smooth boundary. (9 to 30 inches thick)
Cr--22 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) soft, weathered andesitic tuff; high excavation difficulty; about 10 percent fine pebbles and 30 percent medium pebbles in the rock matrix; few very fine and fine roots in pockets in the bedrock; many thin silica coats over bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Washoe County, Nevada; about one mile west of Vya; approximately 3,200 feet south and 2,800 feet east of the projected northwest corner of section 5, T. 42 N., R. 19 E.; USGS Fortynine Mountain 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 41 degrees 35 minutes 19 seconds north latitude and 119 degrees 52 minutes 37 seconds west longitude, NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually moist in winter and spring; dry from July through October; Aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature - 47 to 51 degrees F.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 8 to 16 inches; includes the Bt1 horizon.
Depth to base of argillic horizon - 20 to 40 inches.
Depth to bedrock - 20 to 40 inches to a paralithic contact. The paralithic materials below the contact are vitric tuffs.
Volcanic glass content - 35 to 90 percent glass in the very fine sand and fine sand fractions.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: 22 to 30 percent;
Rock fragments: 15 to 30 percent pebbles. Lithology of fragments are volcanic rocks such as tuff.
Reaction - Neutral or slightly alkaline.
A horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 2 or 3 moist. A dry value of 6 is only in the thin A1 horizon and the upper 7 inches when mixed has a dry value of 5.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.
Bt horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent pebbles in any individual horizon; 15 to 30 percent pebbles when mixed.
Structure: Angular blocky or subangular blocky.
Consistence: Hard or very hard dry, very friable to firm moist.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bidwell, Coppersmith, Ponyspring, and Simpson series. These soils are very deep.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ashone soils are on plateaus, mountains, and hills. They occur on south-facing shoulder and backslope positions. They formed in residuum and colluvium derived from andesitic tuff and similar pyroclastic volcanic rocks. Slopes are 4 to 30 percent. Elevations range from 5,800 to 6,400 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 12 to 14 inches, the mean annual temperature is 45 to 47 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 80 to 100 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ashdos and Bearbutte soils. Ashdos soils are ashy, moderately deep to paralithic contacts, and have a frigid temperature regime. Bearbutte soils are coarse-loamy, deep to paralithic contacts, have argillic horizons and thick mollic epipedons, and have a frigid temperature regime.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium surface runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Ashone soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is dominantly low sagebrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, Thurber's needlegrass, Idaho fescue, and antelope bitterbrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Nevada. These soils are not extensive with about 3,700 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRA 23.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Washoe County (North Part), Nevada, 1995.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 12 inches (A1, A2, and Bt1 horizons).
Argillic horizon- The zone from 8 to 22 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 22 inches to underlying soft, weathered bedrock (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section and substitute class with glassy mineralogy - The zone from 8 to 22 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).