LOCATION GARDNERVILLE NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Durinodic Xeric Natrargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Gardnerville fine sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
E--0 to 2 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) fine sandy loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) moist; weak thick platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine and many fine roots; many fine and medium vesicular pores; neutral (pH 7.1); abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
Btn1--2 to 2.5 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium platy structure; very hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and many fine roots; few very fine interstitial and many very fine tubular pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); abrupt broken boundary. (0.5 to 3 inches thick)
Btn2--2.5 to 5.5 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to strong very fine subangular blocky; hard, friable, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine interstitial and few very fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); moderately sodic (SAR 14); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
Btn3--5.5 to 8 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; few very fine tubular, and common very fine and fine interstitial pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); moderately sodic (SAR 15); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
Btnk--8 to 16 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and few fine roots; few very fine and few fine interstitial and tubular pores; common faint clay bridges between sand grains and common faint clay films lining pores; secondary carbonates segregated as common fine and very fine very pale brown (10YR 8/2) masses; slightly effervescent in matrix and violently effervescent on carbonates; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); moderately sodic (SAR 17); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
Bqkn--16 to 35 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) coarse sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard, firm and brittle, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few fine and very fine interstitial pores; few thin silica bridges between sand grains; about 25 percent weakly cemented durinodes; secondary carbonates segregated as few fine and very fine very pale brown (10YR 8/2) masses; noneffervescent in matrix and slightly effervescent on carbonates; few fine distinct dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) masses of iron accumulation; strongly alkaline (pH 8.7); moderately sodic (SAR 15); clear smooth boundary. (12 to 24 inches thick)
Bq--35 to 58 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) and pale brown (10YR 6/3) loamy coarse sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) and brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, firm and brittle, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine and fine interstitial pores; about 20 percent weakly cemented durinodes; common medium and coarse distinct dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) masses of iron accumulation; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (12 to 24 inches thick)
C--58 to 67 inches; yellow (10YR 7/6) coarse sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine interstitial pores; common coarse prominent black (10YR 2/1) masses of manganese accumulation and common coarse prominent brown (7.5YR 4/3) masses of iron accumulation; slightly alkaline (pH 7.7).
TYPE LOCATION: Douglas County, Nevada; in Carson Valley immediately west of the county airport; about 900 feet south and 300 feet east of the center of section 8, T. 13 N., R. 20 E.; USGS Genoa 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 39 degrees 0 minutes 9 seconds north latitude and 119 degrees 45 minutes 32 seconds west longitude, NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually dry in the moisture control section, moist in some part during winter and spring, dry in all parts summer through early fall; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature - 48 to 53 degrees F.
Abrupt textural change - An abrupt horizon boundary is normally present between the E horizon and the Btn1 horizon accompanied by an increase in clay content of more than 20 percent.
Depth to base of natric horizon - 15 to 25 inches.
Depth to horizons with durinodes and firm, brittle matrix - 15 to 25 inches.
Control section - Clay content: averages 35 to 45 percent.
E horizon - Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 1 or 2, dry or moist.
Clay content: 1 to 10 percent.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.
Other features: This horizon qualifies for albic materials and is an albic horizon.
Btn horizons - Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Clay loam or clay.
Clay content: 35 to 55 percent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Salinity (EC): 4 to 8 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity: 10 to 30 SAR with 15 to 30 percent exchangeable sodium.
Btnk horizon - Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Sandy clay loam or clay loam.
Clay content: 27 to 35 percent.
Reaction: Strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline.
Salinity (EC): 8 to 16 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity: 10 to 20 SAR with 15 to 30 percent exchangeable sodium.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: Occurs as few or common masses or coats on faces of peds.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 3 percent.
Bqkn horizon - Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Texture: Coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loamy fine sand.
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent pebbles.
Consistence: Moderately hard or hard dry, firm or very firm and brittle moist.
Durinodes: 20 to 80 percent 0.5 to 1.5 inch diameter planar durinodes.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Salinity (EC): 8 to 16 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity: 9 to 20 SAR with 15 to 30 percent exchangeable sodium.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: Occurs as few or common masses or coats on faces of peds.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 3 percent.
Redoximorphic features: Redox concentrations occur as masses of iron accumulation.
Bq horizon - Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Texture: Loamy coarse sand or loamy sand.
Clay content: 6 to 12 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent pebbles.
Consistence: Moderately hard or hard dry, firm or very firm and brittle moist.
Durinodes: 20 to 80 percent 0.5 to 1.5 inch diameter planar durinodes.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Salinity (EC): 4 to 8 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 5 to 13.
Redoximorphic features: Redox concentrations occur as masses of iron accumulation.
C horizon - Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 through 6 dry, 4 through 8 moist.
Texture: Stratified gravelly coarse sand to fine sand.
Clay content: 1 to 5 percent.
Rock fragments: 5 to 25 percent pebbles.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Salinity (EC): 1 to 4 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 5 to 13.
Redoximorphic features: Redox concentrations occur as masses of iron and manganese accumulation.
Other features: Some pedons have thin subhorizons of very gravelly sand at depths of 24 to 36 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Nodur series. Nodur soils have mean annual soil temperature of 53 to 56 degrees F. and do not have redox concentrations or endosaturation within 60 inches of the soil surface.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Gardnerville soils are on stream terraces. They formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks with minor surface additions of eolian material. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. Elevations range from 4,600 to 4,800 feet. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 10 inches, mean annual temperature is 46 to 51 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 90 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Dangberg, Fettic, Ormsby, and Turria soils. Dangberg soils are moderately deep to duripans. Fettic soils are fine-silty. Ormsby soils are sandy and do not have natric horizons. Turria soils are fine-loamy and have argillic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; high surface runoff; slow permeability in the subsoil and rapid permeability in the lower substratum. Endosaturation is present with a seasonal high water table between 4 and 5 feet (deep internal free water occurrence class) from December through May. Cumulative annual duration class is Common or Persistent.
USE AND VEGETATION: Gardnerville soils are used for livestock grazing and urban development. Small areas are cropped to alfalfa hay, small grains, and grass-legume hay. The present vegetation in rangeland is mainly basin big sagebrush, rubber rabbitbrush, black greasewood, bottlebrush squirreltail, and basin wildrye.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 26.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Douglas County, Nevada, 1941.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 2 inches (E horizon).
Albic horizon - The zone from the soil surface to 2 inches (E horizon).
Natric horizon - The zone from 2 to 16 inches (Btn1, Btn2, Btn3, and Btnk horizons).
Abrupt textural change - The abrupt clay increase of more than 20 percent at 2 inches (between the E and Btn1 horizons).
Identifiable secondary carbonates - The zone from 8 to 35 inches (Btnk and Bqkn horizons).
Durinodes and duric feature - The zone from 16 to 58 inches (Bqkn and Bq horizons).
Endosaturation feature - The condition of ground water with an upper boundary between 48 and 60 inches at certain times during normal years (parts of the Bq and C horizons).
Particle size control section - The zone from 2 to 16 inches (Btn1, Btn2, Btn3, and Btnk horizons).
ADDITIONAL DATA: The typical pedon at the series type location was sampled in 1959 and characterized by the soil survey laboratory in Riverside, CA as sample number S59Nev-3-1. A separate adjacent pedon was also sampled as sample number S59Nev-3-2. Data for both pedons is published in SSIR Report No. 23.