LOCATION GLENBROOK NV+CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, mesic, shallow Xeric Torripsamments
TYPICAL PEDON: Glenbrook sand--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 4 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; many fine interstitial pores; 10 percent fine pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.1); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
A2--4 to 9 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly loamy coarse sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable; nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and few medium and coarse roots; many fine interstitial pores; 20 percent fine pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.3); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
C--9 to 15 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly loamy coarse sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine, and few medium and coarse roots; common fine and very fine interstitial pores; few thin clay bridges between sand grains; 20 percent fine pebbles; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
Cr--15 to 25 inches; weathered granodiorite; rock is gray and white with dark brown and black ferromagnesian minerals; original rock structure is evident but the rock can be dug with a tile spade to a depth of about 4 feet.
TYPE LOCATION: Douglas County, Nevada; between Carson City and Jacks Valley about 1.7 miles west along foothill road from the junction with U.S. Highway 395; approximately 720 feet east and 1,440 feet south of the northwest corner of section 12, T. 14 N., R. 19 E.; USGS Genoa 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 39 degrees 05 minutes 44 seconds north latitude and 119 degrees 48 minutes 12 seconds west longitude, NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually moist in winter and spring, dry in summer and fall; Aridic (torric) moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature - 47 to 53 degrees F.
Depth to bedrock - 10 to 20 inches to a paralithic contact. The paralithic materials below the contact are weathered granitic rock. Hard unweathered bedrock is usually within 72 inches of the soil surface.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: 0 to 8 percent; Rock fragments: 10 to 25 percent, mainly fine gravel (2-5 millimeters in diameter). Lithology of fragments are granitic rock such as granodiorite.
Reaction - Slightly acid or neutral.
Other features - Base saturation is over 75 percent in all parts.
A horizons - Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4 through 6 dry; 2 through 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
C horizon - Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 2 through 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Gravelly loamy coarse sand, gravelly sand, or coarse sand.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Arrowrock, Canebrake, and Solarview series.
Arrowrock soils do not have base saturation of more than 75 percent throughout. Canebrake soils have mean annual soil temperature of 54 to 59 degrees F. Solarview soils have paralithic materials of consolidated lacustrine deposits in the series control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Glenbrook soils are on rock pediments, hills, and mountains. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from granitic rock. Slopes are 5 to 75 percent. Elevations range from 4,400 to 6,800 feet. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 10 to 16 inches, the mean annual temperature is 45 to 52 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 60 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Graufels, Indiano, Reno, and Washoe soils. Graufels and Indiano soils have mollic epipedons. Reno and Washoe soils have argillic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; low or medium surface runoff; rapid permeability (high or very high saturated hydraulic conductivity).
USE AND VEGETATION: Glenbrook soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, green ephedra, Anderson's peachbrush, Indian ricegrass, and bottlebrush squirreltail.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada and northeastern California. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 26.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Douglas County, Nevada, 1973.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 9 inches (A1 and A2 horizons).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 15 inches to underlying soft, weathered bedrock (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 15 inches (part of the C horizon).