LOCATION HOME CAMP NV+CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, smectitic, frigid Vitrandic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Home Camp stony ashy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 2 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) stony ashy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate fine and medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial, and few very fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
A2--2 to 8 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly ashy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate fine and medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial, and few very fine tubular pores; 35 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
BAt--8 to 14 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly ashy sandy clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds; 25 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.5) abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 11 inches thick)
Bt1--14 to 18 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly ashy sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; common faint and few distinct clay films on faces of peds and common faint clay films lining pores; 25 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 12 inches thick)
Bt2--18 to 27 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly clay, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist crushed; weak fine and medium prismatic and strong very fine and fine angular blocky structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; common distinct brown (7.5YR 4/2) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay films on faces of peds and common distinct clay films lining pores; 25 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.6): abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 18 inches thick)
Bt3--27 to 36 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very gravelly sandy clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist crushed; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; few distinct and common faint brown (7.5YR 4/2) clay films on faces of peds; 35 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); diffuse smooth boundary. (0 to 24 inches thick)
Cr--36 to 40 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) tuff bedrock, brown (10YR 5/3) moist.
TYPE LOCATION: Washoe County, Nevada; about 1.25 miles south of Pilgrim Lake and the Buckhorn Road; approximately 400 feet south and 2,600 feet west of the northeast corner of section 5, T. 34 N., R. 18 E.; USGS Hole in the Ground 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 40 degrees 51 minutes 24 seconds north latitude and 119 degrees 59 minutes 28.5 seconds west longitude, NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Moist winter and spring and early summer, dry late summer and fall; Xeric moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature - 42 to 45 degrees F.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 9 to 16 inches.
Depth to bedrock - 20 to 40 inches to a paralithic contact. The paralithic materials below the contact are weathered tuff.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 35 to 50 percent;
Rock fragments: 35 to 50 percent, mainly gravel and cobbles. Lithology of fragments are volcanic rocks such as basalt and andesite.
Reaction - Slightly acid or neutral.
Other features - Noncalcareous throughout.
A horizons
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Structure: Platy, granular, subangular blocky or is massive.
Consistence: Soft or slightly hard.
Volcanic glass content: 5 to 15 percent in the 0.2 to 2.0 millimeter fractions.
Oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half oxalate iron: 0.2 to 0.4 percent.
BAt and Bt1 horizons
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Ashy sandy clay loam or ashy clay loam.
Clay content: 25 to 35 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 pebbles, cobbles or stones
Structure: Subangular blocky or angular blocky.
Volcanic glass content: 5 to 15 percent in the 0.2 to 2.0 millimeter fractions.
Oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half oxalate iron: 0.2 to 0.4 percent.
Bt2 horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Clay or sandy clay.
Rock fragments: 35 to 50 percent.
Clay content: 40 to 50 percent.
Structure: Subangular blocky, angular blocky, or prismatic.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Breeseranch, Dupratt, Erakatak, Finsel, Hamtah, and Menbo series.
Breeseranch soils are deep to hard bedrock. Dupratt soils have lithic contacts within 20 to 40 inches and have mollic epipedons more than 20 inches thick. Erakatak soils have lithic contacts within 20 to 40 inches and have mollic epipedons more than 20 inches thick. Finsel soils have mollic epipedons that are more than 20 inches thick and that include all or part of the argillic horizon. Hamtah soils are very deep. Menbo soils have lithic contacts between 20 and 40 inches and mollic epipedons that are more than 20 inches thick.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Home Camp soils are on mountains and plateaus. They typically occur on footslope and backslope positions. These soils formed in colluvium and residuum derived from volcanic rocks such as tuff, andesite, and basalt with additions of volcanic ash. Slopes are 4 to 50 percent. Elevations range from 4,900 to 7,730 feet. The climate is subhumid having a mean annual precipitation of 12 to 16 inches with most of the precipitation coming as snow. The mean annual temperature ranges from 41 to 44 degrees F. and the mean summer temperature is 55 to 58 degrees F. The frost-free period is 30 to 70 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Newlands and Runyon soils. Newlands soils have a cryic soil temperature regime and are fine-loamy. Runyon soils are fine-loamy.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; high surface runoff; moderately slow permeability (moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity).
USE AND VEGETATION: Home Camp soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is mainly mountain big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, Idaho fescue, bluebunch wheatgrass, basin wildrye, Sandberg's and Canby bluegrass, and Thurber's needlegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Nevada and northeastern California. These soils are not extensive with about 9,200 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRAs 21 and 23.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Washoe County, Nevada, 1971.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 14 inches (A1, A2, and BAt horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 8 to 36 inches (BAt, Bt1, Bt2, and Bt3 horizons).
Vitrandic intergrade feature - The zone from the soil surface to 18 inches (A1, A2, Bat, and Bt1 horizons).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 36 inches to underlying soft, weathered bedrock (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 8 to 28 inches (BAt, Bt1, and Bt2 horizons and part of the Bt3 horizon).
The concept of this soil was changed in 2006 from cryic to frigid based on historic documentation of soil temperature from study sites in California and Nevada.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Volcanic glass content and oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half iron content is based on lab data from the associated Runyon series, reference pedons S98NV-031-013 through 015.