LOCATION LEMM NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Lemm very gravelly coarse sandy loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
The surface is covered with about 35 percent pebbles,
A1--0 to 3 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 40 percent pebbles; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
A2--3 to 10 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly coarse sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and common fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 30 percent pebbles; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
A3--10 to 19 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine, and few medium and coarse roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 40 percent pebbles; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
Bt1--19 to 29 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine, fine, and medium roots; many very fine interstitial pores; common thin clay films coating and bridging sand grains; 40 percent pebbles; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
Bt2--29 to 40 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; common thin clay films coating and bridging sand grains; 35 percent pebbles; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
C1--40 to 60 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very gravelly loamy coarse sand, very dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 35 percent pebbles; neutral (pH 7.2) .
TYPE LOCATION: Washoe County, Nevada; approximately 9 miles northwest of Reno on the west side of Lemmon Valley; about 1,000 feet north of the southeast corner of section 35, T. 21 N., R. 18 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually dry in the moisture control section but are moist in the winter and spring.
Mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 53 degrees F.
Reaction - Medium acid to neutral.
A horizon - Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Bt horizon - Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Clay content: 10 to 18 percent clay.
Texture: Coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, or fine sandy loam
Rock fragments: 35 to 50 percent pebbles
C horizon - Value 6 or 7 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Structure: Massive to single grain.
Texture: Loamy coarse sand and sand.
Rock fragments: 35 to 50 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Ashue, Badenaugh, Collard, Leviathan, Nosrac, Oest, Searles, Shroe, Tollgate, Tristan, and Vantage series. Ashue, Badenaugh, Leviathan, Nosrac, Oest, Shroe, Tollgate, and Tristan soils have more than l8 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Searles soils have bedrock within 40 inches. Vantage soils have bedrock within 30 inches. Collard soils have sola that are less than 27 inches thick and have more than 50 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Lemm soils are on alluvial fans and on concave colluvial slopes at elevations of 4,700 to 7,500 feet. Slopes are 4 to 30 percent. Lemm soils formed in mixed alluvium and colluvium mainly from granitic or rhyolitic rock. The climate is cool, semi-arid with a mean annual temperature of 44 to 50 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation of 10 to 12 inches. Frost-free season is 80 to 100 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Greenbrae and Duco soils. Greenbrae soils have a fine-loamy control section. Duco soils are shallow to bedrock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Lemm soils are used principally for range, recreation and urban development. The vegetation is big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, rabbitbrush, squirreltail, cheatgrass and balsamroot.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Reno area of southwestern Washoe County, Nevada. The series is of small extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Washoe County, South Part, Nevada, 1980.
Diagnostic horizon and and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from 0 to 10 inches ( A1, A2, and A3 horizon).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 19 to 40 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizon).
Particl size control section - The zone from 19 to 39 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizon).