LOCATION NEVADASH NV CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy, glassy, mesic Durinodic Xeric Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Nevadash gravelly ashy sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 2 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly ashy sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; strong very thick platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 20 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
BAt--2 to 5 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) ashy sandy clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate thin platy structure; hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 5 percent gravel; common distinct clay films bridging mineral grains; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
Bt1--5 to 11 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) ashy sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; strong medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and few fine and medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; many distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 13 inches thick)
Bt2--11 to 17 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) ashy sandy clay loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; many distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 8 inches thick)
Bq--17 to 28 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) ashy sandy loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard and hard, very friable and firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and very fine roots; few very fine interstitial pores; 10 percent gravel; 25 percent 5 to 20 millimeter, hard, firm durinodes; many silica coats bridging mineral grains appear as glassy luster; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 20 inches thick).
Bqk1--28 to 44 inches; pale yellow (2.5Y 7/3) ashy sandy loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 10 percent gravel; 20 percent 15 to 25 millimeter, hard, firm durinodes; 30 percent discontinuous weak silica cementation; 5 percent medium and coarse, white (10YR 8/1) soft masses of lime; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 19 inches thick)
Bqk2--44 to 68 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) gravelly ashy sandy loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 10 percent 2 to 5 millimeter gravel; 15 % 15 to 25 millimeter hard, firm durinodes; 5% 0.5 millimeter carbonate coats on underside of some rock fragments; 10 percent 5 to 30 millimeter gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Washoe County, Nevada; unsectioned; projected section 27, T. 36 N., R. 19 E.; on the south side of Duck Flat about 1.3 miles west of Buckhorn Road; 40 degrees, 58 minutes, 21.86 seconds north latitude and 119 degrees, 50 minutes, 14.71 seconds west longitude; NAD-27; Rye Patch Canyon 7.5 minute quadrangle.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually dry; moist in winter and spring; dry June through October. Aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Soil temperature - 47 to 52 degrees F.
Depth to base of the Bt horizon - 12 to 24 inches.
Depth to carbonates - 15 to 36 inches.
Other features - The epipedon is too thin or has dry value too high to qualify as mollic.
Control section - Clay content: 20 to 27 percent.
Mineralogy: 40 to 60 percent volcanic glass in the 0.2 to 2.0 millimeter fraction.
A horizon - Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline to mildly alkaline.
Bt horizon - Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Structure: Moderate or strong, fine through coarse subangular blocky or angular blocky.
Rock Fragments: 5 to 10 percent pebbles.
Bq and Bqk horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Calcium Carbonate: None in Bq horizons; 1 to 5 percent fine through coarse soft masses and/or few thin coats on undersides of rock fragments in Bqk horizons.
Other features: 20 to 70 percent hard or very hard, firm or very firm durinodes with few very thin (< 2 mm thick) discontinuous and randomly oriented silica laminae.
C horizon - Below 60 inches in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Qwynn and Watoopah series. Qwynn and Watoopah soils have a soil temperature warmer than 52 degrees F. and are intermittently moist for 10 to 20 days between July and October.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Nevadash soils are on fan piedmonts, fan aprons and basins. These soils formed in mixed alluvium of mostly volcanic origin, high in pyroclastic materials. Slopes are 0 to 5 percent. Elevations are 4,480 to 5,940 feet. The climate is cool, semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 10 inches; mean annual temperature is 45 to 50 degrees F, and the frost-free season is 100 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Couch, Gorzell and Saraph series. Couch soils have clayey natric horizons. Gorzell soils are fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal. Saraph soils are shallow over tuff.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very low runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is mainly big sagebrush, spiny hopsage, basin wildrye, and thickspike wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Washoe County, Nevada, Surprise Valley-Home Camp Area. MLRA 23. These soils are not extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Surprise Valley-Home Camp Area, California-Nevada, 2000.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to about 2 inches (A horizon).
Argillic horizon - The zone from about 2 to 17 inches (Bat, Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Duric feature - The zone from about 17 to 44 inches (Bq and Bqk horizons).
Xeric feature - Aridic soil moisture regime bordering on Xeric.
Particle-size control section - The zone from about 2 to 17 inches (Bat, Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Mineralogy - Glass content of the 0.2 to 2 millimeter fraction is more than 30 percent throughout.