LOCATION NOSRAC NV+CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Nosrac gravelly loam--forest land. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 5 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 20 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 20 cm thick)
A2--5 to 23 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak and moderate coarse subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine granular; soft, very friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; 20 percent pebbles; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 18 cm thick)
Bt1--23 to 46 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate coarse angular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common faint clay films on faces of peds; 40 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (20 to 53 cm thick)
Bt2--46 to 86 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common faint clay films on faces of peds; 40 percent gravel and 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.6); clear irregular boundary. (25 to 56 cm thick)
Bt3--86 to 152 cm; olive (5Y 5/4) very gravelly loam, olive (5Y 4/3) moist; massive; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common faint clay films bridging sand grains; 25 percent multicolored gravel, 10 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.0)
TYPE LOCATION: Carson City County, Nevada; in the Pine Nut Mountains about 1 mile northeast of the access road on a north-facing slope; approximately 1,584 feet west and 528 feet south of the northeast corner of section 2, T. 14 N., R. 21 E.; USGS Mineral Peak 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 6 minutes 46 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 35 minutes 20 seconds W; NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually moist in winter and spring, dry in late summer and autumn; Aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature - 8 to 11 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 36 to 50 cm.
Depth to base of argillic horizon - More than 125 cm.
Depth to bedrock - 150 to 200 cm.
Other features - Some pedons have highly weathered fragments that are parastones and paracobbles.
Reaction - Slightly acid or neutral.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: 25 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 35 to 60 percent, mainly gravel with 5 to 15 percent cobbles and stones.
A horizons - Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 3, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 2 to 4 percent.
Bt1 horizon - Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Structure: Weak to strong fine to coarse subangular blocky.
Texture: Very gravelly loam or very gravelly clay loam.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.
Bt2 and Bt3 horizons - Hue: 10YR through 5Y.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Structure: Weak to strong fine to coarse subangular blocky or it is massive.
Texture: Very gravelly loam or very gravelly clay loam.
Clay content: 25 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Ashue, Badena, Badenaugh, Eaglerock, Gitabyte, Grinrod, Ister, Lemm, Leviathan, Oest, Searles, Searvar, Shawmount, Shree, Shroe, Tollgate, Trid, and Tristan series.
Ashue soils have a combined thickness of the A and Bt horizons that is less than 84 cm with mollic epipedons 18 to 30 cm thick, and contrasting very gravelly sand below 76 cm. Badena soils have 60 to 85 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section and are intermittently moist for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and September due to convection storms. Badenaugh soils have A and Bt horizons 69 to 109 cm thick, mollic epipedons less than 36 cm thick, are neutral or slightly acid in the upper part decreasing to slightly acid or moderately acid in the lower part. Eaglerock, Trid, and Searvar soils are moderately deep to paralithic contacts. Gitabyte, Grinrod, Ister, and Searles soils are moderately deep to lithic contacts. Lemm soils have A and Bt horizons 76 to 122 cm thick and sandy loam argillic horizons with less than 18 clay. Leviathan soils have mollic epipedons 23 to 36 cm thick and subhorizons of sandy clay loam or sandy clay in the argillic horizon. Oest soils have A and Bt horizons 76 to 127 cm thick, sandy loam or sandy clay loam argillic horizons with 18 to 27 percent clay, and very gravelly loamy sand or very gravelly sand below 100 cm. Shawmount soils have argillic horizons with more than 45 percent sand, depth to base of the argillic horizon of 50 to 100 cm, and have a horizon with lamellae below the argillic horizon. Shree soils have depth to base of the argillic horizon of 60 to 90 cm. Shroe soils have depth to base of the argillic horizon of 50 to 100 cm, mollic epipedons 18 to 30 cm thick, and subhorizons of the argillic horizon with 35 to 45 percent clay. Tollgate soils have a mollic epipedon 20 to 36 cm thick. Tristan soils are 100 to 150 cm deep to bedrock, have strong grade of structure and unweathered stones and cobbles.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Nosrac soils are on hills and mountains. They typically occur on north-facing backslope positions. These soils formed in colluvium and residuum weathered from andesite and schist. Slopes are 15 to 50 percent. Elevations range from 1,830 to 2,134 meters. The climate is semiarid. The mean annual precipitation is 300 to 400 mm, the mean annual temperature is 7 to 10 degrees C., and the frost-free period is 80 to 100 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cagle soils. Cagle soils are fine textured and moderately deep to bedrock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; high surface runoff; moderately slow permeability; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: Nosrac soils are used for forest land, livestock grazing, and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is mainly a forest canopy of singleleaf pinyon and Utah juniper with an understory of Wyoming big sagebrush, prickly currant, Sandberg's bluegrass, cheatgrass, and bottlebrush squirreltail.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada and eastern California. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 26.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Carson City Area, Nevada, 1975.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 46 cm (A1, A2, and Bt1 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 23 to 152 cm (Bt1, Bt2, and Bt3 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 23 to 73 cm (Bt1 horizon and part of the Bt2 horizon).