LOCATION ORICTO NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed, mesic Typic Calciargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Oricto very gravelly fine sandy loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 8 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few fine and very fine roots; many very fine and fine vesicular pores; 35 percent pebbles, 15 percent cobbles; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 10 cm thick)
Bt--8 to 20 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate coarse and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable; slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few medium, common very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 40 percent pebbles, 15 percent cobbles; few thin clay films on faces of peds, many thin clay films in pores; violently effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 24 cm thick)
Bk--20 to 36 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely cobbly sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; 40 percent pebbles, 25 percent cobbles; common distinct lime pedants on rock fragments; violently effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 30 cm thick)
2C--36 to 66 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely gravelly sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 60 percent pebbles, 5 percent cobbles; violently effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 50 cm thick)
3C--66 to 94 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly loamy sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable; nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 35 percent pebbles; strongly effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 84 cm thick)
4C--94 to 152 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely gravelly coarse sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive, soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 60 percent pebbles, 5 percent cobbles; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Mineral County, Nevada, about 1/4 mile north of the old Placer mine located 2,100 feet south and 500 feet west of the northeast corner of section 23, T. 13 N., R. 33 E.; 38 degrees, 58 minutes, 43 seconds north latitude, 118 degrees, 17 minutes, nine seconds west longitude NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually dry, moist in some part for short periods during winter and early spring months and for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October due to convective storms. Dry in lower moisture control section, typic aridic moisture regime.
Soil temperature - 13 to 15 degrees C.
Reaction - Strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline. Sandy surface layer may be moderately alkaline.
Depth to 2C horizon - 23 to 48 cm.
Depth to bottom of Bt horizon - 15 to 23 cm.
Control section - Rock fragments: Averages 35 to 60 percent, mainly pebbles.
A horizon - Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent to violently effervescent.
Bt horizon - Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Rock fragments: Average 35 to 55 percent
Texture (less than 2 millimeters): Loam or sandy clay loam.
Clay content: 20 to 27 percent.
Structure: Prismatic or subangular blocky.
Consistence: Soft o hard, very friable to firm, slightly sticky to sticky and slightly plastic to plastic.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.
SAR: 13 to 45.
Bk horizon - Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Rock fragments: 40 to 70 percent.
Texture (less than 2 millimeters): Sandy loam or coarse sandy loam.
Structure: Massive or subangular blocky.
Consistence: Nonplastic to slightly plastic.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.
C horizon - Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 3.
Rock fragments: 40 to 70 percent.
Texture (less than 2 millimeters): Stratified coarse sand and loamy sand.
SAR: 13 to 90.
Consistence: Soft to hard dry, very friable to firm, nonsticky to slightly sticky and nonplastic to slightly plastic.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent to violently effervescent.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series. Biddleman soils are similar, but have a natric horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Oricto soils are on fan pediments, beach plains and fan remnants. These soils formed in mixed alluvium from rhyolite, andesite and granodiorite. Elevations are 1,220 to 1,770 meters. Slopes are 0 to 30 percent. The climate is cool, and arid with an average annual temperature of 12 to 14 degrees C.; and mean annual precipitation is 75 to 150 mm and the average frost free season is 130 to 160 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Annaw and Izo soils. Annaw soils have a cambic horizon and are on remnant side slopes and inset alluvial fan surfaces. Izo soils lack an argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderate permeability (moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity).
USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is principally shadscale, and Cooper wolfberry with less than 10 percent canopy cover.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Nevada. The soils are of small extent. MLRA 27 and 29.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Esmeralda County, Nevada, 1984.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the surface to 8 cm.
Argillic horizon - The zone from 8 to 20 cm (Bt horizon)
Particle size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm.