LOCATION PAYPOINT NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, glassy over mixed, mesic Durinodic Xeric Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Paypoint gravelly ashy fine sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 2 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly ashy fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; strong thick and very thick platy structure; hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and fine vesicular pores; 15 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
A2--2 to 5 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly ashy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; strong very thick platy structure; hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and fine vesicular pores; 15 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)
Bt--5 to 11 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) ashy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 5 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 11 inches thick)
Bqk--11 to 17 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) ashy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium platy structure; hard, friable and firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 80 percent very weak distinct discontinuous silica cementation; common fine silica masses in matrix; common fine carbonate coats on faces of peds; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 11 inches thick)
2Ckq1--17 to 25 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) very gravelly loamy sand, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel; 20 percent fine silica and carbonate coats on bottom of rock fragments; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
2Ckq2--25 to 36 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) very gravelly sand, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 50 percent gravel; 15 percent fine carbonate coats on bottom of rock fragments; common fine silica coats on mineral grains; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
2C--36 to 60 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly fine sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 30 percent gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4)
TYPE LOCATION: Washoe County, Nevada; about 6.5 miles east of Vya and 150 feet south of county road 8A at the junction of the dirt track to Lone Spring; in a nonsectionized township near the projected northeast corner of section 9, T. 42N., R. 20E.; USGS Painted Point 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 41 degrees 34 minutes 53 seconds north latitude and 119 degrees 44 minutes 01 second west longitude, NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Moist in winter and spring; dry from mid-June through October; Aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature - 47 to 51 degrees F.
Depth to base of argillic horizon and horizons with brittle matrix - 10 to 20 inches.
Depth to identifiable secondary carbonates - 11 to 24 inches.
Depth to strongly contrasting horizons - 16 to 30 inches; A strongly contrasting particle-size class is within a depth of 40 inches.
Volcanic glass content - 35 to 55 percent in the very fine sand and fine sand size fractions in the A, Bt, and Bqk horizons; 5 to 20 percent in the 2C horizons.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: 18 to 25 percent in the upper part and 0 to 2 percent in the contrasting lower part;
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent in the upper part and 30 to 50 percent in the lower part; Lithology of fragments are mainly pebbles of volcanic rocks such as basalt.
A horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Bt horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Ashy loam or ashy sandy clay loam.
Clay content: 18 to 25 percent.
Sand content: 35 to 50 percent.
Consistence: Hard or very hard dry, very friable or friable moist.
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent gravel.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Bqk horizon
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Ashy loam or ashy sandy clay loam.
Clay content: 18 to 25 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent gravel.
Structure: Thin through thick platy.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Silica cementation: A brittle matrix with weak, discontinuous silica cementation is present in most pedons.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 3 percent.
Other features: Some pedons lack secondary carbonates.
2Ckq and 2C horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry; 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Stratified very gravelly sand to gravelly loamy sand.
Clay content: 0 to 2 percent.
Rock fragments: 30 to 50 percent gravel.
Structure: Massive or single grain.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent to violently effervescent.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: few to many 0.5 millimeter to 1.0 millimeter carbonate coats on bottom of rock fragments.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 5 percent.
Other features: Some pedons lack secondary carbonates.
COMPETING SERIES: There are currently no other series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Paypoint soils are on lagoons. They formed in volcanic ash and alluvium derived from tuff over lacustrine deposits derived from basalt. Eolian material influenced by volcanic ash is also a component of the parent material in the upper part of the profile. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. Elevations range from 5,500 to 5,800 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 10 inches, the mean annual air temperature is 45 to 47 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 80 to 100 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Corral, Davey, and Langston soils. Corral soils are loamy, shallow to soft bedrock, and have argillic horizons. Davey soils are sandy, have cambic horizons, and are on beaches. Langston soils are fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, have argillic horizons, and are on beach bars.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; low surface runoff; moderately slow permeability (moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity) in the subsoil and rapid permeability (high or very high saturated hydraulic conductivity) in the strongly contrasting substratum.
USE AND VEGETATION: Paypoint soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly big sagebrush, rubber rabbitbrush, Sandberg's bluegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, basin wildrye, and Thurber's needlegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Nevada. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 23.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Washoe County, Nevada (North Part), 1995.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 5 inches (A1 and A2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 5 to 11 inches (Bt horizon).
Duric feature - The zone with brittle matrix from 11 to 17 inches (Bqk horizon).
Ashy substitute class with glassy mineralogy - The zone from 5 to 17 inches (Bt and Bqk horizons).
Major lithologic discontinuity - The abrupt change to sandy material at 17 inches (2Ckq1, 2Ckq2, and 2C horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 5 to 40 inches (Bt, Bqk, 2Ckq1, 2Ckq2, and part of the 2C horizons).
ADDITIONAL DATA: The series type location has full characterization data by the Soil Survey Laboratory (SSL), Lincoln, NE, as soil survey sample number S98NV-031-001 (pedon # 99P0154). Several satellite pedons were also sampled in 1998.