LOCATION ROLOC NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic, shallow Aridic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Roloc gravelly sandy loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
01--1 inch to 0; pine needle mat.
A1--O to 3 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) gravelly sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and few fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 5 percent 2 mm to 5 mm and 15 percent 5 mm to 3 inch pebbles, neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick)
A2--3 to 9 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastlc; common very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 5 percent 2 mm to 5 mm and 5 percent 5 mm to 3 inch pebbles, neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick)
A3--9 to 11 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplast1c; common very fine, fine and few medium roots; few very fine and medium tubular pores; 35 percent 2 mm to 5 mm and 5 percent 5 mm to 3 inch pebbles, neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 6 inches thick)
Bt1--11 to 16 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine, fine, and medium roots; common very fine and few medium tubular pores; common thin clay films coat sand grains; 35 percent 2 mm to 5 mm and 10 percent 5 mm to 3 inch pebbles; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 9 inches thick)
Bt2--16 to 18 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; few thin clay films coat sand grains and line pores; 20 percent 2 mm to 5 mm and 20 percent 5 mm to 3 inch pebbles, neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Cr--18 inches; partially weathered granitic bedrock, with clay films along fracture planes.
Type Location: Douglas County, Nevada; 18 miles east and 6 miles north of Gardnerville, Nevada; about 500 feet south and 500 feet east of the northwest corner of section 19, T. 14 N., R. 23 E.
Range in Characteristics:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in winter and spring; dry late June through October.
Soil temperature - 47 to 52 degrees F.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 7 to 12 inches.
Depth to paralithic contact - 14 to 20 inches.
A horizon - Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 3.
Rock fragments: 10 to 50 percent pebbles, mostly 2 mm to 5 mm with O to 30 percent stones in some pedons.
Bt1 horizon - Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Textures: Coarse sandy loam or loam.
Clay content: 10 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 50 percent pebbles, mostly 2 mm to 5 mm.
Bt2 horizon Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Texture: Coarse sandy loam or sandy loam.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent pebbles, mostly 2 mm to 5 mm.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Acrelane and Koontz series. Acreline and Koontz soils have an argillic horizon with 18 to 30 percent clay.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Roloc soils are on back slopes of mountains and ridges. Elevations are 5,500 to 7,500 feet. Slopes are 15 to 75 percent. The soils formed in residuum weathered from granitic rock. The mean annual temperature is 45 degrees to 49 degrees F., and average annual precipitation is 12 to 14 inches. The frost-free season is 85 to 100 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Drit, Glean, and Trid solls. Drit soils are deep and lack an argillic horizon.e.n so s are deep and have a frigid temperature moisture regime. Trid soils are moderately deep and have an argillic horizon with 27 to 35 percent clay.
DRAINAGE AND PERMIABILITY: Well drained; medium or rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitiat. The present vegetation is Wyoming big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, currant and Thurbers needlegrass, with invasion of pinyon-juniper.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: These soils are of small extent in western Nevada.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada
SERIES PROPOSED: Douglas County Area, Nevada, 1981.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from 0 to 9 inches (the A1, A2 and A3 horizon)
Argillic horizon - The zone from 11 to 18 inches (the Bt1 and Bt2 horizon)
Paralithic - The zone at 18 inches (the Cr horizon)
OSED Scanned by NQSSA last state update 4/81
The superactive cation exchange activity class was added in 03/2003 to the taxonomic classification by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the Reno MLRA office, without review of the soil series property data. The remainder of this document has not been updated.