LOCATION WEDERTZ NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Durinodic Xeric Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Wedertz loamy coarse sand, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 8 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) loamy coarse sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine interstitial pores; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)
A2--8 to 13 cm; light gray (10YR 7/1) sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium and thick platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common medium, and few fine and very fine vesicular pores; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)
BA--13 to 23 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few medium, fine and very fine roots; few very fine tubular, and common very fine interstitial pores; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 15 cm thick)
Bt1--23 to 41 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common medium and very fine and few fine interstitial pores; many thin clay films lining pores and many thin clay bridges; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 36 cm thick)
Bt2--41 to 71 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and micro roots; many very fine interstitial and common very fine tubular pores; common thin clay bridges; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (15 to 36 cm thick)
Bq--71 to 84 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; many thin and few moderately thick silica bridges; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 20 cm thick)
2Bqk--84 to 102 cm; variegated light gray (10YR 7/2) and very pale brown (10YR 8/2) loam, variegated dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) and brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; very hard, firm, brittle; very few very fine roots; few very fine interstitial pores; discontinuous weakly silica cementation; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Lyon County, Nevada; about 100 feet south and 100 feet west of the center of section 21, T. 11 N., R. 24 E. latitude 38 degrees 48 minutes 9 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 18 minutes 8 seconds W; NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually dry in the summer and fall, but are moist in the winter and spring; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature - 9 to 12 degrees C.
Mean summer soil temperature - 17 to 18 degrees C.
Depth to discontinous weakly cementation - 50 to 90 cm.
Reaction - Slightly acid to neutral in the sola and from moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline in the Bqk horizon.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: 20 to 30 percent.
Rock fragments: Average 0 to 5 percent.
A horizons - Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 or 4 moist,
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Bt horizon - Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Texture: Sandy clay loam, clay loam or sandy clay.
Structure: Weak, fine and medium subangular blocky.
Bq and 2Bqk horizons - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 through 8 dry, 3 through 6.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Silica cementation: Weak and discontinuous but is not indurated in any part.
Consistence: No more than firm and brittle when moist.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Aladshi, Alley, Allor, Chime, Cleghorn, Glyphs, Nevador, Qwynn, Wedlar and Zevadez series.
Aladshi soils have a Btk and 5 to 25 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section. Alley soils lack an A2 horizon and are gravelly throughout the profile. Allor and Qwynn soils have 15 to 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section. Chime and Igert soils have bedrock within 100 cm. Cleghorn and Glyphs soils have a continuous brittle horizon. Nevador soils lack an A2 horizon and has a moderate to strong prismatic or blocky Bt horizon and durinodes in a friable matrix. Wedlar soils are moist for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October due to convection storms.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wedertz soils are on lake terraces and have slopes of 0 to 30 percent. They have formed in materials derived primarily from granite with some admixture of limestone, andesite and volcanic ash superimposed over lacustrine sediments. These soils are at elevations of 1,160 to 1,676 meters in a cool, semiarid climate having mean annual temperature of 10 to 12 degrees C., and a mean summer temperature of 17 to 18 degrees C.; mean annual precipitation is 200 to 360 mm. Frost-free season is about 100 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Wellington soils. Wellington soils have an indurated duripan.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium or slow runoff; moderately slow permeability; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used primarily for livestock grazing. A very small part is cultivated. The principal vegetation is big sagebrush and Indian ricegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The valleys of western Nevada. These soils are of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Washoe County, South Part, Nevada, 1980.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 13 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 13 to 71 cm (Bt1, Bt2 and Bt3 horizons).
Particle size control section - The zone from 13 to 63 cm (Bt1, Bt2 and part of the Bt3 horizon).