LOCATION WELLINGTON NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic, shallow Xeric Argidurids
TYPICAL PEDON: Wellington loamy coarse sand, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Al--0 to 5 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loamy coarse sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many micro roots; many fine, very fine and micro interstitial pores; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)
A2--5 to 10 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist with gray (10YR 5/1) organic stains; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few medium, fine and very fine vesicular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)
Bt--10 to 23 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, very sticky, very plastic; common medium and fine, and many very fine and micro roots; few medium and fine, and many very fine and micro tubular pores; common thin clay films in pores and many cutans; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 30 cm thick)
Btq--23 to 38 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky, plastic; few fine, very fine and micro roots; common fine, and many very fine and micro tubular pores; 30 percent very firm durinodes; common thin clay films on ped faces and many thin clay films in pores; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 25 cm thick)
2Bqkm1--38 to 66 cm; gray (10YR 6/1) indurated silica-carbonate hardpan with light gray (10YR 7/1) lime coats; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak medium platy structure; extremely hard, extremely firm, few fine and micro roots; common very fine and micro tubular pores; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear wavy boundary. (25 to 40 cm thick)
2Bqkm2--66 to 99 cm; continuous very thin light gray (10YR 7/1) indurated silica-laminae stratified with light gray (10YR 7/2) weakly silica-lime cemented very fine sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; massive; hard, firm, nonsticky, nonplastic; very few micro roots; common very fine and micro tubular pores; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 46 cm thick)
2Bqk--99 to 122 cm; variegated light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) and very pale brown (10YR 8/2) very fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; very few micro roots; common, very fine and micro tubular pores; 90 percent small firm durinodes; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8)
TYPE LOCATION: Lyon County, Nevada. About 600 feet south of the center of section 2l, T.11N., R.24E. latitude 38 degrees 48 minutes 3 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 18 minutes 4 seconds W; NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually dry with prolonged dry periods in the summer and fall and are usually continuously moist in the moisture control section for more than 60 days following the winter solstice; aridic bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature - 11 to 13 degrees C.
Depth to the duripan - 30 to 50 cm.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: 18 to 35 percent clay.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent.
Al horizon - Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Structure: Single grained or massive.
A2 horizon - Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Texture: Sandy loam or loam.
Structure: Weak medium or thick platy structure or it is massive.
Bt and Btq horizons - hue: l0YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Texture: Sandy loam or sandy clay loam.
Consistance: slightly hard or hard.
Structure: Weak or moderate, medium or coarse subangular blocky structure or massive.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
Other features: Some pedons do not have silica bridging and durinoides.
2Bqkm1- Value of 5 through 8 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 3.
Structure: Massive or weak platy structure.
2Bqkm2- Value of 5 through 8 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 3.
Other features: Weakly or strongly cemented medium textured materials with few or common, l to l0 mm thick, continuous indurated silica laminae. The indurated parts are noncalcareous except for thin lime coatings.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Argalt, Bigfrog, Bruncan, Chuckridge, Chuska, Colthrop, Dewar, Grassval, Packwood, Pipeline, Roseworth, and Thoms series.
Argalt, Bruncan and Colthrop soils have bedrock within 100 cm. Bigfrog, Dewar Grassval and Roseworth soils have a mean annul soil temperature of less than 11 degrees C. Chuckridge and Handpah soils are moist 10 to 20 cumulative days between July and September due to convection storms. Chuska soils are moerately alkaline or strongly alkaline in the argillic horizon. Packwood soils have loam or clay loam argillic horizons and bedrock at a depth of 20 to 60 cm. Pipeline soils have silt loam or silty clay loam argillic horizons with less than 15 percent fine sand and coarser, and Bk horizons above the duripan. Thomas soils have an argillic horizon with clay loam, clay or loam textures.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wellington soils are on old high lake terraces at elevations of 1,372 to 4,585 meters. Slopes are 0 to l5 percent. The soils formed lake alluvium derived from dominantly granitic rocks over silty lacustrine materials. The average annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm; average annual temperature is 9 to 11 C.; and the frost free season is about ll0 to l20 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the McFaul and the competing Wedertz soils. McFaul soils lack silica-cementation.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; moderately slow permeability; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mainly rangeland, although small areas have been cultivated at one time or another. The vegetation is principally big sagebrush, Indian ricegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail and Nevada ephedra.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada. These soils are of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lyon County (Smith Valley SCD), Nevada, 1941.
REMARKS: Wellington soils were classified in the fine loamy, mixed, mesic family. Additional mapping has revealed that these soils have duripans within 50 cm and should be in the loamy, mixed, mesic, shallow family. The revision of 01/2000 reflects this change in the concept of the series.
Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 10 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 10 to 38 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Particle size control section - The zone from 10 to 38 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Indurated duripan - The zone from 38 to 99 cm (Bqkm1 and Bqkm2 horizons).