LOCATION WASHOE NV+NM
Established Series
Rev. WED/ELS/JVC/JBF
11/2016
WASHOE SERIES
The Washoe series consist of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed igneous rocks. Washoe soils are on terraces. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 250 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 10 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Xeric Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Washoe cobbly coarse sand--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 5 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) cobbly coarse sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine, and common very fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 15 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.1); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 5 cm thick)
A2--5 to 13 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) cobbly light sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium and fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine, and many very fine roots; common fine and very fine vesicular pores; 15 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)
A3--13 to 20 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly coarse sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium and fine granular structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine, and many very fine roots; common fine and very fine interstitial, and few very fine tubular pores; 15 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)
Bt1--20 to 28 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine, and many very fine roots; common very fine, and few fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 20 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.7); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 15 cm thick)
Bt2--28 to 51 cm; brown (7.5YR 4/4) very gravelly sandy clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; very hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; very few fine, and common very fine roots; few fine and very fine interstitial, and few fine tubular pores; common faint clay films bridging mineral grains, lining pores, and coating rock fragments; 30 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear wavy boundary. (20 to 30 cm thick)
Bt3--51 to 71 cm; brown (7.5YR 4/4) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few fine and very fine interstitial pores; common faint clay films bridging mineral grains and lining pores; 30 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; most rock fragments show visible signs of weathering; slightly acid (pH 6.5); gradual wavy boundary. (18 to 50 cm thick)
Bt4--71 to 107 cm; brown (7.5YR 4/4) extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; very few very fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; clay films bridging mineral grains and on rock fragments; 50 percent gravel and 20 percent cobbles; shows visible signs of weathering; slightly acid (pH 6.5); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 38 cm thick)
C--107 to 152 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly loamy coarse sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.9).
TYPE LOCATION: Douglas County, Nevada; about 300 feet east and 75 feet south of the center of section 28, T. 12 N., R. 20 E.; USGS Carters Station 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 52 minutes 30 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 44 minutes 26 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.8741667 latitude, -119.740556 longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry but are moist in the winter and spring; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature 11 to 12 degrees C.
Depth to base of argillic: 80 to 114 cm thick.
Argillic horizon: 60 to 100 cm thick.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral. .
Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages l8 to 27 percent clay.
Sand: More than 35 percent medium sand and coarser.
Rock fragments: 35 to 50 percent.
A horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Bt horizons
Hue of 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma of 3 or 4.
Texture: Gravelly coarse sandy loam or gravelly sandy clay loam.
C horizon
Value; 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Texture: Loamy sand or loamy coarse sand modified with 45 to 80 percent rock fragments ranging in size from gravel to boulders. Rock fragments are mostly weathered granitic rocks.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Bairs,
Basket,
Breko,
Chiefrange, Cowgirl,
Drino,
Hefed,
Huilepass,
Hunewill,
Jungo,
Kayo,
Lithgow,
Plush,
Schader and
Stucky series.
Bairs and
Kayo soils average less than 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
Basket,
Breko,
Chiefrange, and
Huilepass soils are intermittently moist for 10 to 20 days between July and September due to convection storms.
Cowgil,
Hefed, and
Hunewill soils have a C horizon within 80 cm.
Drino,
Lithgow,
Plush and
Schader soils have bedrock within 150 cm.
Jungo and
Stucky soils have more than 27 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Washoe soils are on terraces at elevations of about 1,375 to 1,590 meters. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. They formed in alluvium derived from mixed igneous rocks such as granite and andesite. The climate is semiarid. Mean annual precipitation is 200 to 300 mm, mean annual temperature is 9 to 10 degrees C, and the frost-free season is about 90 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Dressler,
Glenbrook, and
Leviathan soils. Dressler soils are somewhat poorly drained. Glenbrook soils have granitic bedrock within 50 cm. Leviathan soils have a mollic epipedon.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; moderately slow permeability; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used primarily for rangeland and urban development. The vegetation is principally Wyoming big sagebrush, Nevada ephedra, rabbitbrush, Anderson's peachbrush, and bottlebrush squirreltail.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada. These soils are moderately extensive. The series concept is in MLRA 26 in Nevada. Other acreage occurs in MLRA 70C in central New Mexico in the out-of-date soil survey of Torrance County Area (NM674).
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Douglas County (Carson Valley), Nevada 1940.
REMARKS: REMARKS: Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 20 cm (A1, A2 and A3 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 20 to 107 cm (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3 and Bt4 horizons).
Particle size control section - The zone from 13 to 63 cm (Bt1, Bt2 and part of the Bt3 horizon).
ADDITIONAL DATA: SSIR No. 23.
User Pedon ID: 2006NV005107.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.