LOCATION WESO NV

Established Series
Rev. LIL-MJZ-RLB-JBF
05/2016

WESO SERIES

The Weso series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks, with a loess mantle high in volcanic ash. The Weso soils are on beach plains, relic lagoons, fan skirts, inset fans and fan piedmont remnants. Slopes are 0 to 8 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 180 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Durinodic Haplocambids

TYPICAL PEDON: Weso very fine sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 5 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) very fine sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; weak medium platy structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and few fine vesicular pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)

A2--5 to 13 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak thin platy structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine vesicular pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 13 cm thick)

Bw--13 to 28 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine and few fine tubular pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (15 to 25 cm thick)

Bqk1--28 to 41 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak thick platy structure, very hard, firm, brittle, when wet becoming nonsticky and slightly plastic after prolong rubbing; common very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores, many very fine and fine interstitial pores; few fine faint horizontal very pale brown (10YR 8/2) carbonate filaments; slightly effervescent; continuously brittle plates about 0.6 cm thick with slightly softer material between them; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 36 cm thick)

Bqk2--41 to 66 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak thick platy structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular and many very fine interstitial pores; common fine faint very pale brown (10YR 8/2) lcarbonate streaks between plates; slightly effervescent in matrix, strongly effervescent; many silica cemented lenses that are very hard and firm, brittle when wet; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear wavy boundary. (20 to 43 cm thick)

2Bk--66 to 119 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) gravelly fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; lime is disseminated; strongly effervescent; 15 percent fine gravel; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 53 cm thick)

3C1--119 to 135 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very gravelly loamy sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; slightly effervescent; 55 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 43 cm thick)

3C2--135 to 150 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak thin platy structure; hard, friable nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 25 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)

4C3--150 to 165 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 5 to 10 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).

TYPE LOCATION: Humboldt County, Nevada; approximately 2 miles northwest of Golconda; about 300 feet east and 150 feet south of the northwest corner of section 30, T. 36 N., R. 40 E.; USGS Pole Creek 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees, 58 minutes, 27 seconds N and longitude 117 degrees 31 minutes, 26 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.9741667 latitude, -117.5238889 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist for short periods in winter and spring, dry from late May through November; typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 12 degrees C.
Depth to base of Bw horizon and upper boundary of silica cementation: 25 to 46 cm.
Other features: Some pedons are underlain by skeletal material below depths of 100 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Average 4 to 15 percent, with subhorizons to 20 percent in some pedons.
Rock fragments: 0 to 25 percent, mainly gravel.

A horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline through very strongly alkaline.

Bw horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Textures: Dominantly fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam or loam. Some pedons include minor strata of sandy loam, coarse sandy loam, or silt loam.
Clay content: 5 to 15 percent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline through very strongly alkaline.
Rock fragment: 0 to 15 percent
Other features: Noncalcareous.

Bqk horizons
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Cementation: Ranges from continuously brittle matrix to several weakly cemented plates up to 2.5 cm thick with firm and brittle or friable material between plates. Subhorizons in some pedons have durinodes in a friable matrix.
Structure: Platy or massive.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline through very strongly alkaline.

C horizon
Texture: Stratified very gravelly loamy sand to fine sandy loam.
Rock fragments: Averages 0 to 20 percent.
Reaction: Strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline.
Carbonates: Noneffervescent through violently effervescent.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Broyles, Crockies, Gardenvalley, Keefa, and Strike series.

Broyles soils have durinodes in a friable matrix. Crockies soils have bedrock within 150 cm. Gardenvalley and Keefa soils are moist 10 to 20 days cumulative in the summer. Strike soils have a mean annual soil temperature of 12 to 13 degrees C.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Weso soils are on beach plains, relic lagoons, fan skirts, inset fans and fan piedmont remnants. These soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks, with a loess mantle high in volcanic ash. Slopes are 0 to 8 percent. Elevations are 1,220 to 1,710 meters. The climate is cool, arid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 150 to 200 mm, mean annual temperature is 7 to 10 degrees C, and the frost-free season is 100 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bliss, Dun Glen, Rad and Valmy soils. Bliss soils have a strongly cemented hardpan at a depth of 50 to 91 cm. Dun Glen soils lack silica cementation. Rad soils have silty particle-size control sections with less than 15 percent fine sand or coarser particles. Valmy soils lack cambic horizons and have durinodes in a friable matrix.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well-drained; slow runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly shadscale, bud sagebrush, spiny hopsage, black greasewood, bottlebrush squirreltail and cheatgrass. A few small areas are used for irrigated crop land.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central Nevada. MLRA 24. These soils are moderately extensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Humboldt County, (BLM Sonoma Planning Unit), Nevada. 1974.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A1, A2 and part of the Bw horizons).
Cambic horizon - The zone from about 13 to 28 cm (Bw horizon).
Duric feature - Continuous weak silica cementation, the zone from 28 to 66 cm (Bqk1 and Bqk2 horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (Bqk1, Bqk2 horizons and parts of the Bw and 2Bk horizons).

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.