LOCATION DIA                     NV

Established Series
Rev. WED-ELS-JVC
05/2016

DIA SERIES

The Dia series consists of very deep, moderately well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks. Dia soils are on flood plains and low stream terraces. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 125 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 12 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Oxyaquic Haploxerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Dia loam--irrigated pasture. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

Ap--0 to 13 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; common fine and very fine tubular pores; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 20 cm thick)

A--13 to 30 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silty clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2); moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and common fine roots; common fine and very fine tubular pores; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 30 cm thick)

C1--30 to 74 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) stratified sandy loam, silt loam, and silty clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; common medium prominent reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist masses of iron accumulation; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (30 to 46 cm thick)

2C2--74 to 152 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; common medium faint brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist masses of iron accumulation and few fine distinct gray (10YR 6/1) moist zones of iron depletion; neutral (pH 7.0).

TYPE LOCATION: Churchill County, Nevada; in the Lahontan Valley about 3 miles southwest of the intersection of U.S. Highways 50 and 95 in Fallon; approximately 200 feet east and 1,400 feet north of the southwest corner of section 2, T. 18 N., R. 28 E.; USGS Fallon 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 26 minutes 57 seconds N and longitude 118 degrees 49 minutes 9 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.4492778 latitude, 118.819167 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry unless irrigated; under natural conditions these soils are moist in the moisture control section in winter and early spring, dry in late spring through fall; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 12 to 14 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 25 to 50 cm; includes the Ap and A horizons; may be as thin as 15 cm due to cutting by land leveling operations.
Depth to strongly contrasting sandy material: 50 to 100 cm.
Other features: Organic matter content decreases irregularly with depth in the upper part of the profile.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 18 to 25 percent in the upper part and 0 to 5 percent in the strongly contrasting lower part.
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent gravel.


Ap and A horizons
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Clay content: 15 to 40 percent.
Structure: Weak or moderate, medium or fine, subangular blocky or granular structure or the horizon is massive.
Consistence: Soft or hard, but is never both massive and hard.
Reaction: Neutral to strongly alkaline.
Salinity (EC): 0 to 32 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 0 to 45.
Organic matter content: 1 to 4 percent.

C1 horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Stratified sandy loam to silty clay loam.
Clay content: averages 18 to 25 percent.
Salinity (EC): 0 to 32 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 0 to 45.
Redoximorphic features: Redox concentrations occur as few or common masses of iron accumulation.

2C2 horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Texture: Sand or coarse sand.
Clay content: 0 to 5 percent.
Salinity (EC): 0 to 4 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 0 to 12.
Redoximorphic features: Redox concentrations occur as few or common masses of iron accumulation.
Other features: Some pedons have thin strata of loamy sand, loamy fine sand, fine sand, or gravelly sand with up to 25 percent fine gravel.

COMPETING SERIES: There are currently no other series in this family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Dia soils are on flood plains and low stream terraces. They formed in alluvium derived from mixed sources. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. Elevations range from 1,158 to 1,463 meters. The climate is arid with cool, moist winters and hot, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 100 to 200 mm, the mean annual temperature is 11 to 13 degrees C., and the frost-free period is 100 to 140 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Fallon and Sagouspe soils. Fallon soils are coarse-loamy and have ochric epipedons. Sagouspe soils are sandy, calcareous, and have ochric epipedons.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Moderately well drained; moderately slow permeability; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity in the upper part of the profile over rapid permeability in the contrasting lower part. Endosaturation is present with an apparent seasonal high water table between 90 and 150 cm (moderately deep and deep free water occurrence classes) from March through September. Cumulative annual duration classes are Common or Persistent. Some areas may have high water tables within 50 cm of the soil surface in depressional areas as a result of excessive irrigation and lack of subsurface drainage. These soils are susceptible to rare flooding for very brief periods or occasional flooding for long periods year-round.

USE AND VEGETATION: Dia soils are used mainly for irrigated cropland. Alfalfa, small grains, corn, and grass-legume pastures are the principal crops. The vegetation in rangeland is mainly basin big sagebrush and basin wildrye. Saline-sodic areas have black greasewood and inland saltgrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 27.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Churchill County (Fallon-Fernley Area), Nevada, 1971.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 30 cm (Ap and A horizons).
Major lithologic discontinuity - The abrupt change to sandy material at 74 cm (between the C1 and 2C2 horizons).
Endosaturation feature - The condition of ground water with an upper boundary between 90 and 150 cm at certain times during normal years (2C2 horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (C1 horizon and parts of the A and 2C2 horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: Two pedons of Dia have full characterization by the Soil Survey Laboratory (SSL), Lincoln, NE as user pedon ID 99NV001002 (pedon # 00P0240) and 99NV001009 (pedon # 00P0247).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.