LOCATION GREENBRAE NV
Established Series
Rev. LIL/ELS/JBF
03/2017
GREENBRAE SERIES
The Greenbrae series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived mostly from granitic rocks. The Greenbrae soils are on terraces and alluvial fans and have slopes of 0 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 230 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Xeric Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Greenbrae loamy sand--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 5 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loamy sand, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic, many very fine interstitial pores; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)
A2--5 to 13 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and common fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)
A3--13 to 25 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine, and few medium roots; many very fine interstitial pores; slightly acid (pH 6.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 18 cm thick)
Bt1--25 to 43 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on ped faces; slightly acid (pH 6.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 28 cm thick)
Bt2--43 to 76 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy clay, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; strong fine prismatic structure; very hard, firm very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; many faint and few distinct clay films on ped faces and lining pores; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (25 to 38 cm thick)
Bt3--76 to 104 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; very hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; few faint clay films coating and bridging sand grains; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 50 cm thick)
2C--104 to 157 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; very hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 15 percent gravel ; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (25 to 60 cm thick)
3C--157 to 178 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) coarse sand, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; massive; hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (20 to 50 cm thick)
4C--178 to 191 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; very hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine interstitial pores; neutral (pH 7.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Washoe County, Nevada; in Lemmon Valley west side of Stead facilities, about 1,000 feet south and 200 feet west of the northeast corner of section 24, T. 21 N., R. 18 E.; USGS Reno NW 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees, 40 minutes, 36 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees, 54 minutes, 15 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.6766667 latitude, -119.9041667 longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist winter and early spring, dry summer and autumn; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 12 degrees C.
Depth to base of argillic horizon: 71 to 122 cm.
Depth to secondary lime accumulation: More than 76 cm.
Other features: Bk horizons may be present below 76 cm in some pedons.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: Average 27 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: Less than 10 percent gravel.
A horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Organic carbon: Will not meet the definition of a mollic epipedon due to the organic carbon content being less than 0.6 percent and most has massive structure.
Reaction: Strongly acid through neutral.
Bt horizons
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4
Texture: Clay loam, sandy clay loam or sandy clay.
Rock fragments: Less than 10 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid through slightly alkaline.
Btk horizons (when present)
Texture: Clay loam, sandy clay loam or sandy clay.
Clay content: 27 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: Less than 10 percent gravel.
C horizons (when present)
Texture: Stratified coarse sand to gravelly loam.
Clay content: 3 to 15 percent.
Rock fragments: Less than 15 percent when averaged.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.
Other features: Unconformable lacustrine materials are below a depth of 122 cm in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Abgese,
Ackley,
Blacknest, Bluelight,
Colbar,
Eusbio,
Hardtrigger,
Harsan,
Hoosegow,
Hoye,
Lankbush,
Morfitt,
Nosser,
Shawave,
Sidlake,
Turria and
Windypoint soils.
Abgese and
Ackley soils have less than 27 percent clay in their Bt horizons.
Blacknest soils are 500 to 100 cm to sand and gravel. Bluelight,
Colbar
Eusbio,
Nosser
Sidlake and
Stiles soils have bedrock at less than 100 cm.
Hardtrigger soils are 25 to 69 cm to base of Bt and have silica cementation below the Bt.
Harsan soils have duripans within 100 to 150 cm.
Hoosegow soils have Bw horizons above their Bt and have less than 27 percent clay average in their Bt horizons.
Hoye and
Windypoint soils have secondary carbonates within 50 cm.
Lankbush soils have less than 27 percent clay in their Bt horizons.
Morfitt soils formed in mixed alluvium weathered from argillites, shales and reworked older terrace sediments and are dominated by finer sand particles.
Shawave soils have less than 27 percent clay in their Bt horizons and have a mean annual soil temperatures of 12 to 13 degrees C.
Turria soils are 30 to 50 cm to the base of their Bt horizon and have less than 5 percent medium sand and coarser.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Greenbrae soils are on smooth terraces, alluvial fans and fan remnants at elevations of 1,375 to 1,710 meters. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. They formed in loamy alluvium mostly from granodiorite. The climate is semiarid. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm; mean annual temperature is 9 to 10 degrees C; and the frost-free season is 100 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Aquinas, Deodar, Estive,
Haybourne and
Indian Creek soils. Aquinas and Indian Creek soils have duripans above depth of 100 cm. Deodar soils have and abrupt textural change clay B2t horizon. Estive soils have mollic epipedons and Bk horizons. Haybourne soils lack argillic horizons and have sandy loam control sections.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; slow or medium runoff; moderately low saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: Greenbrae soils are used principally for livestock grazing, recreation and urban development. Native vegetation is big sagebrush, rabbitbrush, squirreltail and cheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwest Nevada. The soils are of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Carson City area, Nevada, 1975.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 25 cm (A1, A2 and A3 horizons).
Argillic Horizon - The zone from about 25 to 104 cm (Bt1, Bt2 and Bt3 horizons).
Xeric intergrade - Meets organic carbon requirement of xeric.
Particle-size control section - The zone from about 25 to 75 cm (Bt1 and part of the Bt2 horizons).
ADDITIONAL DATA: User Pedon ID: 1970NV031018.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.