LOCATION GURDUGEE                NV+CA

Established Series
Rev. EWB/JVC/JBF
03/2017

GURDUGEE SERIES

The Gurdugee series consists of very deep, somewhat poorly drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed sources. Gurdugee soils are on stream terraces. Slopes are 0 to 2 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 Aquic Natrargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Gurdugee loamy sand--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 5 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loamy sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; many interstitial pores; neutral (pH 7.3); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)

A2--5 to 13 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loamy fine sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine to coarse tubular pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0) clear wavy boundary. (5 to 18 cm thick)

Btn--13 to 25 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure; very hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine roots between peds; common very fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.9); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 23 cm thick)

Btkn--25 to 38 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure; very hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; secondary carbonates segregated as 5 percent masses; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.9); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 20 cm thick)

Bkn--38 to 64 cm; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) sandy clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine to coarse roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; secondary carbonates segregated as 10 percent masses; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.9); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 25 cm thick)

Bqkn1--64 to 84 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) paragravelly clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium prismatic structure; hard, firm, very sticky and moderately plastic; common fine to coarse roots; few fine and medium pores; secondary carbonates segregated as 10 percent filaments and masses; 20 percent weakly cemented durinodes; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 25 cm thick)

Bqkn2--84 to 109 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) paragravelly sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 10 percent fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist masses of iron accumulation; 30 percent discontinuous weakly silica-cemented lenses; strongly effervescent; secondary carbonates segregated as 10 percent filaments and masses; strongly alkaline (pH 8.7); abrupt wavy boundary. (15 to 30 cm thick)

Bk--109 to 152 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) fine sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist masses of iron accumulation; strongly effervescent; secondary carbonates segregated as 10 percent filaments and masses; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9).

TYPE LOCATION: Washoe County, Nevada; in Washoe Valley about 850 meters southeast of New Washoe City; approximately 156 meters east and 839 meters south of the northwest corner of section 8, T. 16 N., R. 20 E.; USGS Washoe City 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 15 minutes 58 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 46 minutes 7 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.2661111 latitude, -119.7686111 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in the moisture control section during winter and spring; usually dry in summer and fall; Saturated within 50 to 100 cm during the late winter and early spring in most years; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 9 to 11.5 degrees C.
Depth to base of natric horizon: 25 to 50 cm.
Depth to horizons with identifiable secondary carbonates: 13 to 38 cm.
Depth to horizons with silica cementation: 50 to 76 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 27 to 35 percent.

A horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 or 6 dry.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline through very strongly alkaline, but may be neutral or slightly alkaline in sandy A1 horizons.
Salinity (EC): 16 to 32 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 46 to 90.

Btn and Btkn horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Clay loam or sandy clay loam.
Clay content: 25 to 35 percent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline through very strongly alkaline.
Salinity (EC): 8 to 16 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 31 to 45.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: Occurs as few to common filaments or masses in the Btkn horizon.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 3 percent.
Other features: In some pedons 20 to 90 percent of ped faces are covered with black coats (presumably organic matter).

Bkn horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Sandy clay loam or loam.
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline through very strongly alkaline.
Salinity (EC): 4 to 8 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 13 to 30.
Effervescence: Strongly or violently effervescent.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: Occurs as few or common filaments or masses.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent.

Bqkn horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Stratified fine sandy loam to clay loam with paragravelly or very paragravelly modifiers.
Clay content: Averages 15 to 25 percent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Salinity (EC): 4 to 8 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 13 to 30.
Silica cementation: 20 to 60 percent weak discontinuous silica cementation or durinodes.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: Occurs as few or common filaments or masses.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent.
Redoximorphic features: Redox concentrations occur in some subhorizons as few to many masses of manganese and/or iron accumulation. Redox depletions are present in some pedons as zones of iron depletion.

Bk horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Stratified loamy sand to sandy clay loam.
Clay content: 5 to 15 percent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Effervescence: Slightly to violently effervescent.
Redoximorphic features: Redox concentrations occur in some subhorizons as few to man masses of manganese and/or iron accumulation. Redox depletions are present in some pedons as zones of iron depletion.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Garsox and Honlak series.

Garsox soils have a calcic horizon and have silica cementation at depths below 100 cm. Honlak soils have the base of the natric horizon below a depth of 50 cm and have sodium adsorption ratio of greater than 50 in the natric horizon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Gurdugee soils are on stream terraces. They formed in alluvium derived from mixed sources. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. Elevations range from 1,495 to 1,646 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm, the mean annual temperature is 8 to 11 degrees C., and the frost-free period is 90 to 110 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Dalzell and Mindlebaugh soils. Dalzell soils have duripans within depths of 50 to 100 cm. Mindlebaugh soils have mollic epipedons and do not have natric horizons.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; high surface runoff; slow permeability; moderately low saturated hydraulic conductivity. Endosaturation is present with an apparent seasonal high water table between 50 and 100 cm (moderately deep free water occurrence class) from December through May. Cumulative annual duration classes are Common or Persistent. The soils are susceptible to rare flooding for very brief periods year-round.

USE AND VEGETATION: Gurdugee soils are used for livestock grazing, recreation, watershed, and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is mainly black greasewood, inland saltgrass, and rubber rabbitbrush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada and eastern California. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 26.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Washoe County, Nevada, South Part, 2010.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 13 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).
Natric horizon - The zone from 13 to 38 cm (Btn and Btkn horizons).
Identifiable secondary carbonates - The zone from 25 to 152 cm (Btkn, Bkn, Bqkn1, Bqkn2, and Bk horizons).
Durinodes and duric feature - The zone from 64 to 109 cm (Bqk1 and Bqk2 horizons).
Endosaturation feature - The condition of saturation and reduction with an upper boundary between 50 and 100 cm at certain times during normal years (Bqk1, Bqk2, and Bk horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 13 to 38 cm (Btn and Btkn horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.