LOCATION KNIESLEY NV

Established Series
Rev. GAM-GJS-JVC-JBF
05/2016

KNIESLEY SERIES

The Kniesley series consists of very deep, somewhat poorly drained soils that formed in alluvium over lacustrine deposits derived from mixed rocks. Kniesley soils are on flood plains. Slopes are 0 to 1 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 150 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 11 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty over clayey, mixed over smectitic, superactive, calcareous, mesic Oxyaquic Xerofluvents

TYPICAL PEDON: Kniesley silt loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 5 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silt loam, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; strong very fine granular structure, the surface 1 cm is crusted; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; no roots; many fine interstitial pores; 3 percent sodium salts by volume; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)

Ckyz--5 to 30 cm; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; no roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; many very fine and fine prominent dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) masses of iron accumulation; few medium black (N 2/0) organic masses; many fine and medium light gray (10YR 7/2) crystals of sodium salts, gypsum, and calcite; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt irregular boundary. (5 to 25 cm thick)

Ab1--30 to 46 cm; dark gray (N 4/0) mucky silt loam, black (N 2/0) moist; few thin layers of dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) and very dark gray (10YR 3/1) silt loam; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; many dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) decaying roots; common fine and medium ostracod shells; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 25 cm thick)

Ab2--46 to 64 cm; gray (10YR 5/1) silt loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; many 2 to 5 mm thick black (N 2/0) lenses of organic carbon; strong fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; no roots; common very fine tubular pores; few fine and medium very pale brown (10YR 8/2) ostracod shells; common fine white (10YR 8/1) filaments of gypsum and sodium salts; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt irregular boundary. (5 to 36 cm thick)

2Cyzb--64 to 86 cm; gray (5Y 6/1) clay, dark gray (5Y 4/1) moist; strong very fine angular blocky structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; no roots; few very fine tubular pores; few fine and medium white (10YR 8/1) ostracod shells; few medium white (10YR 8/1) filaments of gypsum and sodium salts; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 38 cm thick)

2Ckb1--86 to 122 cm; gray (5Y 6/1) clay, dark gray (5Y 4/1) moist; few 2.5 centimeters lenses that are very dark gray (5Y 3/1) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; no roots; few very fine tubular pores; secondary carbonates segregated as many medium light gray (5Y 7/2) masses; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (25 to 50 cm thick)

2Ckb2--122 to 152 cm; light olive gray (5Y 6/2) clay, olive gray (5Y 4/2) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; no roots; no pores; many fine prominent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) masses of iron accumulation; secondary carbonates segregated as common medium very pale brown (10YR 7/4) masses; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).

TYPE LOCATION: Pershing County, Nevada; about 8 miles south of Lovelock on the flood plain of the Humboldt River; approximately 400 feet east and 960 feet south of the northwest corner of section 11, T. 25 N., R. 31 E.; USGS Wildhorse Pass 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 03 minutes 11 seconds N and longitude 118 degrees 28 minutes 30 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.0531667 latitude, -118.4750000 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist, saturated within 100 to 150 cm for one month or more during most years; xeric soil moisture regime bodering on aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 12 to 14 degrees C.
Depth to strongly contrasting clayey material: 50 to 90 cm.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline through very strongly alkaline (up to pH 9.6).
Sodicity (SAR): 13 to 45.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 25 to 35 percent in the upper part and 60 to 80 percent in the strongly contrasting lower part.

A horizon
Hue: 2.5Y or 10YR.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 1 or 2, dry or moist.
Structure: Moderate or strong, very fine or fine granular, or fine or medium subangular blocky.

Ckyz horizon
Hue: 2.5Y or 10YR.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 3, dry or moist.
Clay content: Average 25 to 35 percent.
Texture: Stratified silt loam or silty clay loam.
Structure: Massive or weak subangular blocky.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 10 percent.
Gypsum content: 1 to 5 percent.

Ab horizons
Hue: 5Y through 10YR, or N (neutral).
Value: 4 through 7 dry, 2 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 0 (when hue is neutral) through 2, dry or moist.
Texture: Stratified silt loam or silty clay loam.
Clay content: Average 25 to 35 percent.
Structure: Massive or weak to strong, very fine to medium, angular blocky or subangular blocky.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 10 percent.
Gypsum content: 1 to 5 percent.

2Cb horizons
Hue: 5Y or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 1 or 2, dry or moist.
Clay content: 60 to 80 percent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent.
Gypsum content: 1 to 5 percent.

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

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Kniesley soils are on flood plains. These soils formed in alluvium over lacustrine deposits derived from mixed rocks. Slopes are 0 to 1 percent and are dominantly less than 0.5 percent. Elevations range from 1,185 to 1,205 meters. The climate is arid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 125 to 180 mm, mean annual temperature is 10 to 11 degrees C., and the frost-free period is 120 to 140 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Armydrain, Bigmeadow, Brinker, Humboldt, Lovelock, Ryepatch, and Sonoma soils. Armydrain, Bigmeadow, Brinker, Humboldt, Lovelock and Ryepatch soils have dark colored surface horizons. Sonoma soils have less than 60 percent clay in the particle-size control section.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; medium surface runoff; moderately slow permeability; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity in the upper part over very slow permeability; moderately low saturated hydraulic conductivity in the strongly contrasting lower part. Endosaturation is present with an apparent seasonal high water table between 100 and 150 cm (deep free water occurrence class) between April and September. Cumulative annual duration class is Common. The water table under natural conditions is at 45 to 90 cm. Drainage ditches have been constructed to lower the water table during the irrigation season.

USE AND VEGETATION: Kniesley soils are used for livestock grazing, wildlife habitat, and irrigated cropland. Areas that are slightly saline are cropped to alfalfa hay and small grains. The present vegetation on strongly saline rangeland areas is inland saltgrass, alkali sacaton, black greasewood, and basin big sagebrush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada. These soils are not extensive with about 1,000 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRA 27.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Pershing County, (Lovelock Area), Nevada, 1985.

REMARKS: The revision of July 2009 updates the classification from Aeric Fluvaquents to Oxyaquic Xerofluvents because the water table is lowering due to drainage and down cutting. The revision of December 2002 updates the taxonomic class from Fine-silty over clayey, mixed, calcareous, mesic Aeric Fluvaquents.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A and part of Ckyz horizons).
Major lithologic discontinuity - The abrupt change to clayey material at 64 cm (between the Ab2 and 2Cyzb horizons).
Aquic conditions - The conditions of endosaturation, reduction, and redoximorphic features between 100 and 150 cm at certain times during normal years (parts of the 2Ckb1 and 2Ckb2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (Ab1, Ab2, and 2Cyzb horizons and parts of the Ckyz and 2Ckb1 horizons).

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.