LOCATION LANGSTON                NV+CA

Established Series
Rev. JBF/TM-JVC
05/2016

LANGSTON SERIES

The Langston series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium over lacustrine deposits derived from mixed rocks. Langston soils are on fan remnants and lake terraces. Slopes are 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 over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Xeric Haplargids

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

A--0 to 10 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 25 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 20 cm thick)

Bt1--10 to 38 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine interstitial and common very fine tubular pores; common faint and few distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 15 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 30 thick)

Bt2--38 to 51 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine, fine, and medium roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; few faint clay bridges between sand grains; 30 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 15 cm thick)

2C--51 to 102 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) extremely gravelly sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; common faint clay films lining pores and few faint clay bridges between sand grains; 80 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (25 to 56 cm thick)

2Ck--102 to 152 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) very gravelly sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; violently effervescent, with few carbonate coats on bottoms of some rock fragments; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8).

TYPE LOCATION: Washoe County, Nevada; west of the Smoke Creek Desert; approximately 1,300 feet south and 1,500 feet west of the northeast corner of section 9, T. 29 N., R. 19 E.; USGS Sheepshead Spring 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 24 minutes 14 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 50 minutes 57 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.4038889 latitude, -119.849167 longitude..

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in winter and spring, dry from June through October; aridic soil moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C.
Depth to strongly contrasting sandy-skeletal material: 28 to 51 cm.
Depth to identifiable secondary carbonates: 28 to 100 cm.
Other features: Some pedons have Bk horizons above the lithologic discontinuity.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 18 to 30 percent in the upper part and 0 to 5 percent in the strongly contrasting lower part,
Rock fragments: Averages 10 to 35 percent in the upper part and 65 to 90 percent in the strongly contrasting lower part.

A horizon
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 or 4 moist, when mixed.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.

Bt horizons
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Sandy clay loam, clay loam, loam, gravelly sandy clay loam, gravelly clay loam, or gravelly loam.
Clay content: 18 to 30 percent.
Rock fragments: 10 to 35 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid through slightly alkaline.

2C and 2Ck horizons
Hue: 2.5Y or 10YR.
Value: 3 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Stratified gravelly sand to extremely gravelly coarse sand.
Rock fragments: Averages 60 to 90 percent, most of which are gravel.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: Occurs as coats on bottoms of rock fragments.
Other features: Some pedons have thin silica coats on bottoms of rock fragments.
Effervescence: Noneffervescent to violently effervescent.

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

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Langston soils are on fan remnants and lake terraces. These soils formed in alluvium over lacustrine deposits derived from mixed rocks. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. Elevations range from 1,310 to 1,865 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 air temperature is 7 to 9 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 80 to 110 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the McConnel, Old Camp, Pegler, and Vylach soils. McConnel soils do not have argillic horizons. Old Camp soils are shallow over hard bedrock. Pegler soils are shallow over soft tuff. Vylach soils are shallow over a strongly cemented duripan.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; low or medium surface runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Langston soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, spiny hopsage, bluebunch wheatgrass, and bottlebrush squirreltail.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Nevada and northeastern California. These soils are moderately extensive. The series concept and main acreage is in MLRA 23, while other acreage occurs in MLRA 27.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Washoe County (Surprise Valley-Home Camp Area), Nevada, 1985.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 10 cm (A horizon).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 10 to 51 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Major lithologic discontinuity - The change to sandy-skeletal material at 51 cm (between the Bt2 and 2C horizons).
Identifiable secondary carbonates - The zone from 102 to 152 cm (2Ck horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 100 cm (Bt1, Bt2, and 2C horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.