LOCATION MIZEL                   NV

Established Series
Rev: LIL/ELS/WED/JBF
05/2016

MIZEL SERIES


The Mizel series consists of very shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum from rhyolite. These soils are on hills and have slopes of 15 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 230 mm, and the mean annual temperature is about 10 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, nonacid, mesic Lithic Xeric Torriorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Mizel extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam, rangleand. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted). The surface is covered with about 80 percent gravel.

A1--0 to 3 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 80 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)

A2--3 to 8 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; many very fine and fine vesicular pores; 30 percent gravel; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 18 cm thick)

R--8 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) hard rhyolite bedrock, fractured and cracked with reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) coatings on fragments and in cracks; few very fine roots in cracks.

TYPE LOCATION: Washoe County, Nevada; approximately 5 miles north of Reno; about 300 feet south and 300 feet west of the northeast corner of section 14, T. 20 N., R. 19 E.; USGS Reno, NV 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 36 minutes 22 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 48 minutes 34 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.6061111 latitude, -119.809444 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Moist in winter and early spring, dry for the rest of the year; aridic moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 10 to 12 degrees C.
Depth to bedrock: 8 to 25 cm.
Reaction: Medium acid or slightly acid.

Particle-size control section - Percent clay: 5 to 15.
Percent rock fragments: Averages 40 to 60 percent gravel.
Textures: Averages very gravelly sandy loam, very gravelly loam, or very gravelly fine sandy loam.

A horizon
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 6.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Jobpeak, Lequieu, Medved, Skedaddle, Snaker, Tejabe, Wahguyhe series.

Jobpeak, Medved and Snaker soils have a reaction class of neutral or slightly alkaline. Lequieu and Skedaddle soils have more than 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Tejabe soils have a reaction class of neutral. Wahguyhe soils are deeper than 36 cm.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Mizel soils are on hills. These soils have formed in residuum weathered from rhyolite. Slopes are l5 to 50 percent. Elevations are 1,370 to 1,830 meters. 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 Greenbrae, Haybourne, Northmore, Oppio, Surgem, and Wedekind series. Greenbrae soils have a sandy clay B2t horizon. Haybourne soils have a sandy loam cambic horizon. Northmore soils have a sandy clay Bt horizon. Oppio soils have a clay Bt horizon and are underlain by andesite at 50 to 70 cm. Surgem soils have a cobbly and stony clay Bt horizon and are underlain by granodiorite at 50 to 76 cm. Wedekind soils have a sandy clay loam Bt horizon and are underlain by andesite at 25 to 50 cm.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; rapid runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Mizel soil is used principally for range, recreation and urban development. The native vegetation is a very sparse stand of low sagebrush, low rabbitbrush and bottlebrush squirreltail.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Reno area of southwestern Washoe County, Nevada. The series is not extensive. MLRA 26.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Washoe County (South Part), Nevada l980.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the surface to about 8 cm (A horizon).
Lithic contact - The contact at about 8 cm (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from the surface to about 8 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: These soils were named Miz in the special report for a portion of the Reno Carson Area.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.