LOCATION MOSQUET                 NV+CA

Established Series
Rev. JBF/TM
09/2019

MOSQUET SERIES

The Mosquet series consists of shallow, well drained soils that formed in colluvium and residuum derived from volcanic rocks with eolian additions of volcanic ash. Mosquet soils are on mountains and plateaus. Slopes are 4 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 360 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 6 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey, smectitic Lithic Argicryolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Mosquet very gravelly fine sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with 30 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles.

A1--0 to 5 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly fine sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial and vesicular pores; 50 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 30 cm thick)

A2--5 to 13 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) gravelly sandy clay loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic, many very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 20 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 13 cm thick)

Bt1--13 to 23 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; strong fine angular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and very plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine interstitial and few fine tubular pores; many faint clay bridges between sand grains and few distinct clay films on faces of peds; 25 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 18 cm thick)

Bt2--23 to 36 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) very gravelly clay, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; strong fine angular blocky structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; many distinct and few prominent dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 40 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 13 cm thick)

R--36 cm; basalt.

TYPE LOCATION: Washoe County, Nevada; about 20 miles south of Vya and 0.2 miles northwest of Devine Peak; in an unsectioned area approximately at the center of section 6, T. 39 N., R. 19 E.; Hays Canyon USGS 7.5 minute quadrangle; latitude 41 degrees, 18 minutes, 45.5 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees, 53 minutes, 38 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 41.3126389 latitude, -119.8938889 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Moist in winter and spring; dry early July through September; aridic soil moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 6 to 8 degrees C.
Mean summer soil temperature: 13 to 15 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 36 to 50 cm, includes the Bt1 horizon or in some pedons both the Bt1 and Bt2 horizons.
Depth to base of argillic horizon: 36 to 50 cm.
Depth to bedrock: 36 to 50 cm to a lithic contact.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
Other features: Cracks in the bedrock contain Bt horizon material. Some of the upper parts of bedrock are detached in some pedons but are not significantly displaced. The bedrock surface is weakly to strongly weathered in the upper 5 cm in some pedons.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 35 to 45 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 25 to 35 percent gravel and cobbles; Lithology of fragments is volcanic rocks such as basalt, tuff, andesite, or rhyolite.

A horizon
Value: 4 through 6 dry (less than 5.5 when the surface 18 cm are mixed), 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Clay content: 10 to 20 percent.
Organic matter content: 2 or 3 percent.
Structure: Weak thin to thick platy, weak or moderate, fine or medium granular or subangular blocky or it is massive.

Bt horizons
Hue: 5YR through 10YR.
Value: 3 through 5, dry or moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Clay or clay loam.
Rock fragments: averages 25 to 35 percent, mainly gravel of volcanic origin; lower subhorizons have up to 50 percent.
Organic matter content: 0.5 to 2 percent.
Structure: Weak to strong angular or subangular blocky.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Abes and Blizzard series.

Abes soils have mean annual soil temperature of 2 to 6 degrees C, have a xeric moisture regime and have rock fragments with mostly limestone lithology. Blizzard soils average 0 to 25 percent rock fragments and 45 to 60 percent clay in the particle-size control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Mosquet soils are on mountains and plateaus. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from volcanic rocks such as basalt, andesite, and rhyolite with eolian additions of volcanic ash. Slopes are 4 to 50 percent. Elevations range from 1,580 to 2,900 meters. The climate is semiarid with cold, moist winters and cool, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 300 to 400 mm, mean annual temperature is 5 to 7 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 50 to 70 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bregar, Espil, Hartig, Home Camp, and Newlands soils. Bregar soils are loamy-skeletal and lack a mollic epipedon. Espil soils are shallow over a duripan. Hartig soils are coarse-loamy. Home Camp soils are clayey-skeletal. Newlands soils are fine-loamy.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Mosquet soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly low sagebrush, Idaho fescue, bluegrass and needlegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern and Central Nevada and adjacent areas in Northeastern California. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRAs 23, 25, 26, and 28B.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Washoe County (Surprise Valley-Home Camp Area), Nevada, 1974.

REMARKS: The revision of March 2001 updates the taxonomic class from Clayey, smectitic Lithic Ruptic-Argic Cryoborolls. October 2002 revision recovers and re-describes the typical pedon. Depth to the base of the argillic horizon and depth to lithic contact is also revised.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 23 cm (Al, A2 and Bt1 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 13 to 36 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 36 cm to underlying hard bedrock (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 13 to 36 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.