LOCATION NEVADASH                NV CA

Established Series
Rev. JBF/TM
01/2020

NEVADASH SERIES

The Nevadash series consists of very deep, well drained soils formed in alluvium. Nevadash soils are on fan piedmonts, basins, and fan aprons. Slopes are 0 to 5 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 230 mm, and the mean annual temperature is about 8.9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy, glassy, mesic Durinodic Xeric Haplargids

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

A--0 to 5 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly ashy sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; strong very thick platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 20 percent 2 to 25 mm gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 15 cm thick)

BAt--5 to 13 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) ashy sandy clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate thin platy structure; hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 5 percent 2 to 25 mm gravel; common distinct clay bridges between mineral grains; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 13 cm thick)

Bt1--13 to 28 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) ashy sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; strong medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, few fine and medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; 10 percent 2 to 25 mm gravel; many distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 33 cm thick)

Bt2--28 to 43 cm; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) ashy sandy clay loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; many distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 20 cm thick)

Bq--43 to 71 cm; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) ashy sandy loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard and hard, very friable and firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and very fine roots; few very fine interstitial pores; 10 percent gravel; 25 percent 5 to 20 millimeter, hard, firm durinodes; many silica coats bridging mineral grains appear as glassy luster; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 50 cm thick).

Bqk1--71 to 112 cm; pale yellow (2.5Y 7/3) ashy sandy loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 10 percent gravel; 20 percent 15 to 25 millimeter, hard, firm durinodes; 30 percent discontinuous weak silica cementation; 5 percent medium and coarse, white (10YR 8/1) soft masses of carbonates; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 48 cm thick)

Bqk2--112 to 173 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) gravelly ashy sandy loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 10 percent 2 to 5 millimeter gravel; 15 percent 15 to 25 millimeter hard, firm durinodes; 5 percent 0.5 millimeter carbonate coats on underside of some rock fragments; 10 percent 5 to 30 millimeter gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).

TYPE LOCATION: Washoe County, Nevada; on the south side of Duck Flat about 1.3 miles west of Buckhorn Road; about 2,00 feet south and 2,400 feet east of the northwest corner section 27, T. 36 N., R. 19 E.; Rye Patch Canyon 7.5 minute quadrangle 40 degrees, 58 minutes, 21.49 seconds north latitude and 119 degrees, 50 minutes, 18.44 seconds west longitude; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.9727500 latitude, -119.8374167 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually dry; moist in winter and spring; dry June through October. Aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Soil temperature - 8.3 to 11.1 degrees C.
Depth to base of the Bt horizon - 30 to 61 cm.
Depth to carbonates - 28 to 91 cm.
Other features - The epipedon is too thin or has dry value too high to qualify as Mollic.
Control section - Clay content: 20 to 27 percent.
Mineralogy: 40 to 60 percent volcanic glass in the 0.2 to 2.0 millimeter fraction.

A horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline to mildly alkaline.

Bt horizon
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Structure: Moderate or strong, fine through coarse subangular blocky or angular blocky.
Rock Fragments: 5 to 10 percent gravel.

Bq and Bqk horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Calcium Carbonate: None in Bq horizons; 1 to 5 percent fine through coarse soft masses and/or few thin coats on undersides of rock fragments in Bqk horizons.
Other features: 20 to 70 percent hard or very hard, firm or very firm durinodes with few very thin (< 2 mm thick) discontinuous and randomly oriented silica laminae.

C horizon - Below 152 cm in some pedons.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Qwynn and Watoopah series. Qwynn and Watoopah soils have a soil temperature warmer than 11.1 degrees C. and are intermittently moist for 10 to 20 days between July and October.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Nevadash soils are on fan piedmonts, fan aprons and basins. These soils formed in mixed alluvium of mostly volcanic origin, high in pyroclastic materials. Slopes are 0 to 5 percent. Elevations are 1,368 to 1,814 meters. The climate is cool, semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm; mean annual temperature is 7.2 to 10.0 degrees C., and the frost-free season is 100 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Couch, Gorzell and Saraph series. Couch soils have clayey natric horizons. Gorzell soils are fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal. Saraph soils are shallow over tuff.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is mainly big sagebrush, spiny hopsage, basin wildrye, and thickspike wheatgrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Washoe County, Nevada, Surprise Valley-Home Camp Area. MLRA 23. These soils are not extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Surprise Valley-Home Camp Area, California-Nevada, 2000.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to about 5 cm (The A horizon).
Argillic horizon - The zone from about 5 to 43 cm (The BAt, Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Duric feature - The zone from about 43 to 112 cm (Bq and Bqk horizons).

Particle-size control section - The zone from about 5 to 43 cm (The BAt, Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Mineralogy - Glass content of the 0.2 to 2 millimeter fraction is more than 30 percent throughout.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.