LOCATION NOSAVVY                 NV

Established Series
Rev. JBF/TM
01/2020

NOSAVVY SERIES

The Nosavvy series consists of very deep, well drained soils formed in volcanic ash and colluvium from volcanic rocks. Nosavvy soils are on plateaus and escartments. Slopes are 30 to 50 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 Vitrixerandic Haplargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Nosavvy very cobbly ashy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 5 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very cobbly ashy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate thin platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 20 percent volcanic gravel and 20 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)

A2--5 to 15 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly ashy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine roots; common fine and many very fine tubular pores; 20 percent volcanic gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 18 cm thick)

Bt1--15 to 33 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) cobbly ashy sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine roots; common fine and medium, many very fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 10 percent volcanic gravel and 20 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 15 cm thick)

Bt2--33 to 74 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly ashy sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine roots; few fine and medium, many very fine tubular pores; common distinct and few faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 20 percent volcanic gravel; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (15 to 41 cm thick)

C--74 to 91 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very cobbly ashy sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; 20 percent volcanic gravel and 30 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (28 to 51 cm thick)

Ck1--91 to 122 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) very paragravelly ashy sandy loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; 30 percent volcanic pyroclastic paragravel, 5 percent volcanic gravel; 2 percent 0.5 millimeter carbonate coats on rock fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 50 cm thick)

Ck2--122 to 159 cm; pale yellow (2.5Y 7/3) paragravelly ashy sandy loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; weak very coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; 25 percent volcanic pyroclastic paragravel, 5 percent volcanic gravel; 3 percent 0.5 millimeter carbonate coats on rock fragments; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8).

TYPE LOCATION: Washoe County, Nevada; on the south side of Duck Flat about 1.5 miles west of Buckhorn Road and 0.3 miles south of Duck Lake Road; about 2,000 feet north and 1,300 feet east of the southwest corner of section 27, T. 36 N., R. 19 E.; USGS Rye Patch Canyon 7.5 minute quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 58 minutes 9.4 seconds north and longitude 119 degrees 50 minutes 29.6 seconds west; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.9692778 latitude, -119.8415556 longitude..

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture - Usually dry; moist in winter and spring; dry June through October. Aridic soil moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Soil temperature - 8.3 to 11.1 degrees C.
Depth to base of the Bt horizons - 50 to 75 cm.
Control section - Clay content: 20 to 25 percent.
Rock Fragments: 15 to 25 percent volcanic gravel and cobbles.
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. The average dry value of the upper 7 inches is greater than 5.5.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.

Bt horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Structure: Fine through coarse subangular blocky.
Rock Fragments: 15 to 30 percent volcanic gravel and cobbles.

C horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Rock Fragments: 35 to 55 percent volcanic gravel and cobbles.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline through strongly alkaline.

Ck horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Rock Fragments: 15 to 35 percent tuffaceous paragravel, 0 to 15 percent volcanic gravel and cobbles.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline through strongly alkaline.
Other features: Few to common carbonate coats on rocks.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Nosavvy soils are on plateau sideslopes and escarpments. These soils formed in volcanic ash and colluvium from volcanic rocks. Slopes are 30 to 50 percent. Elevations are 1,375 to 2,010 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 Saraph and Tuffo series. Saraph soils are shallow to tuff. Tuffo soils are shallow to tuff and lack argillic horizons.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is Lahontan sagebrush and Thurber's needlegrass.

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 and Nevada, 2000.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 15 cm (The A1 and A2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from about 15 to 74 cm (The Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from about 15 to 65 cm (The Bt1 horizon and part of the Bt2 horizon).
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.