LOCATION RAD                     NV+ID

Established Series
Rev. PWB/ELS/TM/JBF
05/2016

RAD SERIES

The Rad series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in loess over alluvium derived from mixed rocks. The Rad soils are on fan piedmont remnants, inset fans, fan skirts and narrow hill drainageways and terraces. Slopes are 0 to 20 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 250 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Durinodic Xeric Haplocambids

TYPICAL PEDON: Rad fine sandy loam--irrigated cropland. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted.)

Ap--0 to 15 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak thin platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 25 cm thick)

Bw1--15 to 36 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak thick platy; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 25 cm thick)

Bw2--36 to 51 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very fine sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine tubular and interstitial pores; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 20 cm thick)

Bqk--51 to 86 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine and few fine tubular pores; 50 percent extremely hard, firm and brittle cylindrical durinodes; few thin silica films line pores and bridge sand grains; slightly effervescent in occasional spots in the durinodes; noneffervescent matrix; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 38 cm thick)

Bqkm--86 to 99 cm; pale yellow (2.5Y 8/2) weakly silica and carbonate cemented very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine and few fine tubular pores; many thin very pale brown (10YR 7/3) silica films in pores and common thin silica bridges and randomly oriented, discontinuous laminae; common thin white (10YR 8/1) carbonate coatings on the laminar surfaces; violently effervescent; continuous brittle matrix; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 25 cm thick)

2Bq--99 to 152 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine and few fine tubular pores; 10 percent hard, firm, brittle durinodes; slightly effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6).

TYPE LOCATION: Humboldt County, Nevada; approximately 1.5 miles east of Winnemucca and approximately 100 yards north of U.S. Highway 40, about 500 feet west and 1600 feet south of the northeast corner of section 21, T. 36 N., R. 38 E.; USGS Winnemucca East 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 59 minutes 05 seconds N and longitude 117 degrees 41 minutes 53 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.9847222 latitude, -117.6980556 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in winter and spring, dry from June through October; aridic bordering on xeric soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 12 degrees C.
Combined thickness of A and Bw horizons and depth to carbonates: 30 to 74 cm.
Depth to bedrock: 150 cm or more.
Depth to continuous brittle matrix: 76 to 97 cm.
Other features: Soil textures average less than 15 percent fine sand and coarser. Some pedons have a thin Bq horizon above the Bqk horizon.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 5 to 15 percent.

A horizon
Hue: 10YR and 2.5Y
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.

Bw horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Texture: Loam, very fine sandy loam or silt loam. Thin strata of clay loam, fine sandy loam or sandy loam are common in some pedons.
Structure: Medium or coarse platy, prismatic parting to platy, fine or medium subangular blocky or it is massive.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline through strongly alkaline.

Bq and Bqk horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Texture: Loam, very fine sandy loam or silt loam.
Structure: Massive or weak or moderate, thin to thick platy.
Consistence: Very friable to very firm or brittle moist.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline through very strongly alkaline.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent through violently effervescent.
Other features: These horizons have 10 to 50 percent durinodes with some subhorizon that is continuously brittle.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Rasille series. The Rasille soils lack a continuous brittle matrix.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Rad soils are on fan piedmont remnants, fan skirts, inset fans, terraces and narrow hill drainageways. These soils formed in loess high in volcanic ash over alluvium derived from mixed rock sources. Slopes are 0 to 20 percent. Elevations are 975 to 1,890 meters. The climate is cool, semiarid with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 300 mm, mean annual temperature is 7 to 11 degrees C, and the frost-free season is 100 to 140 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Goldrun and Ninch series. Goldrun soils have loamy sand particle-size control sections. Ninch soils have sandy particle-size control section with strata of finer textured materials, and durinodes in a friable matrix.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, bud sagebrush, rubber rabbitbrush, spiny hopsage, Indian ricegrass, western wheatgrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, cheatgrass, and annuals.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Nevada and southern Idaho. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 24, 25.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Humboldt County, (BLM Sonoma Planning Unit) Nevada, 1974.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the surface to 18 cm (A and part of Bw1 horizons)
Xeric Intergrades - Meets organic requirement for xeric.
Cambic horizon - The zone from about 15 to 50 cm. (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons)
Duric horizons - The zone from about 50 to 152 cm. (Bqk1, Bqk2, and 2Bq horizons)
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm. (Bw2, Bqk1, Bqk2 and part of the Bw1 and 2Bq horizons)

The areas mapped in Idaho lack the continuous brittle layer and are Durinodic based only on durinodes.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.