LOCATION RAGTOWN NV+CA

Established Series
Rev. ELS/CRS/JVC/JBF
05/2016

RAGTOWN SERIES

The Ragtown series consists of very deep, moderately well drained soils that formed in lacustrine deposits derived from mixed rocks. Ragtown soils are on lake plains and basin-floor remnants. Slopes are 0 to 4 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 125 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 12 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, calcareous, mesic Typic Torriorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Ragtown sandy clay loam--irrigated cropland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

Ap--0 to 25 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) sandy clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine and common medium roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 25 cm thick)

AC--25 to 58 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine and common medium roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 50 cm thick)

2Ck--58 to 107 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) silty clay loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; weak thin and medium platy structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common fine tubular pores; common medium distinct dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist masses of iron accumulation; common fine masses of secondary carbonates; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 66 cm thick)

2C'1--107 to 140 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) silty clay, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; weak thin and medium platy structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; common medium prominent dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist masses of iron accumulation; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (25 to 70 cm thick)

2C'2--140 to 163 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) and light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) finely stratified silty clay and fine sand, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; massive; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; coarse strata are single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; many coarse prominent dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist masses of iron accumulation; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8).

TYPE LOCATION: Churchill County, Nevada; east of Fallon on the K. Kent Ranch; approximately 1,475 feet east and 730 feet south of the northwest corner of section 32, T. 19 N., R. 29 E.; USGS Fallon 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 28 minutes 22.3 seconds N and longitude 118 degrees 45 minutes 27.3 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.4728611 latitude, -118.757583 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, intermittently moist for short periods in the winter and spring, dry May through November; typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 12 to 14 degrees C.
Depth to clayey lacustrine deposits: 40 to 80 cm.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline; Very strongly alkaline reaction usually occurs in strongly saline-sodic areas.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent through violently effervescent.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 35 to 45 percent, with 25 to 35 percent clay in the upper part and 35 to 60 percent clay in the lower part.

A horizon
Hue: 10YR through 5Y.
Value: 5 through 7 dry and 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.

AC, Bk, and C horizons
Hue: 10YR through 5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry and 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Stratified silty clay loam, clay loam or sandy clay loam in the upper part and stratified clay, silty clay or silty clay loam in the lower part.
Structure: Platy, subangular blocky, prismatic, or horizon is massive.
Consistence: Slightly hard or hard dry, moderately sticky or very sticky and moderately plastic or very plastic wet.
Salinity (EC): 0 to 32 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 1 to 90.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 10 percent.
Gypsum content: 0 to 5 percent.
Redoximorphic features: Relict redox concentrations of iron or manganese may be present in any subhorizon.
Other features: Horizons with secondary carbonates are present in some pedons; Some pedons have few fine masses of secondary gypsum.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Barnmot, Deaver, and Stutzman series.

Barnmot soils are not stratified, well drained, and have more than 35 percent clay in all parts of the particle-size control section. Deaver soils have paralithic contacts at depths of 50 to 100 cm. Stutzman soils have mean annual soil temperature of 8 to 10 degrees C. and do not have lacustrine deposits within a depth of 100 cm.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ragtown soils are on lake plains and basin-floor remnants. They formed in lacustrine deposits derived from mixed rocks. Slopes are 0 to 4 percent. Elevations range from 1,190 to 1,950 meters. The climate is arid with cool, moist winters and hot, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 100 to 150 mm, the mean annual temperature is 11 to 13 degrees C., and the frost-free period is 100 to 140 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Appian, Churchill, Dithod, and East Fork soils. Appian soils are fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, well drained, and have natric horizons. Churchill soils are fine, moderately well drained, and have natric horizons. Dithod soils are coarse-loamy and have mollic epipedons. East Fork soils are fine-loamy, somewhat poorly drained, and have mollic epipedons.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Moderately well drained; moderately low saturated hydraulic conductivity. Temporary perched water tables can occur above the lacustrine materials following irrigation. Endosaturation is present with a perched high water table between 90 and 150 cm (moderately deep and deep free water occurrence classes) from April through October. Flooding frequencies are typically none or rare, but a frequently flooded phase is recognized.

USE AND VEGETATION: Ragtown soils are used for irrigated cropland, rangeland, and wildlife habitat. Cultivated crops are alfalfa hay, pasture grasses, and small grains. The present rangeland vegetation is mainly black greasewood, seepweed, and inland saltgrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada and northeastern California. These soils are extensive with about 110,000 acres of the series mapped to date. The series concept and main acreage is in MLRA 27, while other acreage occurs in MLRA 23.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Churchill County, Nevada (Fallon-Fernley Area), 1971.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (part of the Ap horizon).
Identifiable secondary carbonates - The zone from 58 to 107 cm (2Ck horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (AC and most of the 2Ck horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: The typical pedon is published in Soil Survey Investigation Report No. 23 on pages 206-207. The current user pedon ID is 1959NV001004 (pedon # 40A3246).

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.