LOCATION RAILCITY                NV

Established Series
Rev. WED-ELS-JVC-JBF
03/2011

RAILCITY SERIES

The Railcity series consists of very deep, somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in colluvium derived from granitic rocks. Railcity soils are on landslides. Slopes are 8 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 400 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 6 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed, frigid Typic Xerorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Railcity gravelly coarse sand--forestland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface has a discontinuous cover of forest duff 4 cm thick composed of undecomposed pine needles.

A1--0 to 15 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly coarse sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine and many very fine roots; many fine and very fine interstitial pores; 3 percent boulders, 2 percent stones and 20 percent fine gravel; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 20 cm thick)

A2--15 to 30 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many medium, many fine, and common very fine roots; many fine and medium interstitial pores; 20 percent fine gravel, 10 percent coarse gravel, and 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 15 cm thick)

C and Bt1--30 to 64 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly coarse sand (C part), yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, many medium and coarse, common fine, and few very fine roots; many fine interstitial pores; 20 percent fine gravel and 5 percent coarse gravel; 15 percent paracobbles of highly weathered granodiorite; few thin (1 to 6 millimeters in diameter) lamellae (Bt part) with sandy loam texture; moderately acid (pH 6.0); gradual irregular boundary. (25 to 100 cm thick)

C and Bt2--64 to 152 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly loamy sand (C part), yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, many coarse and medium, common fine, and few very fine roots; many fine interstitial pores; 40 percent fine gravel; 30 percent paracobbles and parastones of weathered granodiorite; few thin (about 1 millimeter in diameter) lamellae (Bt part) with sandy loam texture; moderately acid (pH 6.0).

TYPE LOCATION: Washoe County, Nevada; on the Toiyabe National Forest about 2 miles southeast of the summit of Slide Mountain; about 2,600 feet north and 2,500 feet west of the southeast corner of section 33, T. 17 N., R. 19 E.; USGS Washoe City 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 17 minutes 42 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 51 minutes 15 seconds W; NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Moist from late winter to late spring, dry in all parts during summer and fall for 80 to 100 consecutive days following the summer solstice; xeric moisture regime that borders on aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 6 to 8 degrees C.
Reaction: Moderately acid or slightly acid.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 2 to 8 percent.
Rock fragments: averages 35 to 70 percent, mainly gravel; Lithology of fragments are granitic rocks such as granodiorite.

A horizons
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.

C and Bt horizons
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Coarse sand, loamy sand, or loamy coarse sand with thin lamellae or pockets of sandy loam.
Modifiers: Gravelly, very gravelly or extremely gravelly.
Rock fragments: 25 to 70 percent.
Pararock fragments: 15 to 30 percent paracobbles and parastones composed of highly weathered granodiorite.
Lamellae: These bands are usually 1 to 6 mm thick; lamellae at least 0.5 cm thick have a cumulative thickness of less than 13 cm.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Wellie series.

Wellie soils are dry in all parts of the moisture control section for only 60 to 75 consecutive days following the summer solstice and lack lamellae.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Railcity soils are on landslides. These soils formed in colluvium derived from granitic rocks that is partly reworked by water. Elevations range from 1,535 to 2,135 meters. Slopes are 8 to 50 percent. The climate is semiarid with cold, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 300 to 500 mm, mean annual temperature is 6 to 7 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 50 to 100 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Corbett, Graylock, and Toiyabe soils. Corbett are sandy and moderately deep to paralithic contacts. Graylock soils have a cryic temperature regime. Toiyabe soils are sandy and shallow to paralithic contacts.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat excessively drained; very low or low surface runoff; rapid permeability; high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Railcity soils are used mainly for recreation, wildlife habitat, and limited livestock grazing. The vegetation is mainly a forest canopy of Jeffrey pine or ponderosa pine with an understory of pointleaf manzanita, antelope bitterbrush, and some mountain big sagebrush. Red fir occurs at the upper elevations on north-facing slopes.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada in the Carson Range on the east side of the Sierra Nevada. These soils are not extensive with about 1,800 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRAs 22 and 26.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Washoe County (South Part), Nevada, 1980.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 30 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).
Lamellae - The zone from 30 to 150 cm (C and Bt1 and C and Bt2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (C and Bt1 horizons and parts of the A2 and C and Bt2 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.