LOCATION RATSOW                  NV

Established Series
Rev. RAF-TSB-RLB-JBF
02/2023

RATSOW SERIES

The Ratsow series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in residuum derived from rhyolite. Ratsow soils are on hills. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 280 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 6 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, frigid Xeric Argidurids

TYPICAL PEDON: Ratsow loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 5 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine vesicular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 8 cm thick)

A2--5 to 18 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 13 cm thick)

Bt1--18 to 38 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few medium, fine and very fine roots; few fine and very fine tubular pores; few faint clay films lining pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 23 cm thick)

Bt2--38 to 58 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to strong medium angular blocky; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few medium, fine and very fine roots; many distinct clay films on ped faces; 5 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (18 to 23 cm thick)

Btk--58 to 69 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, very firm, moderately sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on ped faces; 5 percent gravel; few medium carbonate filaments; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)

Bk--69 to 74 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; l0 percent gravel; common fine carbonate in soft masses; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 5 cm thick)

Bqkm--74 to 76 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) indurated duripan, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; silica lamina are 3 mm thick; extremely hard, extremely firm; thick root mat on surface of duripan; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 10 cm thick)

R--76 cm; rhyolite.

TYPE LOCATION: Owyhee Desert, Elko County, Nevada; approximately 12 miles northwest of Midas; about 1,630 feet north and 2,670 feet east of the southwest corner of section 35, T. 41 N., R. 45 E., Mount Diablo Meridian; USGS Rodear Flat 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 41 degrees 24 minutes 20 seconds N and longitude 116 degrees 54 minutes 9 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 41.4055556 latitude, -116.9025000 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in winter and spring, dry in early June through October; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 7 to 8 degrees C.
Depth to the base of the argillic horizon: 46 to 76 cm.
Depth to duripan: 50 to 76 cm.
Depth to bedrock: 53 to 86 cm.
Depth to carbonates: 46 to 64 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 35 to 50 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to l5 percent, mainly gravel.

A horizon
Value: 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.

Bt1 horizon
Value: 3 or 4 moist.

B2t horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 4 through 6.
Texture: Heavy clay loam, clay.

Bk horizon
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 4 through 6.
Rock fragments: 0 to 25 percent, mainly gravel.

Bqkm horizon
Value: 7 or 8 dry, 6 or 7 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Thickness of laminae: l to 5 mm.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Larioscamp and Tock series.

Larioscamp soils have carbonates at 20 to 46 cm. Tock soils are greater than 100 cm to bedrock.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ratsow soils are on hills. These soils formed in residuum derived from rhyolite with some influence from loess and volcanic ash. Slopes are 0 to l5 percent. Elevations are 1,555 to 1,800 meters. Climate is cool and semiarid with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. Mean annual precipitation is 250 to 300 mm. Mean annual temperature is 6 to 7 degrees C and the frost-free season is 80 to l00 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Old Camp and Susie Creek series. Old Camp soils are shallow to bedrock and have a loamy-skeletal control section. Susie Creek soils lack a duripan and have a mollic epipedon.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderately low saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Vegetation is mainly basin big sagebrush, lanceleaf rabbitbrush, Sandberg bluegrass, and basin wildrye.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central Nevada. MLRA 25. Ratsow soils are of small extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Elko County, Nevada, Northwest Part, 1986.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the surface to 18 cm (A1 and A2 horizons)
Argillic horizon - The zone from about 18 to 69 cm (Bt1, Bt2 and Btk horizons).
Duripan - The zone from about 74 to 76 cm (Bqkm horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 18 to 69 cm (Bt1, Bt2 and Btk horizons).

---

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.