LOCATION RIO KING                NV+OR

Established Series
Rev. TM-RLB-JBF
03/2016

RIO KING SERIES

The Rio King series consists of very deep, moderately well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks, loess and volcanic ash. The Rio King soils are on stream terraces and inset fans. Slopes are 0 to 6 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 250 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Haploxerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Rio King loam--hayland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

Ap--0 to 13 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate thick platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine, and few medium roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; numerous worm casts; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 15 cm thick)

A1--13 to 30 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine, and few medium roots; many very fine tubular pores; numerous worm casts; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 25 cm thick)

A2--30 to 51 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and few fine and medium roots; few very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores; common worm casts; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 25 cm thick)

Bw--51 to 71 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and few medium roots; few very fine and fine tubular, and common very fine interstitial pores; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (18 to 64 cm thick)

C1--71 to 97 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular, few very fine interstitial pores; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 64 cm thick)

C2--97 to 124 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular, and common very fine interstitial pores; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 50 cm thick)

C3--124 to 168 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) stratified sandy loam to loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 64 cm thick)

C4--168 to 175 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few fine and very fine interstitial pores; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 30 cm thick)

C5--175 to 180 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist, few very fine prominent brown (7.5YR 4/4) mottles; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine and fine interstitial pores; neutral (pH 6.8)

TYPE LOCATION: Humboldt County, Nevada, East Part; approximately 6 miles northwest of the Rio King Ranch headquarters; about 1,500 feet west and 100 feet south of the northeast corner of section 27, T. 46 N., R. 33 E.; USGS Kings River Ranch 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 41 degrees 50 minutes 47 seconds N and longitude 118 degrees 15 minters 05 second W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 41.8463889 latitude, -118.2513889 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Moist in some part late October to mid-June; dry summer and early fall months; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Soil temperature: 8 to 12 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 25 to 50 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 8 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent, mainly fine gravel.

A horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline; saline phases are moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.

Bw horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3
Structure: Subangular blocky or is massive.
Consistence: Slightly hard or hard, dry, very friable or friable, moist: nonsticky or slightly sticky wet.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline; saline phases are moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline.

C horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Values: 5 through 7 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Structure: Subangular blocky or is massive.
Texture: Stratified coarse sandy loam to silt loam
Consistence: Slightly hard or hard, dry; very friable or friable, moist.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline; saline phases are strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline.
Other features: Thin layers, less than 15 cm thick, with weak silica cementation are in some pedons.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Burch, Calpine, Cashmere, Cashmont, Roloff, Roosevelt, Snake Hollow and Surpass series. Burch, Calpine, Cashmere, Cashmont, Roloff, Roosevelt, and Surpass series are well drained. In addition, Burch and Cashmere soils have Bw horizons. Calpine soils have weakly expressed Bt horizons. Cashmont and Surprise soils have gravelly control sections. Roloff and Roosevelt soils are moderately deep over bedrock. Snake Hollow soils have Bw horizons and more than half the sand fraction is very coarse sand.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Rio King soils are on inset fans and stream terraces. These soils formed in alluvium from mixed rocks, loess and volcanic ash. Slopes are 0 to 6 percent. Elevations are 1,200 to 1,700 meters. The climate is cool, semiarid with cold, moist winters and warm, dry summers. Mean annual precipitation is 200 to 300 mm, mean annual temperature is 7 to 9 degrees C, the frost-free season is 90 to 110 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Kingsriver and Valmy series. Kingsriver soils have aquic moisture regimes and mollic epipedons that are cumulic. Valmy soils lack mollic epipedons and have duric horizons.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Moderately Well drained; slow runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity. (Seasonal water table is 150 to 180 cm in the spring.)

USE AND VEGETATION: Irrigated hayland, cropland, rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is irrigated alfalfa. Uncultivated areas are mainly basin big sagebrush and rabbitbrush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Nevada. MLRA 24. Rio King soils are not extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Humboldt County, Nevada, East Part; 1993.

REMARKS: The type location was moved in 1988 to better represent the series.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: The zone from the soil surface to 51 cm (Ap, A1 and A2 horizons).
Aridic features: Aridic moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Particle-size control section: The zone from 25 to 100 cm (Part of the A1 and C2 horizons and the A2, Bw, and C1 horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: Data for the typical pedon is available in SSIR Number 23, pedon number S61 Nev-7-4.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.