LOCATION RIXIE                   NV

Established Series
Rev. CEJ/RLB/JBF
03/2016

RIXIE SERIES

The Rixie series consists of very deep, poorly drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rock sources mostly of volcanic origin with an influence from volcanic ash. The Rixie soils are on flood plains, stream terraces and basin floor remnants. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 175 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Aquic Duric Haploxerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Rixie silty clay loam, meadow. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 5 cm; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) silty clay loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; strong fine granular structure; hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine and common medium roots; many very fine interstitial pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 10 cm thick)

A2--5 to 15 cm; gray (10YR 5/1) silty clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium platy structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine interstitial pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 20 cm thick)

A3--15 to 25 cm; gray (10YR 5/1) silty clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium platy structure; slight hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and common fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 23 cm thick)

C1--25 to 30 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silty clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine roots; few very fine, common fine, and few medium tubular pores; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear smooth boundary.

C2--30 to 46 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; few fine distinct olive (5Y 4/3) redox concentrations; massive; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine roots; many very fine and fine, and few medium pores; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary.

C3--46 to 76 cm; gray (10YR 6/1) silty clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; very hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (The combined thickness of the C horizons is 5 to 94 cm)

Ckq1--76 to 91 cm; gray (10YR 6/1) silty clay loam that is continuous weakly silica-cemented, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; very hard, firm, brittle, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; common fine, and few medium roots; common fine and few very fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; few fine irregularly shaped silica-lime cemented concretions and common generally rounded soft masses of secondary carbonates; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 30 cm thick)

Ckq2--91 to 116 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) silty clay loam that is continuous weakly silica-cemented, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; very hard, firm, brittle, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and few medium roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; common fine irregularly-shaped silica-lime cemented concretions; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 36 cm thick)

Ckq3--116 to 152 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) silty clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; many fine irregularly-shaped silica-lime cemented concretions; strongly alkaline (pH 8.9).

TYPE LOCATION: Lander County, Nevada; 2,400 feet east and 1,300 feet south of the northwest corner of section 15, T. 32 N., R. 46 E.; USGS Stony Point 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 39 minutes 5 seconds N and longitude 116 degrees 46 minutes 41 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.6513889 latitude, -116.7780556 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Dry in mid-summer and early fall, moist in late fall, through early summer. Apparent seasonal water table is between 60 to 122 cm in winter to early summer months. Drained phases are recognized.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 25 to 40 cm.
Depth to continuous weak silica cementation: 60 to 90 cm.
Profile reaction: Slightly alkaline through very strongly alkaline.
Effervescence: Calcareous throughout and are dominantly strongly to violently effervescent, but are slightly effervescent in some subhorizons.
Other features: Some pedons have layer below 100 cm of sandy loam to sand commonly modified by rock fragments.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 25 to 35 percent.

A horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 3 through 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 1 or 2.
Structure: Weak to strong, very thin to thick platy, moderate or strong very fine to medium granular, angular blocky or subangular blocky or it is massive.
Consistence: Soft to hard dry.
Other features: Some pedons have buried A horizons up to 15 cm thick.

C horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 4.
Texture: Dominantly stratified clay loam and silty clay loam. Thin strata of fine sandy loam to silty clay and volcanic ash are common in most pedons.
Consistence: Hard to extremely hard, dry; friable or firm, moist.
Redox concentrations: High chroma or yellowish hue in any horizon below depths of 30 cm.
Other features: Ck horizons with few to many, fine or medium extremely hard silica-lime cemented concretions are common below depths of 36 cm.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Rixie soils are on flood plains, stream terraces and basin floor remnants. These soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed rock sources of mostly volcanic origin with an influence from volcanic ash. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. Elevations are 1,310 to 1,460 meters. The climate is cool, semiarid with hot dry summers and cool, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 150 to 200 mm; mean annual temperature is 8.9 to 9.4 degrees C., and the frost-free season is 100 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Dunphy, Humboldt, Ocala and Iron Blossom soils. Dunphy soils have coarse-loamy particle-size control section. Humboldt soils have fine particle-size control sections and do not have silica-cementation. Ocala and Iron Blossom soils have ochric epipedons.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Poorly drained; very slow runoff; slow permeability: moderately low saturated hydraulic conductivity. Seasonal water table is 60 to 120 cm. Water table is directly related to stream flow. Drained phases are recognized due to stream entrenchment and natural channel realignment.

USE AND VEGETATION: Meadow hay, livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly basin wildrye, inland saltgrass, and annuals.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Nevada along the Humboldt River flood plain. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 24.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lander County, Nevada, (North Part), 1974.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 25 cm (A1, A2, and A3 horizons).
Continuous weak silica cementation - The zone from 76 to 117 cm (Ckq1 and Ckq2, horizons).
Seasonally high water table - At 60 to 120 cm.
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (C1, C2, C3, and Ckq1 horizons and a portion of the Ckq2 horizon).

ADDITIONAL DATA: The location was moved on 5/2009 to fit within a delineation of Rixie.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.