LOCATION ROTINOM                 NV

Established Series
Rev. CEJ-JVC-JBF
11/2016

ROTINOM SERIES

The Rotinom series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in loess and alluvium derived from mixed rocks with a component of volcanic ash. Rotinom soils are on flood plains and low stream terraces. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 180 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 7 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Vitrandic Torrifluvents

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

A1--0 to 5 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; strong thin and medium platy structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and very fine roots; many very fine and fine vesicular pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)

A2--5 to 10 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) ashy silt loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; strong thick platy structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine vesicular pores; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 8 cm thick)

A3--10 to 23 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) ashy silt loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; strong thin platy structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and common fine roots; many very fine and few fine vesicular pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 14 cm thick)

Bk--23 to 33 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate medium platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine, common fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; few fine and medium secondary carbonate coats on faces of peds; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 30 cm thick)

2Bqk1--33 to 41 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) and pale brown (10YR 6/3) very paragravelly silt loam, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; strong thin platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and common fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; banded lenses of volcanic ash (lighter colors); 50 percent hard, firm and brittle, discontinuous zones of weakly silica-cemented material; common medium secondary carbonate coats on faces of peds; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)

2Bqk2--41 to 61 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely paragravelly ashy silt loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate thin platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and common fine roots; few medium, common very fine and fine tubular pores; thin discontinuous lenses of volcanic ash; 60 percent hard, firm and brittle discontinuous zones of weakly silica-cemented material; many medium secondary carbonate coats on faces of peds; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.9); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 38 cm thick)

3Aqkb1--61 to 81 cm; gray (10YR 5/1) silt loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; strong fine angular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine roots; few medium, common very fine and fine tubular pores; continuous thin silica coats on faces of peds; common fine and medium secondary carbonate filaments; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 30 cm thick)

3Aqkb2--81 to 100 cm; gray (10YR 6/1) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; silica bridges between sand grains; common fine secondary carbonate filaments; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (20 to 46 cm thick)

3Ck1--100 to 124 cm; gray (5Y 6/1) ashy loam, olive gray (5Y 4/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; common fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) relict masses of iron accumulation, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/6) moist; few fine secondary carbonate filaments; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.7); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 28 cm thick)

3Ck2--124 to 165 cm; gray (10YR 6/1) fine sandy loam, olive gray (5Y 4/2) moist; massive; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; common medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and few fine prominent yellowish red (5YR 5/6) relict masses of iron accumulation, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) and dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; common fine manganese coats and concretions; common fine secondary carbonate filaments; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (9 to 40 cm thick)

4Ck3--165 to 175 cm; gray (5Y 6/1) extremely gravelly coarse sand, olive gray (5Y 4/2) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; 65 percent gravel; common fine secondary carbonate filaments on rock fragments; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).

TYPE LOCATION: Lander County, Nevada; in Monitor Valley about 22 miles southeast of Austin; about 1.8 miles south and 0.4 miles west of the windmill at Monitor Well No. 3; approximately 700 feet south and 1,575 feet east of the northwest corner of section 20, T. 17 N., R. 47 E.; USGS Potts Well 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 18 minutes 16 seconds N and longitude 116 degrees 42 minutes 5 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.3044444 latitude, -116.7013889 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in some part from November through early May, dry late May through October; typic torric moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C.
Depth to buried A horizons: 50 to 90 cm.
Depth to horizons with discontinuous weak silica cementation: 25 to 58 cm.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Vitrandic intergrade features: Volcanic glass content: 5 to 30 percent in coarse silt through fine sand fractions;
Oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half oxalate extractable iron: 0.06 to 0.25 percent.
Other features: Some pedons have relict redoximorphic features below 100 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 18 to 27 percent.
Sand content: Less than 15 percent coarser than very fine sand.
Rock fragments: Up to 5 percent gravel in some horizons.

A horizons
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Salinity (EC): 0 to 4 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 0 to 9.
Effervescence: Noneffervescent through strongly effervescent

Bk and 2Bqk horizons
Hue 10YR through 5Y.
Value: 5 through 8 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Dominantly silt loam with strata of silty clay loam common in most pedons; Some pedons have very thin lenses of loam, very fine sandy loam or sandy clay loam; Paragravelly to extremely paragravelly silt loam or ashy silt loam texture are in the 2Bqk horizons.
Consistence: Slightly plastic or moderately plastic.
Salinity (EC): 0 to 4 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 5 to 20.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent to violently effervescent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 10 percent.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: Segregated as threads or masses.
Secondary silica: 20 to 60 percent discontinuous weak silica cementation in the 2Bqk horizons.

3Aqkb horizon
Hue: 10YR through 5Y.
Value: 5 or 6 dry.
Chroma: 1 or 2, dry or moist.
Structure: Platy, angular blocky, or subangular blocky.
Consistence: Slightly plastic or moderately plastic.
Salinity (EC): 0 to 4 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 5 to 20.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 10 percent.

3Ck and 4Ck horizons
Hue: 10YR through 5Y.
Value: 5 or 6 dry.
Chroma: 1 through 6.
Texture: Loam, ashy loam, silt loam, ashy silt loam, fine sandy loam, or ashy fine sandy loam; strata of gravelly to extremely gravelly coarse sand are below 150 cm.
Salinity (EC): 0 to 4 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 5 to 20.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 10 percent.
Redoximorphic features: Relict redox concentrations of iron and manganese are in the lower part of the profile.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Slawmaster series. Slawmaster soils have mean annual soil temperature of 12 to 14 degrees C and do not have discontinuous zones of silica cementation.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Rotinom soils are on flood plains and low stream terraces. These soils formed in loess and alluvium derived from mixed rocks with a component of volcanic ash. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. Elevations range from 1,895 to 2,135 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation 150 to 230 mm, the mean annual temperature is 5 to 7 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 70 to 100 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Orovada and Wholan soils. Orovada soils are coarse-loamy, have cambic horizons, and aridic moisture that borders on xeric. Wholan soils are coarse-silty and have cambic horizons.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; low surface runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity. These soils are susceptible to occasional flooding for brief periods between November and April.

USE AND VEGETATION: Rotinom soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly shadscale, winterfat, and Indian ricegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Nevada. These soils are not extensive with about 7,600 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRA 28B.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lander County, Nevada, South Part, 1985.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A1, A2, and part of the A3 horizons).
Vitrandic intergrade feature - The zones from 5 to 23 cm (A2 and A3 horizons) and 41 to 61 cm (2Bqk1 horizon).
Identifiable secondary carbonates - The zone from 23 to 175 cm (Bk, 2Bqk1, 2Bqk2, 3Aqkb1, 3Aqkb2, 3Ck1, 3Ck2, and 4Ck3 horizons).
Duric feature - The zone from 33 to 61 cm (2Bqk1 and 2Bqk2 horizons).
Buried horizons - The zone from 61 to 100 cm (3Aqkb1 and 3Aqkb2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (2Bqk1, 2Bqk2, 3Aqkb1, 3Aqkb2 horizons and part of the Bk horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: The typical pedon at the series type location has full characterization data by the Soil Survey Laboratory (SSL), Lincoln, NE, as soil survey sample number S83NV-015-007 (pedon # 83P0787).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.