LOCATION SEDSKED                 NV

Established Series
Rev. JBF/TM-JVC
01/2020

SEDSKED SERIES


The Sedsked series consists of shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from metasedimentary rock. Sedsked soils are on plateaus. Slopes are 30 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 250 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 8 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic, shallow Xeric Haplargids

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

A1--0 to 3 cm; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) extremely gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 65 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)

A2--3 to 8 cm; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) extremely gravelly loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; moderate very fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 65 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)

Bt1--8 to 15 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable; moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and common medium roots; many very fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 50 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 18 cm thick)

Bt2--15 to 28 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine, few medium roots; many very fine interstitial pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 50 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 15 cm thick)

Cr--28 to 53 cm; weathered and highly fractured metasedimentary rock; common very fine horizontal roots on plates between fractures; common distinct clay films in fractures; gradual smooth boundary.

R--53 cm; hard metasedimentary rock.

TYPE LOCATION: Washoe County, Nevada; about 1 mile west of Duck Flat on Tuledad Canyon road; approximately 1,200 feet east and 1,100 feet north of the southwest corner of section 34, T. 37 N., R. 18 E.; USGS Duck Lake 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 41 degrees 2 minutes 32.38 seconds N. and longitude 119 degrees 57 minutes 31.82 seconds W.; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 41.0423278 latitude, -119.9588389 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually moist from November through May, dry from June through mid-October; Aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature - 8 to 11 degrees C.
Depth to bedrock - 25 to 36 cm to a paralithic contact. The paralithic materials below the contact are weathered metasedimentary rock. Harder, less weathered bedrock is within 100 cm of the soil surface.
Reaction - Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 22 to 30 percent;
Rock fragments: 50 to 75 percent metasedimentary gravel.


A horizons
Value: 5 through 7 dry; 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.


Bt horizons
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4 through 7, dry; 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture of fine-earth: Sandy clay loam or clay loam.
Clay content: 24 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 50 to 75 percent, mainly gravel.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Abalan, Alcan, Armoine, Berit, Bouncer, Entero, Flex, Ginex, Penelas, Ravenell, Soar, Stodick and Zyzzi series.

Abalan, Alcan, Armoine, Bouncer, Entero, Penelas, Ravenell, and Zyzzi soils are moist for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October due to convection storms. Berit and Soar soils are on granitic bedrock. Flex soils are slightly acid or neutral. Ginex soils have secondary carbonates in the argillic horizon. Stodick soils have a paralithic contact at 36 to 50 cm. Ravenell soils have 35 to 45 percent clay in the argillic horizon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sedsked soils are on plateaus. They typically occur on shoulder and backslope positions. They formed in residuum and colluvium derived from metasedimentary rock. Slopes are 30 to 50 percent. Elevations range from 4,500 to 5,940 feet. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 300 cm, the mean annual temperature is 7 to 9 degrees C., and the frost-free period is 100 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Nosavvy, Pickup, and Skedaddle soils. Nosavvy soils are very deep and ashy. Pickup soils have clay argillic horizons and are moderately deep. Skedaddle soils are less than 25 cm deep and do not have argillic horizons.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; moderate permeability (moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity).

USE AND VEGETATION: Sedsked soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, spiny hopsage, horsebrush, and bottlebrush squirreltail.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 23.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Surprise Valley-Home Camp Area, California-Nevada, 2006.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 8 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 8 to 28 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 28 cm to underlying weathered bedrock (Cr layer).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 53 cm to underlying unweathered bedrock (R boundary).

Particle-size control section - The zone from the soil surface to 28 cm (A1, A2, Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.