LOCATION VOLTAIRE NV

Established Series
Rev. WED/ELS/RLB/JBF
06/2017

VOLTAIRE SERIES

The Voltaire series consists of very deep, poorly and very poorly drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks. Voltaire soils are on alluvial fans, stream terraces, and floodplains. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 230 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Fluvaquentic Endoaquolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Voltaire silty clay--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 8 cm; dark gray (10YR 4/1) silty clay, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate medium subangular and angular blocky structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; many very fine and few fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)

A2--8 to 23 cm; gray (10YR 5/1) silty clay, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; few fine prominent redox concentrations of reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and few fine roots mostly between peds; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 50 cm thick)

A3--23 to 51 cm; gray (10YR 5/1) silty clay, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; common medium faint dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) and common fine distinct olive (5Y 4/4) redox concentrations; weak medium prismatic structure; very hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 38 cm thick)

Cg--51 to 74 cm; olive gray (5Y 5/2) loam, olive gray (5Y 4/2) moist; common fine and medium prominent brown 7.5YR 5/4) and few fine distinct reddish brown (5YR 5/4) redox concentrations; weak medium prismatic structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; many worm cast; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear wavy boundary. (18 to 28 cm thick)

C--74 to 97 cm; similar in color to horizon above, light silty clay loam, massive; hard, friable, slightly stick and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; very few worm casts; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (18 to 28 cm thick)

Akb1--97 to 114 cm; gray 5Y 5/1) silty clay loam, dark olive gray (5Y 3/2) moist; massive; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and few fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent with few fine (up to 0.3 cm in diameter) carbonate nodules; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); gradual wavy boundary. (15 to 2 cm thick)

Akb2--114 to 127 cm; gray (5Y 5/1) loam, dark olive gray (5Y 3/2) moist; common fine distinct reddish brown (5YR 4/4) redox concentrations; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent with a few fine (about 0.3 cm in diameter) carbonate nodules; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 18 cm)

Cg'--127 to 157 cm; olive gray (5Y 5/2) very fine sandy loam, olive gray (5Y 4/2) moist; many fine faint dark greenish gray (5GY 4/1), and common fine distinct reddish brown (5YR 4/4) redox concentrations; massive; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine interstitial pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4)

TYPE LOCATION: Douglas County, Nevada; about 500 feet south and 100 feet west of the East 1/4 corner of section 14, T. 13 N., R. 19 E.; USGS Minden 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 59 minutes 20 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 48 minutes 27 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.9888889 latitude, -119.8075000 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually saturated within 38 cm of the surface during late winter and spring unless artificially drained.
Mean annual soil temperature: 10 to 11 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 25 to 50 cm.
Profile reaction: Slightly alkaline through very strongly alkaline
Exchangeable sodium: Greater than 15 percent in upper part of particle-size control section

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 18 to 35 percent.

A horizon
Hue: 10YR, may be 2.5Y in lower part
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2

C horizon
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 4
Texture: Stratified silty clay to loamy sand, averaging silty clay loam or clay loam in the upper part. Stratified gravelly sand to clay below 100 cm.
Other features: Distinct or prominent redox concentration are present.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Merden, Normandy, Oshawa, Scipio and Uncompahgre series.

Merden soils lack clay loam layers in the control section and have less than 15 percent exchangeable sodium. Nomandy, Scipio and Uncompahgre soils have less than 15 percent exchangeable sodium.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Voltaire soils are on alluvial fans, stream terraces and floodplains. These soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks. Elevations are 1,190 to 1,585 meters. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. The climate is cool, semiarid with a mean annual precipitation of 175 to 300 mm. The mean annual temperature is 9 to 10 degrees C. The frost-free season is about 90 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the James Canyon, Jubilee and Truckee soils. James Canyon soils are noncalcareous and have very thick mollic epipedons (less than 60 cm). Jubilee soils have coarse-loamy control sections. Truckee soils are not saturated to the surface.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Poorly and very poorly drained; slow or very slow runoff; moderately low saturated hydraulic conductivity. Drained areas have water tables at or near 90 cm to depths of more than 150 cm.

USE AND VEGETATION: The vegetation is mainly meadow type grasses and salt tolerant plants. Virgin areas are used for grazing and cultivated areas are used for pasture and meadow hay production.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Valleys of western Nevada. MLRA 26. The soil is of moderate extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Carson City Area, Nevada, 1975.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the surface to about 51 cm (A1, A2, and A3 horizons)
Particle-size control section - The zone from about 25 to 100 cm (lower A3, Cq1, Cq2 and upper Akqb1 horizons)

Classification was changed in 1992 from Haplaquolls to Endoaquolls.

ADDITIONAL DATA: User Pedon ID: 2006NV005105.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.