LOCATION WABUSKA                 NV

Established Series
Rev. WMA/ELS/RLB/JBF
02/2017

WABUSKA SERIES

The Wabuska series consists of very deep, somewhat poorly drained soils formed on alluvial flats and lake plains in alluvium derived from mixed rocks. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 130 mm and the mean annual temperature is 11 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Aeric Halaquepts

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

V--0 to 8 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine vesicular pores; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 15 cm thick)

A--8 to 23 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; common fine and very fine roots and saltgrass rhizomes; many very fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 33 cm thick)

C--23 to 38 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; common medium faint yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist iron mottles; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; very slightly effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.4); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 25 cm thick)

Ck--38 to 64 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; common fine distinct dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist iron mottles; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 10 percent irregular shaped carbonate nodules; strongly effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (20 to 40 cm thick)

Ab--64 to 74 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; many medium faint dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist iron mottles; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 25 cm thick)

C'--74 to 86 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; common fine distinct brown (10YR 4/3) moist iron mottles; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (12 to 56 cm thick)

2C--86 to 99 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; many medium faint brown (10YR 4/3) moist iron mottles; single grained; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many fine and very fine interstitial pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 46 cm thick)

3C--99 to 150 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) stratified loam, silt loam, and very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; common fine and medium distinct brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist iron mottles; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; very few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent in spots; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4)

TYPE LOCATION: Lyon County, Nevada; 1,300 feet east and 50 feet south of the center of section 12, T. 13 N., R. 25 E. USGS Mason Butte 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 0 minutes 20 seconds N and 119 degrees 07 minutes 49 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.0055556 latitude, -119.1302778 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Saturated at 76 to 150 cm for 30 to 60 days in the spring, or is artificially drained. The upper part of the profile is moist for short periods in the winter and early spring, otherwise it is dry.
Mean annual soil temperature: 12 to 15 degrees 2.
Sodicity (SAR): Commonly above 30 in upper 50 cm and decreases below this depth.
Reaction: Strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline in the upper 50 cm. Slightly alkaline through very strongly alkaline below 50 cm.
Effervescence: Very slightly effervescent through strongly effervescent in the upper 50 cm. Noneffervescent to strongly effervescent below 50 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 10 to 18 percent.

A horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.

C and Ck horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 through 8 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Texture: Stratified loam to sand, mainly fine sandy loam.
Structure: Subangular blocky or massive.
Consistence: Soft to slightly hard or loose, very friable and sticky to slightly sticky, nonplastic to slightly plastic.
Redox features: Faint to prominent iron concentrations and reductions.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Letha series.

Letha soils have SAR that is more than 50 and where the soil is saturated, it does not decrease with depth and has a soil temperature of 9 to 12 degrees C.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wabuska soils are on alluvial flats and lake plains. These soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed igneous and sedimentary rocks. The alluvium has been modified by sodium precipitated from upward moving ground water. Elevations are 1,250 to 1,405 meters. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. The mean annual precipitation is 100 to 150 mm. The mean annual temperature is 10 to 12 degrees C. The frost-free season is 100 to 130 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Fallon, Fernley, and Sagouspe soils. These soils have sodium absorption rate less than 13 or the sodium absorption rate doesn't decrease with depth. Fernley and Sagouspe soils also have a sandy control section.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat poorly drained; the soil has a seasonal high water table at 90 to 150 cm; very slow runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and irrigated cropland. These soils are cropped to most of the climatically adapted crops when reclaimed. The vegetation is mainly saltgrass, alkali sacaton and black greasewood.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada. The soils are of moderate extent. MLRA 26, 27.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lyon County (Physical survey of Smith Valley), Nevada, 1941.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (V and part of the A horizons).
Particle- size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm. (Lower C, Ck, Ab, C', 2C and upper 3C horizons)

---

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.