LOCATION WEDEKIND NV
Established Series
Rev. LIL-WED-JVC-JBF
12/2019
WEDEKIND SERIES
The Wedekind series consist of shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum derived from volcanic rocks. Wedekind soils are on hills, mountains, and plateaus. Slopes are 2 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 250 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic, shallow Aridic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Wedekind gravelly loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 5 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 30 percent fine gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 18 cm thick)
Bt1--5 to 15 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) coarse sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine interstitial and few very fine tubular pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 15 cm thick)
Bt2--15 to 36 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/4) sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine interstitial and few very fine tubular pores; few faint clay films bridging sand grains and few faint clay films lining pores; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt irregular boundary. (15 to 25 cm thick)
Crt--36 cm; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) extremely weathered andesite, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; massive; fractured; few very fine roots in cracks; fractures in upper part lined with clay films.
TYPE LOCATION: Washoe County, Nevada; about 5 miles north of Reno between Panther Valley and Golden Valley; about 1,200 feet south and 1,300 feet east of the northwest corner of section 14, T. 20 N., R. 19 E.; USGS Reno 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 36 minutes 15 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 49 minutes 19.5 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 39.6041667 latitude, -119.8219444 longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in winter and spring, dry in summer and fall; aridic soil moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 9 to 11 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 18 to 25 cm; includes the Bt1 horizon.
Depth to bedrock: 25 to 50 cm to a paralithic contact. The paralithic materials below the contact are weathered volcanic rocks such as andesite or rhyolite.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly acid.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 18 to 27 percent.
Rock fragments: averages 5 to 35 percent, mainly gravel. Lithology of fragments is mainly volcanic rocks such as andesite.
A horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Structure: Platy or granular.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.
Bt horizons
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Sandy clay loam, clay loam, or gravelly sandy clay loam; some pedons have thin subhorizons of coarse sandy loam.
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent.
Organic matter content: 0.5 to 2 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Arclay,
Crawley,
Luppino,
Nomisurvay and
Siscab series.
Arclay soils average 27 to 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section and have an abrupt increase in clay between the A and Bt horizons.
Crawley soils average 27 to 35 percent clay and less than 15 percent very fine sand and coarser sands in the particle-size control section.
Luppino soils are shallow to weathered granitic rock, have paralithic materials which are only 8 to 30 cm thick, and have harder bedrock within 50 cm of the soil surface.
Nomisurvay has a lithic contact within 50 to 76 cm.
Siscab soils are very shallow and shallow to weathered granite and are dominated by fine gravel in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wedekind soils are on hills, mountains, and plateaus. These soils formed in residuum derived from andesite and rhyolite. Slopes are 2 to 50 percent. Elevations range from 1,375 to 1,895 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 250 to 300 mm, mean annual temperature is 8 to 10 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 100 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Mizel,
Northmore,
Oppio,
Risley,
Surgem,
Verdico, and
Yuko soils. Mizel soils lack Mollic epipedons and an argillic horizon and are less than 25 cm deep. Northmore soils are very deep. Yuko soils lack Mollic epipedons and have A and B horizons less than 25 cm thick. Oppio, Risley, Surgem, and Verdico soils have A and B horizons 50 to 76 cm thick.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; very high surface runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: Wedekind soils are used for rangeland, recreation, and urban development. The vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, rabbitbrush, Nevada ephedra, horsebrush, wild currant, antelope bitterbrush, bottlebrush squirreltail, and cheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western and northern Nevada. These soils are moderately extensive. The series concept and main acreage occurs in MLRA 26. Other acres of this series are mapped in MLRAs 25 and 27.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Washoe County (South Part), Nevada, 1980.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A and Bt1 horizons and part of the Bt2 horizon).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 5 to 36 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 36 cm to underlying soft, weathered bedrock (Crt layer).
Particle size control section - The zone from 5 to 36 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.