LOCATION WELLSED NV
Established Series
Rev: WMA/RLB/JBF
06/2017
WELLSED SERIES
The Wellsed series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium predominately from granitic rocks. These soils are on old alluvial fans, fan piedmonts and ballenas. Slopes are 2 to 15 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 230 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 11 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Xeric Argidurids
TYPICAL PEDON: Wellsed gravelly fine sand - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 5 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly fine sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 20 percent fine pebbles, neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 10 cm thick)
A2--5 to 15 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) gravelly loamy fine sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium and fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few medium and common fine and very fine roots; common fine vesicular and many very fine interstitial pores; 15 percent fine pebbles; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)
Bt1--15 to 25 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium and fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few medium and many fine and very fine roots; few fine and common very fine tubular pores; many thin and few moderately thick clay films on ped faces and lining pores; 20 percent fine pebbles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2) clear wavy boundary. (8 to 18 cm thick)
Bt2--25 to 38 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; continuous thin clay bridges; 15 percent fine pebbles; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 20 cm thick)
Bk--38 to 48 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) gravelly sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 20 percent fine pebbles; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6); strongly effervescent; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 15 cm thick)
Bqk--48 to 89 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly loamy sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 25 percent fine pebbles; 20 percent hard durinodes; slightly effervescent in spots; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (20 to 50 cm thick)
Bqkm--89 to 127 cm; indurated duripan; 5 to 10 mm thick indurated continuous laminae cap. (25 to 50 cm thick)
Bqk'--127 to 152 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loamy sand and sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3); strongly effervescent; weakly silica and carbonate cemented; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8). (13 to 50 cm thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Lyon County, Nevada, about 450 feet north and 500 feet west of the southeast corner of section 36, T. 7 N., R. 27 E.; USGS Ninemile Ranch 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 25 minutes 0 seconds N and longitude 118 degrees 54 minutes 27 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.4166667 latitude, -118.9075000 longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Moist in winter and spring, dry in summer and fall except for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October due to convection storms; aridic bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature - 12 to 14 degrees C.
Depth to indurated duripan - 50 to 100 cm.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: 20 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent fine pebbles. Lithology of fragments is granitic.
A horizons - Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
Bt horizons - Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR.
Value: 5 and 6 dry, 4 and 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 through 5.
Structure: Angular or subangular blocky.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline.
Bqk horizon - Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Rock fragments: 5 to 35 percent fine pebbles.
Subhorizons in some pedons have up to 50 percent fine pebbles.
Reaction: Strongly alkaline to very strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Arbidge,
Dacker,
Deerlodge,
Ditchcamp,
Drysel,
Exel,
Hager,
Idow,
Lojet,
Rakane,
Snowmore, Waco and
Wendell series.
Arbidge,
Dacker,
Ditchcamp,
Drysel,
Exel,
Hager,
Idow,
Rakane,
Snowmore, Waco and
Wendell soils lack the influence of summer precipitation.
Deerlodge and
Lojet soils have a mean annual soil temperature of less than 12 degrees C.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wellsed soils are on old alluvial fans, fan piedmonts and ballenas. These soils formed in alluvium derived dominantly from granitic rocks. Elevations are 1,524 to 2,134 meters. Slopes are 2 to 15 percent. The climate is semiarid. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm; mean annual temperature is 10 to 12 degrees C. and the frost-free season is 100 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Rowel and
Ravenell soils. Rowel soils are shallow over hard volcanic bedrock and Ravenell soils are shallow over soft sedimentary bedrock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABLITY: Well drained, slow or medium runoff; moderately slow permeability above the duripan.
USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush and galleta.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West-central Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 26.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lyon County, Nevada, 1981.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 15 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from about 15 to 38 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Duripan features indurated - The zone from about 89 to 127 cm (Bqkm horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from about 15 to 38 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.