LOCATION WETVIT NV+CA

Established Series
Rev. JVC-JBF
01/2020

WETVIT SERIES

The Wetvit series consists of very deep, very poorly drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from pyroclastic volcanic rocks. Wetvit soils are on narrow flood plains on plateaus. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 330 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 8 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy, glassy, mesic Aquandic Endoaquolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Wetvit ashy loam--wet meadow. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).

A1--0 to 13 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) ashy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.3); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 40 cm thick)

A2--13 to 41 cm; dark gray (10YR 4/1) ashy loam, black (N 2.5/) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; very hard, very friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; few fine prominent brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) masses of iron accumulation on faces of peds, yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) moist; slightly acid (pH 6.3); clear smooth boundary. (23 to 40 cm thick)

A3--41 to 76 cm; gray (N 5/) finely stratified ashy loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and very fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; common medium distinct olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist and few fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist masses of iron accumulation in the matrix and lining pores; few fine faint black (N 2.5/) moist masses of manganese accumulation in the matrix; few 1 to 2 millimeter brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist interior, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist exterior iron concretions; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (20 to 56 cm thick)

A4--76 to 104 cm; gray (10YR 5/1) finely stratified ashy loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; common fine and medium distinct olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist and few fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist masses of iron accumulation in the matrix and lining pores; common fine faint dark gray (10YR 4/1) moist zones of clay depletion; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 46 cm thick)

2C1--104 to 135 cm; gray (10YR 6/1) gravelly ashy loamy sand, dark gray (10YR 4/1) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; common fine prominent olive (5Y 4/4) moist masses of iron accumulation in the matrix and lining pores; 15 percent fine (2 to 5 mm diameter) rhyolitic tuff gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 30 cm thick)

3C2--135 to 152 cm; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) finely stratified ashy loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) moist; massive; hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; many coarse prominent gray (N 5/) and few coarse prominent greenish gray (5G 5/1) moist zones of clay depletion; common fine and medium distinct olive (5Y 4/4) moist masses of iron accumulation; few fine prominent very dark gray (N 3/) moist, common fine prominent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist, and olive (5Y 5/6) moist masses of iron accumulation lining pores; neutral (pH 6.6).

TYPE LOCATION: Humboldt County, Nevada; south of Badger Mountain and about 0.25 miles south of the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge boundary along Cottonwood Canyon; approximately 300 feet west and 200 feet south of the northeast corner of section 7, T. 42 N., R. 24 E.; USGS Badger Mountain SE 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 41 degrees 35 minutes 23 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 18 minutes 12 seconds W;
WGS84 Decimal Degrees 41.5897222 latitude, -119.3033333 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually saturated in the moisture control section due to a apparent high water table from the soil surface to 46 cm mainly during the late winter and early spring months; seasonal periods of aquic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 10 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 66 to 122 cm.
Volcanic glass content: 35 to 60 percent glass shards, glass-coated grains, and glass aggregates in the coarse silt to fine sand fractions.
Other features: Organic matter decreases irregularly with depth and buried A horizons are common. Some pedons have gravelly strata or strata of silty clay loam, silt loam, clay loam, very fine sandy loam or sandy loam. Due to calcareous eolian dust, some pedons are effervescent in the surface layer.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 18 to 27 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 12 percent gravel.

A1 and A2 horizons
Hue: 10YR through 5Y or neutral (N).
Value: 3 through 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 0 through 2, dry or moist.
Texture: Ashy loam or ashy fine sandy loam.
Reaction: Slightly acid through slightly alkaline.
Organic matter content: 2 to 4 percent.
Redoximorphic features: Few to many redox concentrations either as masses of iron accumulation in the matrix or as pore linings within 43 cm of the soil surface.

A3 horizon and A4 horizon (when present)
Hue: 10YR through 5Y or neutral (N).
Value: 3 through 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 0 through 2, dry or moist.
Texture: Stratified ashy sandy loam to ashy clay loam.
Reaction: Slightly acid through slightly alkaline.
Organic matter content: 1 or 2 percent.
Redoximorphic features: Few too many redox concentrations either as masses of iron and manganese accumulation in the matrix or as pore linings; some pedons have fine manganese or iron-manganese concretions.

C horizons
Hue: 10YR through 5Y or neutral (N).
Value: 5 through 8 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 0 through 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Mainly ashy loam with strata of gravelly ashy loamy sand to ashy clay loam.
Structure: Prismatic or is massive.
Reaction: Neutral through slightly alkaline.
Redoximorphic features: None too many fine to coarse redox concentrations either as masses of iron accumulation in the matrix or as pore linings; zones of iron depletion may also be present.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Cocolalla and Waterflat series.

Cocolalla soils have 5 to 9 percent organic matter in the A horizons and do not have subhorizons of gravelly ashy loamy sand within 100 cm of the soil surface. Waterflat soils have identifiable secondary carbonates within 100 cm of the soil surface, have less than 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section, and have visible pumiceous volcanic ash grains in the coarser sand fractions.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wetvit soils are on narrow flood plains on plateaus. They formed in alluvium derived from pyroclastic volcanic rocks. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. Elevations range from 1,300 to 1,900 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 230 to 400 mm, the mean annual temperature is 7 to 8 degrees C., and the frost-free period is 80 to 100 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Emagert and Weezweed soils. Emagert soils do not have endosaturation within 100 cm of the soil surface. Weezweed soils have mollic epipedons that are 25 to 50 cm thick and do not have endosaturation.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Very poorly drained except where drained by gullying and entrenchment of adjacent creek channels; very high surface runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity. Endosaturation is present with an apparent seasonal high water table between the soil surface and 46 cm (very shallow and shallow free water occurrence classes) between January and May. Cumulative annual duration class is Common. These soils are susceptible to occasional flooding for brief periods or frequent flooding for long periods mainly between January and May.

USE AND VEGETATION: Wetvit soils are used for meadow hay, rangeland, and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is dominantly sedges, rushes, meadow barley, creeping wildrye, Nevada bluegrass, iris, and other water-loving plants.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Nevada and northeastern California. These soils are not extensive with about 2,400 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRA 23.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Humboldt County, Nevada (West Part), 1994.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 104 cm (A1, A2, A3, and A4 horizons).
Vitrandic intergrade feature - The zone from the soil surface to 76 cm (A1, A2, and A3 horizons).
Aquic conditions - The conditions of endosaturation, reduction, and redoximorphic features between the soil surface and 152 cm at certain times during normal years (parts of the A1, A2, A3, A4, and 2C and 3C horizons).
Particle-size control section and ashy substitute class with glassy mineralogy - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (A3 and parts of the A2 and A4 horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: Volcanic glass content determined locally by optical grain counts on the A3 and A4 horizons using a polarizing petrographic microscope.

Previous authors and editors include: SES-EWB-TM.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.