LOCATION HOTSPRINGS NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, mesic Xeric Torripsamments
TYPICAL PEDON: Hotsprings very gravelly coarse sand--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Al--0 to 3 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly coarse sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; single grained; loose, many fine and very fine interstitial pores; 60 percent fine pebbles; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 25 cm thick)
A2--3 to 10 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly loamy coarse sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; few fine and many very fine tubular pores; 25 percent fine pebbles; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 25 cm thick)
A3--10 to 23 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly loamy sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and very fine roots; few fine, common very fine tubular pores; 25 percent fine pebbles; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 25 cm thick)
Cl--23 to 38 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly loamy sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine roots; few fine, many very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 20 percent fine pebbles; few patchy clay films; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 30 cm thick)
C2--38 to 74 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly loamy sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few fine and many very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 30 percent fine pebbles; patchy clay bridges; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (25 to 50 cm thick)
C3--74 to 152 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly loamy sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular, and many very fine interstitial pores; 20 percent fine pebbles; neutral (pH 7.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Lyon County, Nevada, in Smith Valley, about 500 feet north and l,000 feet east of the southwest corner of section 3, T. ll N., R. 23 E.; latitude 38 degrees 50 minutes 25 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 23 minutes 58 seconds W; NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually moist in winter and early spring, dry in late spring, summer, and fall; Typic aridic moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature - 10 to 12 degrees C.
Organic carbon content - less than 0.5 percent in the surface 25 cm.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 2 to 4 percent.
Rock fragments: Average 20 to 35 percent fine pebbles.
A horizon - Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
C horizon - Value: of 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: of 3 or 4.
Texture - Gravelly loamy coarse sand or gravelly loamy sand.
Rock fragments up to 20 percent cobbles and 60 percent pebbles in subhorizons below 100 cm in some pedons.
Unconformable lacustrine sediments are below a depth of 100 cm in some pedons in the lower physicographic positions with sandy loam to sandy clay loam and are usually calcareous.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Berent, Goldrun, Grandora, Incy, Lachim, Painter, Quincy, Quinton, Rinquin, Toll, Walco, Winchester and Zorravista series.
Berent soils have slightly or moderately alkaline loamy fine sand particle-size control sections with less than l5 percent pebbles and are calcareous in the lower part of the control section. Lachim, Painter, Quinton, Rinquin and Walco soils have bedrock within 100 cm. Goldrun soils have fine sand nongravelly particle-size control sections, and are calcareous from a depth of 43 to 90 cm. Grandora soils have Bt hirzons with clay films. Incy soils lack pebbles and have fine sand particle-size control sections. Quincy soils have a nongravelly sand to loamy fine sand particle-size control section. Toll soils have loamy sand nongravelly particle-size control sections. Winchester soils have nongravelly coarse sand control section and and have mineral grains of dominantly dark basaltic particles. Zorravista soils have a calcareous, moderately alklaine control sections with appreciable amounts of pyroclastic material.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Hotsprings soils are on alluvial fans at elevations of 1,340 to 1,585 meters. Slopes are 0 to 8 percent. These soils formed in alluvium mainly from granitic rocks. The climate is cool, semiarid with moist winters and dry summers. The average annual air temperature is 10 to 11 degrees C.; average annual precipitation is 180 to 250 mm; and the frost-free season is ll0 to l20 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Holbrook, Saralegui, and Obanion soils. Holbrook soils have coarse-loamy particle-size control section. Obanion soils are poorly drained. Saralegui soils have argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; rapid permeability; very high and high saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland, urbanland, and cropland. The present vegetation is primarily big sagebrush, Nevada ephedra, and horsebrush with scattered singleleaf pinyon pine and Utah juniper invasion.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Valleys in western Nevada. These soils are of small extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lyon County Area, Nevada, l98l.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (A3, C1, C2 and part of the C3 horizons).