LOCATION ALDAX NV+CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Lithic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Aldax very stony fine sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 3 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very stony fine sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak medium and fine granular structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 15 percent stones, 10 percent cobbles, and 25 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
A2--3 to 14 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely stony fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine and very fine granular structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 25 percent stones, 20 percent cobbles, and 30 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt irregular boundary. (8 to 20 inches thick)
R--14 to 16 inches; extremely hard undecomposed andesite bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Douglas County, Nevada; approximately 1,000 feet east and 1,000 feet south of the northwest corner of section 10, T. 11 N., R. 20 E.; USGS Carters Station 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 50 minutes 5.66 seconds N. and longitude 119 degrees 43 minutes 43.63 seconds W., NAD83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually moist in winter and spring; dry in summer and fall; Aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature - 47 to 51 degrees F.
Depth to bedrock - 10 to 20 inches to a lithic contact.
Particle-size control section - Rock fragments: Angular and range from 40 to 80 percent by volume. They consist of up to 40 percent stones or cobbles and up to 50 percent gravel. Lithology is volcanic rock such as andesite and basalt.
Reaction - Moderately acid through neutral.
Base saturation - Over 75 percent in all parts.
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Texture: Fine sandy loam or loam, subhorizons of some pedons are sandy loam
Clay content: Less than 18 percent.
Structure: Weak or moderate, very fine or medium granular or subangular blocky structure.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bakeoven, Bodacious, Bodell, Couleedam, Hendap, Johntom, Lickskillet, Limekiln, Plaskett, Rockly, and Venator series.
Bakeoven soils have bedrock at depths of 4 to 12 inches and average more than 18 percent clay. Bodacious, Bodell, Johntom, Limekiln, Plaskett, Rockly, and Venator soils have a xeric moisture regime. Couleedam soils have a cambic horizon and have mean annual soil temperature of 51 to 53 degrees F. Hendap soils are 10 to 20 inches to bedrock and have 6 to 12 percent clay. Lickskillet soils have more than 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Aldax soils are on hills. They formed in residuum and colluvium derived from andesite and basalt. Slopes are 4 to 75 percent. Elevations range from 5,000 to 8,000 feet. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 12 to 18 inches. The average January temperature is about 28 degrees F.; the average July temperature is about 67 degrees F.; and mean annual temperature is 45 to 49 degrees F. The frost-free period is 60 to 90 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Borda and Millich soils. Borda soils have ochric epipedons and fine textured argillic horizons. Millich soils have fine textured argillic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderately rapid permeability (high saturated hydraulic conductivity).
USE AND VEGETATION: Aldax soils are used for rangeland. The vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, bluegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, and rabbitbrush with scattered singleleaf pinyon and Utah juniper.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada and northeastern California. These soils are not extensive with about 5,900 acres of the series mapped to date. The series concept and main acreage is in MLRA 26, while other acreage occurs in MLRA 21.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Douglas County, Nevada, 1973.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 14 inches (A1 and A2 horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 14 inches to underlying unweathered bedrock (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from the soil surface to 14 inches (A1 and A2 horizons).
The superactive cation exchange activity class was added in 03/2003 to the taxonomic classification by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the Reno MLRA office, without review of the soil series property data.