LOCATION DENIO NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed, mesic Xeric Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Denio gravelly sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with 20 percent fine pebbles.
A--0 to 3 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak thin platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; 20 percent pebbles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
C1--3 to 16 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine tubular pore; 30 percent pebbles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0)); abrupt smooth boundary. (12 to 17 inches thick)
2C2--16 to 28 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very gravelly loamy coarse sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 55 percent pebbles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
2C3--28 to 60 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) extremely gravelly coarse sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 70 percent pebbles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Humboldt County, Nevada; approximately 16 miles south of Denio Junction; about 2,000 feet west and 500 feet south of the northeast corner of section 5, T. 44 N., R. 31 E.; USGS Howard Hot Spring 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 41 degrees 43 minutes 20 seconds north latitude and 118 degrees 31 minutes 44 seconds west longitude, NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually moist in winter and early spring, dry from June through November; aridic (torric) moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature - 50 to 52 degrees F.
Reaction - Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: 3 to 7 percent; Rock fragments: Averages 35 to 60 percent, mainly fine (2 to 5 mm in diameter) pebbles. Lithology of fragments are granitic rocks.
A horizon - Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Consistence: Soft or slightly hard, dry.
C1 horizon - Value: 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Clay content: 5 to 8 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 30 percent.
Structure: Platy or is massive.
2C2 and 2C3 horizons - Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 through 6, dry or moist.
Texture: Stratified very gravelly loamy coarse sand to extremely gravelly coarse sand.
Clay content: 0 to 3 percent.
Rock fragments: 40 to 70 percent.
Structure: Single grain or is massive.
Consistence: Slightly hard or loose dry, very friable or loose moist.
Other features: Some pedons have many thin strata of loamy sand.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Alderdale, Burbank, Crunkvar, Doowak, Sheeprock, Skaha, Ulymeyer (T), and Wrango series.
Alderdale soils are moderately deep to lithic contacts. Burbank, Doowak, and Wrango soils have Bk horizons within 40 inches of the soil surface. Crunkvar soils have mean annual soil temperature of 53 and 57 degrees F. and are moist 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October due to convection storms. Sheeprock soils are calcareous and have mean annual soil temperature of 47 to 50 degrees F. Skaha soils have less than half of the total rock fragments between 2 and 5 millimeters in diameter. Ulymeyer soils have mean annual soil temperature of 57 to 59 degrees F. and are dominated by cobbles and stones in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Denio soils are on barrier beaches and spits. These soils formed in alluvium derived dominantly from granitic rocks. Slopes are 0 to 4 percent. Elevations range from 4,200 to 4,400 feet. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 10 inches, the mean annual temperature is 48 to 50 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 100 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Deadyon and Shawave soils. Deadyon soils are coarse-loamy and Shawave soils are fine-loamy.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained, very low surface runoff; rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Denio soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, Thurber's needlegrass, and needleandthread.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Nevada. These soils are not extensive with about 7,200 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRAs 23 and 24.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Humboldt County (West Part), Nevada, 1994.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 3 inches (A horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 40 inches (2C2 horizon and parts of the C1 and 2C3 horizons)