LOCATION DRIT NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Pachic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Drit coarse sandy loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
All--0 to 2 inches; grayish brown (l0YR 5/2) gravelly loamy coarse sand, very dark grayish brown (l0YR 3/2) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine interstitial pores; 20 percent 2 mm to l/4-inch and 5 percent l/4 to 2 inch pebbles, slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (l to 4 inches thick)
Al2--2 to 8 inches; dark grayish brown (l0YR 4/2) coarse sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (l0YR 3/2) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; 5 percent 2 mm to l/4 inch and 5 percent l/4 to 2 inch pebbles, neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches)
Al3--8 to l5 inches; brown (l0YR 5/3) gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (l0YR 3/3) moist; common medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, fine, and medium roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; many black (l0YR 2/l) organic stains coating sand grains; l0 percent 2 mm to l/4 inch and 5 percent l/4 to 2 inch pebbles; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (5 to l0 inches thick)
Al4--l5 to 28 inches; brown (l0YR 5/3) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (l0YR 3/3) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, and few fine, medium, and coarse roots; many very fine tubular pores; l0 percent 2 mm to l/4 inch and 25 percent l/4 to 3 inch pebbles, l0 percent cobbles and stones; few thin organic stains coating sand grains; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (l0 to l6 inches thick)
B2--28 to 38 inches; yellowish brown (l0YR 5/4) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (l0YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and non plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; l0 percent 2 mm to l/4 inch and 20 percent l/4 to 3 inch pebbles, l5 percent cobbles and stones; few thin organic stains coating sand grains; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 20 inches thick)
C--38 to 60 inches; light yellowish brown (l0YR 6/4) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (l0YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 20 percent 2 mm to l/4 inch diameter and 25 percent l/4 to 3 inch pebbles; neutral (pH 6.8).
TYPE LOCATION: Douglas County, Nevada; about l,700 feet west and 2,000 feet south of the northeast corner of section l9, T. l4 N., R. 23 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist; dry late July to late October.
Soil temperature: 47 to 49 degrees F.
Mollic epipedon: 20 to 38 inches thick.
Solum thickness: 28 to 46 inches.
Control section:
Texture: Very gravelly or extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, or fine sandy loam.
Rock fragments: 40 to 75 percent, mainly pebbles with 5 to 35 percent cobbles or stones in any one horizon.
Clay percent: 8 to l8 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
A horizon:
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chromas: l, 2, or 3.
Rock fragments: l0 to 45 percent pebbles, 2 to 30 percent cobbles or stones in upper part of horizon.
B2 horizon:
Value: 4 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
C horizon:
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Rock fragments: 40 to 70 percent, mostly pebbles.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Dehlinger, Gamboa, Packard, and Wrenthan series. Dehlinger soils have a loam or clay loam particle-size control section. Gamboa soils have a minimum thickness of the mollic epipedon of 40 inches. Packard soils have a loam or clay particle-size control section with 25 to 35 percent clay. Wrenthan soils have a silt loam or silty clay loam particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Drit soils are on north facing mountain backslopes at elevations of 5,000 to 7,000 feet. Slopes are l5 to 75 percent. The soils formed in colluvium weathered from granitic and metavolcanic rocks. The climate is cold, moist winters and warm dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is l2 to l6 inches; and the mean annual temperature is 44 to 48 degrees F. The frost-free season is 80 to l00 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Glean, Roloc, and Trid soils. Glean soils have a frigid soil temperature regime. Roloc soils are shallow and have an argillic horizon. Trid soils are moderately deep and have a very gravelly argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, and Thurbers needlegrass with invasion of pinyon pine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada. The series is of small extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Douglas County Area, Nevada, l98l.
REMARKS:
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. The remainder of this document has not been updated.