LOCATION EMAGERT NV+CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy, glassy, mesic Vitritorrandic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Emagert ashy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
A1--0 to 2 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) ashy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate thick platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
A2--2 to 14 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) ashy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium platy; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine interstitial pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
A3--14 to 24 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) ashy loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; weak medium and coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium platy; hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine through coarse roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; fine strata or laminae; few fine distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist, relict masses of iron accumulation; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
A4--24 to 38 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) ashy loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; moderate fine and medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium angular blocky; very hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine through coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; fine strata or laminae; few fine and medium distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist, relict masses of iron accumulation; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)
C--38 to 48 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) ashy silty clay loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) moist; moderate fine and medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium angular blocky; very hard, firm, very sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine through coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; few fine distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist, relict masses of iron accumulation; neutral (pH 7.3); abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 15 inches thick)
Ab--48 to 60 inches; gray (5Y 5/1) ashy loam, very dark gray (5Y 3/1) moist; moderate fine and medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium angular blocky; very hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine through coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; fine strata or laminae; few fine prominent dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist, relict masses of iron accumulation and few fine prominent black (N 2.5/0) moist, relict masses of manganese accumulation; neutral (pH 7.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Washoe County, Nevada; in the upper end of High Rock Canyon about 2 miles southeast of Stevens Camp and 1.4 miles south of the Bureau of Land Management Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) boundary; approximately 400 feet east and 100 feet south of the northwest corner of section 13, T. 41 N., R. 22 E.; USGS Yellow Hills West 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 41 degrees 28 minutes 27 seconds north latitude and 119 degrees 27 minutes 29 seconds west longitude, NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Moist in winter and spring, dry from mid-June through October; Aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature - 47 to 50 degrees F.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 24 to 48 inches.
Volcanic glass content - 35 to 95 percent in the coarse silt through fine sand fractions.
Particle-size control Section - Clay content: averages 18 to 27 percent;
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent pebbles. Lithology of fragments are volcanic rocks such as basalt and tuff.
Reaction - Slightly acid to slightly alkaline.
Other features - Organic carbon content decreases irregularly with depth.
A horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 1 or 2, dry or moist.
Structure: Weak to moderate fine through coarse prismatic parting to platy or blocky.
Organic matter content: 1 to 4 percent.
Redoximorphic features: Occur as relic masses of iron accumulation in most pedons.
C and Ab horizons
Hue: 10YR through 5Y.
Value: 5 through 8 dry, 3 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 1 or 2, dry or moist.
Texture: Stratified gravelly ashy loamy sand to ashy silty clay loam. Dominantly ashy loam or ashy sandy clay loam when mixed.
Structure: Weak or moderate fine to medium prismatic parting to platy or blocky, or is massive.
Redoximorphic features: Occur as relic masses of iron and manganese accumulation in most pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bitner, Brays, Chelan, Deskamp, Dryhollow, Kester, Surprise, Weezweed, Winblow, Yellowhills, Yotes, and Zark series.
Bitner and Zark soils are moderately deep to paralithic contacts. Brays, Deskamp, Kester, and Winblow soils are moderately deep to lithic contacts. Chelan soils are deep to duripans. Dryhollow, Weezweed, and Yellowhills soils have mollic epipedons less than 20 inches thick. Surprise and Yotes soils have less than 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Emagert soils are on low stream terraces. They formed in alluvium derived from volcanic rocks and pyroclastic materials under wetter conditions than at present. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. Elevations range from 4,530 to 6,200 feet. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 10 to 14 inches, the mean annual temperature is 45 to 47 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 80 to 100 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Wetvit soil and the competing Weezweed soil. Wetvit soils have endosaturation within 20 inches of the soil surface.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; low surface runoff; moderately slow permeability (moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity). Endosaturation is present with an apparent seasonal high water table between 5 and 6 feet (very deep free water occurrence class) from January through May. Cumulative annual duration class is Common. These soils are susceptible to rare flooding for very brief periods year round.
USE AND VEGETATION: Emagert soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is dominantly basin big sagebrush, rabbitbrush, and basin wildrye.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Nevada and northeastern California. These soils are not extensive with about 5,700 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRA 23.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Washoe County, Nevada (North Part), 1995.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 38 inches (A1, A2, A3, and A4 horizons).
Vitrandic intergrade feature - The zone from the soil surface to 30 inches (A1, A2, and A3 horizons and part of the A4 horizon).
Endosaturation feature - The condition of ground water with an upper boundary between 60 and 72 inches at certain times during normal years (below the Ab horizon).
Particle-size control section and ashy substitute class with glassy mineralogy - The zone from 10 to 40 inches (A3 and A4 horizons and parts of the A2 and C horizons).
ADDITIONAL DATA: Volcanic glass percentages determined locally by optical grain count using a polarizing petrographic microscope.