LOCATION GODECKE NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Durinodic Xeric Natrargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Godecke fine sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 2 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak thick platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine and fine vesicular pores; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
A2--2 to 8 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine, common fine, and common medium roots; many very fine tubular pores; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
Btnk--8 to 18 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak medium prismatic structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and few medium roots between peds; many very fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and as bridges between sand grains; secondary carbonates segregated as common filaments; slightly effervescent in matrix and strongly effervescent filaments; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
Bk--18 to 24 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) coarse sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; very hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine tubular, and many very fine and fine interstitial pores; secondary carbonates segregated as common coarse very pale brown (10YR 8/3) masses; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); gradual smooth boundary. (5 to 8 inches thick)
Bqk1--24 to 36 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) fine sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; 20 percent light gray (10YR 7/2) extremely hard and very firm weakly cemented durinodes, 10 to 50 millimeters in diameter; secondary carbonates segregated as common fine coats on durinodes; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 14 inches thick)
Bqk2--36 to 55 inches; pale yellow (5Y 8/3) loamy fine sand, olive (5Y 5/3) moist; moderate medium and thick platy structure; very hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; no roots; few fine tubular pores; 40 percent extremely hard and very firm planar weakly cemented durinodes; secondary carbonates segregated as common medium and coarse light olive gray (5Y 6/2) masses; few fine and medium prominent black (10YR 2/1) moist, masses of manganese accumulation; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (15 to 25 inches thick)
C1--55 to 60 inches; pale yellow (5Y 7/3) very fine sandy loam, olive (5Y 5/3) moist; strong thin platy structure; hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine tubular pores; common fine prominent black (N 2.5/0) moist, masses of manganese accumulation; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
C2--60 to 68 inches; pale olive (5Y 6/3) coarse sandy loam, olive (5Y 4/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine interstitial pores; few fine distinct black (5Y 2.5/1) moist, masses of manganese accumulation; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Douglas County, Nevada; in Carson Valley about 1.5 miles east of Ambrosetti Pond; 2,050 feet west and 50 feet south of the northeast corner of section 32, T. 14 N., R. 20 E.; USGS Genoa 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 39 degrees 02 minutes 28.5 seconds north latitude and 119 degrees 45 minutes 29 seconds west longitude, NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually dry, moist in the moisture control section in winter and spring, dry in summer and fall; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature - 48 to 53 degrees F.
Depth to horizons with identifiable secondary carbonates - 5 to 8 inches.
Depth to base of natric horizon - 14 to 20 inches.
Depth to horizons with durinodes - 20 to 30 inches.
Control section - Clay content: 31 to 35 percent.
A horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 or 6 dry.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline (up to pH 9.6).
Salinity (EC): 16 to 32 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 46 to 90.
Btnk horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Clay loam or sandy clay loam.
Clay content: 31 to 35 percent.
Structure: Weak to strong prismatic.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline (up to pH 9.6).
Salinity (EC): 8 to 16 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 31 to 45.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: Occurs as few or common filaments or masses.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 3 percent.
Other features: In some pedons 20 to 90 percent of ped faces are covered with black coats (presumably organic matter).
Bk horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, or fine sandy loam.
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline (up to pH 9.6).
Salinity (EC): 4 to 8 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 13 to 30.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: Occurs as few or common masses.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent.
Bqk horizons - Hue: 10YR through 5Y.
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, or loamy fine sand.
Clay content: 5 to 15 percent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Salinity (EC): 4 to 8 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 13 to 30.
Durinodes: 20 to 60 percent weakly cemented planar or irregularly shaped durinodes.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: Occurs as few or common masses or coats on durinodes.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent.
Redoximorphic features: Redox concentrations occur in some subhorizons as few to many masses of manganese and/or iron accumulation. Redox depletions are present in some pedons as zones of iron depletion.
C horizons - Hue: 10YR through 5Y.
Value: 5 through 8 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Stratified loamy sand to silt loam; some pedons have strata of sandy clay loam, clay, or silty clay.
Clay content: 5 to 15 percent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Redoximorphic features: Redox concentrations occur as few to many masses of manganese and/or iron accumulation. Redox depletions are present in some pedons as zones of iron depletion.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bobert, Geysen, and Pokergap series.
Bobert soils average 25 to 30 percent clay in the particle-size control section, have natric horizons with sodium adsorption ratios of 50 to 200, and have mean annual soil temperature of 53 to 56 degrees F. Geysen soils do not have endosaturation or redoximorphic features within 60 inches of the soil surface. Pokergap soils have mean annual soil temperature of 53 to 56 degrees F., do not have endosaturation or redoximorphic features within 60 inches of the soil surface, and have subhorizons below the particle-size control section with more than 35 percent rock fragments.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Godecke soils are on low stream terraces. Microtopography is planar to slightly concave. These soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed sources. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. Elevations range from 4,650 to 4,750 feet. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 10 inches, mean annual temperature is 46 to 51 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 90 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Gardnerville, Fettic, and Toll soils. Gardnerville soils are fine. Fettic soils are fine-silty, have mollic epipedons, and do not have horizons with durinodes. Toll soils are sandy, do not have diagnostic subsurface horizons or features, and do not have endosaturation within 60 inches of the soil surface.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; high surface runoff; slow permeability in the subsoil and moderately rapid to rapid permeability in the substratum. Endosaturation is present with an apparent seasonal high water table between 3.5 and 5 feet (deep free water occurrence class) from December through May. Cumulative annual duration classes are Common or Persistent. These soils are susceptible to rare flooding for very brief periods year-round.
USE AND VEGETATION: Godecke soils are used for rangeland. The vegetation is mainly rubber rabbitbrush, black greasewood, and inland saltgrass with scattered spiny hopsage, fourwing saltbush, basin big sagebrush, and basin wildrye.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 26.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Douglas County (Carson Valley Area), Nevada, 1975.
REMARKS: This revision updates the taxonomic subgroup from Aquic to Durinodic Xeric Natrargids. Godecke soils in the soil survey of Washoe County, South Part, Nevada, have endosaturation within 40 inches and need correlation to another series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 8 inches (A1 and A2 horizons).
Natric horizon - The zone from 8 to 18 inches (Btnk horizon).
Durinodes - The zone from 24 to 55 inches (Bqk1 and Bqk2 horizons).
Duric feature - The zone from 24 to 40 inches (Bqk1 horizon and part of the Bqk2 horizon).
Endosaturation feature - The condition of ground water with an upper boundary between 42 and 60 inches at certain times during normal years (C1 and C2 horizons and part of the Bqk2 horizon).
Particle size control section - The zone from 8 to 18 inches (Btnk horizon).