LOCATION INDIANO NV+CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Indiano very stony fine sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 6 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very stony fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine, and few medium roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; 40 percent stones, cobbles, and gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); gradual smooth boundary. (3 to 14 inches thick)
A2--6 to 13 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine, and few medium roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; 15 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
Bt1--13 to 24 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and few fine and medium roots; many very fine and common medium tubular pores; many faint clay films lining pores and many clay films bridging mineral grains; 10 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); gradual wavy boundary. (7 to 15 inches thick)
Bt2--24 to 33 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; common faint clay films lining pores; few clay films bridging mineral grains; slightly acid (pH 6.3); abrupt irregular boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
R--33 to 37 inches; weathered rhyolite; becomes harder at 37 inches.
TYPE LOCATION: Douglas County, Nevada; on the west side of Hot Springs Mountain; approximately 150 feet west and 650 feet south of the northeast corner of section 21, T. 14 N., R. 20 E.; USGS McTarnahan Hill 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 39 degrees 04 minutes 08 seconds north latitude and 119 degrees 43 minutes 59 seconds west longitude, NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually moist during winter and spring, dry in summer and fall; Aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature - 49 to 54 degrees F.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 7 to 14 inches; includes the Bt1 horizon in some pedons.
Depth to bedrock - 20 to 40 inches to a lithic contact.
Reaction - Slightly acid or neutral.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 20 to 35 percent; Rock fragments: 10 to 35 percent, mainly gravel and cobbles.
A horizons - Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.
Bt horizons - Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist; Some pedons have value of 3 moist in the Bt1 horizon.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Clay loam, loam, sandy clay loam, gravelly clay loam, gravelly sandy clay loam, cobbly clay loam, or cobbly loam.
Structure: Weak prismatic or weak to moderate subangular blocky structure; or it is massive.
Other features: The underlying bedrock is altered volcanic rock that is commonly weathered in the upper 1 to 4 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bissell, Bjork, Cowiche, Dodes, Fernpoint, Hullsgulch, Jerusalem, Madras, Margerum, Noslo, Orr, Pahrange, Quailridge (T), Quiero, Ralls, Shoebend, Simcoe, Springmeyer, Truax, Uhaldi, and Wenatchee series.
Bissell, Cowiche, Fernpoint, Hullsgulch, Jerusalem, Margerum, Orr, Quailridge, Ralls, Springmeyer, Truax, and Wenatchee soils are deeper than 60 inches to bedrock. Bjork, Dodes, Noslo, Pahrange, Shoebend, and Uhaldi soils are moderately deep to paralithic contacts. Madras soils have 10 to 30 percent volcanic glass in the mollic epipedon. Quiero soils have 35 to 45 percent clay in the lower part of the argillic horizon. Simcoe soils do not have gravelly horizons in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Indiano soils are on hills, mountains, and rock pediments. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from altered volcanic rocks. Slopes are 2 to 50 percent. Elevations range from 4,300 to 6,000 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 51 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 80 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Wedekind soil and the competing Springmeyer soil. Wedekind soils are less than 20 inches deep to soft weathered bedrock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; high or very high surface runoff; moderately slow permeability (moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity).
USE AND VEGETATION: Indiano soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, and Anderson's peachbrush with bottlebrush squirreltail, cheatgrass and some of the bluegrasses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada and eastern California. These soils are moderately extensive. The series concept and main acreage is in MLRA 26, while other acreage occurs in MLRAs 21 and 29.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Carson City Area, Nevada, 1975.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 13 inches (A1 and A2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 13 to 33 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 33 inches to underlying bedrock (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 13 to 33 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).