LOCATION PREBLE NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Oxyaquic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Preble very fine sandy loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 4 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) very fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak medium platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine vesicular pores; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
C--4 to 10 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and few fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 8 inches thick)
Cq1--10 to 25 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) micaceous fine sandy loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; massive; very hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular, many very fine interstitial pores; slightly effervescent; continuous brittle matrix; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 17 inches thick)
Cq2--25 to 41 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) very fine sandy loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular, many very fine interstitial pores; very thin silica films in some pores, few 1/2 to 3/4 inch diameter very hard and very firm durinodes; strongly effervescent; continuous brittle matrix; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6); clear wavy boundary.
Cqk--41 to 55 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) fine sandy loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial, few very fine tubular pores; common durinodes; few large white (2.5Y 8/2) soft seams of lime; strongly effervescent; continuous brittle matrix; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 18 inches thick)
2C'--55 to 65 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) micaceous gravelly sand, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; common medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) mottles, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; single grained; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; slightly effervescent; 25 percent fine pebbles; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Humboldt County, Nevada; approximately 3.5 miles southwest of Winnemucca on U.S. Highway 40, about 50 feet north of the road, about 1,000 feet east and 1,600 feet north of the southwest corner of section 2, T. 35 N., R. 37 E.; 40 degrees 56 minutes, 07 seconds north latitude and 117 degrees, 47 minutes, 25 seconds west longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Moist in winter and spring, dry July through October.
Soil temperature - 47 to 52 degrees F.
Depth to continuous brittle matrix - 8 to 14 inches.
Control section - Clay content: 8 to 15 percent.
A horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
C, Cq and Cqk horizons - Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to very strong alkaline.
Texture: Very fine sandy loam or fine sandy loam.
Cementation: The Cq horizon has a continuously brittle matrix in the upper part and has 20 to 75 percent durinodes in some pedons.
Other features: Some pedons are underlain by sandy clay loam substrata below 40 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series. Similar soils are the Prida and Rustigate series. Prida soils are in a fine-silty family. Rustigate soils are in a fine- loamy family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Preble soils are on basin floor remnants, alluvial flats and alluvial flat remnants. These soils formed in alluvium from mixed rocks and lake sediments with a component of pyroclastic materials. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. Elevations are 4,000 to 5,000 feet. The climate is cool, arid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 7 to 9 inches; mean annual temperature is 45 to 50 degrees F., and the frost-free season is 100 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ninch, Sonoma, and the competing Valmy soils. Ninch and Valmy soils are never saturated within depth of 60 inches and have a sandy particle-size control section. Sonoma soils have a fine-silty particle-size control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; very slow runoff; slow permeability. The seasonal high water table normally fluctuates between depths of 36 to 60 inches, but drained phases are recognized.
USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly black greasewood, rabbitbrush, bottlebrush squirreltail, inland saltgrass, cheatgrass and a few Torrey quailbush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 24.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Humboldt County (BLM Sonoma Planning Unit), Nevada. 1974.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 6 inches (A and the upper C horizon).
Duriorthidic feature - The soil has a continuous brittle matrix in the zone from 10 to 41 inches (Cq1 and Cq2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 40 inches.
The classification was changed from Aquic Durorthidic Torriorthents to Oxyaquic Torriorthents in 1993. The Durorthidic feature is not recognized with Oxyaquic in the 1992 edition of Keys to Soil Taxonomy, but it is required for the series.
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.