LOCATION RENO NV+CAEstablished Series
The Reno series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in mixed alluvium. Reno soils are on alluvial fans, pediments and river terraces. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 10 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 52 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Abruptic Xeric Argidurids
TYPICAL PEDON: Reno gravelly sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 1 inch; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly loamy sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; single grained; loose; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
E--1 to 2 1/2 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) gravelly sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium platy structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and few fine roots; common fine and many very fine vesicular pores; many clean sand grains; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
EB--2 1/2 to 3 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) sandy clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate very fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; many clean sand grains; common thin clay films on surfaces of peds; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt broken boundary. (0 to 1 inch thick)
BE--3 to 5 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) sandy clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium columnar structure, parting to strong very fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few fine and many very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; few clean sand grains; thin continuous clay films lining pores and on peds; slightly acid (pH 6.4); very abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
Bt1--5 to 15 inches; dark brown (10YR 4/3) sandy clay, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; strong medium columnar structure; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; few very fine tubular and interstitial pores; many slickensides and pressure cutans; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 11 inches thick)
Bt2--15 to 19 inches; dark brown (10YR 4/3) sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to strong coarse angular blocky; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular and interstitial pores; many moderately thick continuous clay films on peds and lining pores; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
2Bt3--19 to 24 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly sandy clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular and common very fine interstitial pores; common thin and moderately thick brown (10YR 4/3) clay bridges between sand grains and continuous thin and moderately thick clay films lining pores; 40 percent pebbles; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
2C--24 to 32 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly coarse sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; single grained; loose; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 40 percent pebbles; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 11 inches thick)
3Cqkm--32 to 44 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) indurated duripan, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; massive; very hard and extremely hard, very firm; few very fine roots along fractures; few very fine interstitial pores; many thin discontinuous silica laminae, thin continuous silica films lining pores, and common thin silica bridges between sand grains; white (10YR 8/2) lime coats; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 30 inches thick)
3C'--44 to 60 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly loamy sand, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; single grained; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; slightly effervescent with some pebbles having white (10YR 8/2) lime coats on their undersides; 40 percent pebbles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Douglas County, Nevada; about 600 feet north and 900 feet west of southeast corner of section 2, T. 12 N., R. 20 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Moist in winter and spring, dry the remainder of the year.
Soil temperature - 47 to 52 degrees F.
Combined thickness of A and Bt horizons - 20 to 36 inches.
Depth to duripan - 20 to 40 inches.
Control section - Percent clay: 35 to 60.
Percent rock fragments: 5 to 35 percent.
A and E horizons - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 3.
Reaction: Medium acid to neutral.
Bt horizon - Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Texture: Clay, sandy clay or clay loam.
Structure: Prismatic or columnar parting to blocky. It is massive in the lower part of some pedons.
Rock fragments: Up to 20 percent pebbles, cobbles and stones in the upper part of the horizon, 20 to 70 percent in the lower part.
Reaction: Slightly acid through mildly alkaline.
C horizons - Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y.
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 3 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Rock fragments: 0 to 70 percent in the duripan.
Duripan: Indurated in the upper part or below a noncemented C or 2C. Strongly cemented in the lower part in some pedons. Indurated laminae are common on many but are not continuous throughout.
Reaction: Neutral to moderately alkaline, strongly to noneffervescent.
Other features: Tuff or sandstone bedrock is at depths of 40 to 80 inches in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Catchell, Chilcott, Lookout, Kepler and Lovejoy series. Catchell soils have a lithic contact at a depth of 25 to 40 inches. Chilcott and Kepler soils have a Btk horizon and less than 35 percent sand in the Bt horizon. Lookout soils have a silty clay or silty clay loam argillic horizon and a Btk horizon. Lovejoy soils are pebble free in the A and Bt horizons and have a strongly acid A horizon.
GEOGRAPHICAL SETTING: Reno soils are on alluvial fans, pediments and river terraces. These soils formed in alluvium, pedisediments and fluvial sediments from mixed sources. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. Elevations of 4,400 to 6,300 feet. The climate is cool; semiarid; mean annual precipitation is 8 to 14 inches; mean annual temperature is 49 to 53 degrees F.; and the frost-free season is about 80 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ager, Indian Creek, Saralegui, and Turria soils. Ager soils lack an argillic horizon. Indian Creek soils are less than 20 inches deep to the duripan. Saralegui soils have a coarse-loamy control section. Turria soils have a fine-loamy control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow or medium runoff; very slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland, urban development, and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is principally low sagebrush, big sagebrush, bitterbrush, cheatgrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, horsebrush, rabbitbrush, Sandberg bluegrass, and some fescue and juniper.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada and Sierra County, California. They are of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Douglas County (Carson Valley Area), Nevada, 1940.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Soil Survey Report No. 23.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the surface to 5 inches.
Argillic horizon - The zone from 5 to 24 inches.
Duripan - The zone from 32 to 44 inches.
Particle-size control section - The zone from 5 to 32 inches.