LOCATION RIO KING NV+OREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Rio King loam, hayland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 5 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate thick platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine, and few medium roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; numerous worm casts; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
A1--5 to 12 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, sticky and plastic; many very fine and fine, and few medium roots; many very fine tubular pores; numerous worm casts; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
A2--12 to 20 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and few fine and medium roots; few very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores; common worm casts; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Bw--20 to 28 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and few medium roots; few very fine and fine tubular, and common very fine interstitial pores; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (7 to 25 inches thick)
C1--28 to 38 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular, few very fine interstitial pores; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 25 inches thick)
C2--38 to 49 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular, and common very fine interstitial pores; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
C3--49 to 66 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) stratified sandy loam to loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 25 inches thick)
C4--66 to 69 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few fine and very fine interstitial pores; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary.
C5--69 to 71 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist, few very fine prominent brown (7.5YR 4/4) mottles; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine and fine interstitial pores; neutral (pH 6.8)
TYPE LOCATION: Humboldt County, Nevada, East Part; approximately 6 miles northwest of the Rio King Ranch headquarters; about 1,500 feet west and 100 feet south of the northeast corner of section 27, T. 46 N., R. 33 E.; 41 degrees, 50 minutes, 47 seconds north latitude and 118 degrees, 15 minters, 1 second west longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Moist in some part late October to mid June; dry summer and early fall months.
Soil temperature - 47 to 53 degrees
Mollic epipedon thickness - 10 to 20 inches.
Control section - Clay content: 8 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent, mainly fine pebbles.
A horizon - Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Reaction: Neutral or mildly alkaline; saline phases are moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Bw horizon:
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3
Structure: Subangular blocky or is massive.
Consistence: Slightly hard or hard, dry, very friable or friable, moist: nonsticky or slightly sticky wet.
Reaction: Neutral or mildly alkaline; saline phases are moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline.
C horizon - Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Values: 5 through 7 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Structure: Subangular blocky or is massive.
Texture: Stratified coarse sandy loam to silt loam
Consistence: Slightly hard or hard, dry; very friable or friable, moist.
Reaction: Neutral or mildly alkaline; saline phases are strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline.
Other features: Thin layers, less than 6 inches thick, with weak silica cementation are in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Burch (WA), Calpine (CA), Caphealy (OR), Cashmere (WA), Cashmont (WA), Roloff (WA), Roosevelt (WA), Shantown (T NV), Snake Hollow (UT) and Surprise (CA) series. Burch, Calpine, Cashmere, Cashmont, Roloff, Roosevelt, and Surprise series are well drained. In addition, Burch and Cashmere soils have Bw horizons. Calpine soils have weakly expressed Bt horizons. Cashmont and Surprise soils have gravelly control sections. Roloff and Roosevelt soils are moderately deep over bedrock. Caphealy soils are moderately deep to paralithic contact with hard bedrock below. Shantown soils have 15 to 30 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section. Snake Hollow soils have Bw horizons and more than half the sand fraction is very coarse sand.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Rio King soils are on inset fans and stream terraces. These soils formed in alluvium from mixed rock sources, loess and volcanic ash. Slopes are 0 to 6 percent. Elevations are 4,000 to 5,500 feet. The climate is cool, semiarid with cold, moist winters and warm, dry summers. the mean annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches; mean annual temperature is 45 to 49 degrees F.; the frost-free season is 90 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Kingsriver and Valmy series. Kingsriver soils have aquic moisture regimes and mollic epipedons that are cumulic. Valmy soils lack mollic epipedons and have duric horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately Well drained; slow runoff; moderate permeability. (Seasonal water table is 5 to 7 feet in the spring.)
USE AND VEGETATION: Irrigated hayland, cropland, rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is irrigated alfalfa. Uncultivated areas are mainly basin big sagebrush and rabbitbrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Nevada. MLRA 24. Rio King soils are not extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Humboldt County, Nevada, East Part; 1993.
REMARKS: The type location was moved in 1988 to better represent the series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: The zone from the soil surface to about 20 inches (Ap, A1 and A2 horizons).
Aridic features: Have an aridic moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Particle-size control section: The zone from 10 inches to 40 inches (Part of the A1 and C2 horizons and the A2, Bw, and C1 horizons).
ADDITIONAL DATA: Data for the typical pedon is available in SSIR Number 23, pedon number S61 Nev-7-4.