LOCATION SKEDADDLE NV+OREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, nonacid, mesic Lithic Xeric Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Skedaddle very cobbly loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The surface is partially covered by 25 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones.
A1--0 to 2 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very cobbly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 30 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
A2--2 to 5 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, few fine, and few medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
R--5 inches; hard basalt; fractured in the upper 2 to 4 inches.
TYPE LOCATION: Washoe County, Nevada; about 6 miles southwest of Lower Smoke Creek near Willow Canyon; approximately 2,500 feet north and 400 feet west of the southeast corner of section 6, T. 29 N., R. 19 E.; USGS Red Rock Canyon 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 40 degrees 24 minutes 46 seconds north latitude and 119 degrees 52 minutes 59 seconds west longitude, NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually moist in winter and early spring, dry from late spring through fall; Aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature - 47 to 52 degrees.
Depth to bedrock - 4 to 12 inches to a lithic contact.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: 18 to 30 percent;
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent. Lithology of fragments is basalt.
A horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist; the upper 7 inches of the soil when mixed has value of 6 dry or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Very stony loam, very stony clay loam, very cobbly clay loam, gravelly loam or very cobbly loam. Some pedons have surface texture of clay loam or very gravelly sandy loam.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Jobpeak, Lequieu, Medved, Snaker, Tejabe, and Wahguyhe series.
Jobpeak and Tejabe soils have 10 to 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Lequieu soils have mean annual soil temperature of 52 to 54 degrees F. Medved soils have 90 to 99 percent rock fragments in the C horizon. Snaker soils have dominantly channers in particle-size control section. Wahguyhe soils are more than 12 inches deep to bedrock and have 5 to 15 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Skedaddle soils are on mountains, hills, and plateaus. They typically occur on backslope positions. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from andesite and basalt. Slopes are 4 to 75 percent. Elevations range from 4,000 to 6,060 feet. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches, the mean annual temperature is 46 to 50 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 80 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Jaybee, Old Camp, and Reywat soils. Jaybee soils are loamy and have argillic horizons. Old Camp soils have argillic horizons. Reywat soils have mollic epipedons and argillic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to very high surface runoff; moderate permeability (moderately high or high saturated hydraulic conductivity).
USE AND VEGETATION: Skedaddle soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, purple sage, Thurber's needlegrass, and bottlebrush squirreltail.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Nevada and southeastern Oregon. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRAs 23 and 26.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Washoe County, Nevada (South Part), 1980.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 5 inches (A1 and A2 horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 5 inches to underlying hard bedrock (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from the soil surface to 5 inches (A1 and A2 horizons).