LOCATION UPDIKE NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Xerertic Natrargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Updike loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 2 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular and vesicular pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
Btn1--2 to 6 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; strong fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; many faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; finely segregated soluble salts; strongly effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
Btn2--6 to 11 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) clay, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; strong fine and medium prismatic structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few fine and medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; many distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; segregated salts or carbonates; strongly effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
Btn3--11 to 20 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak medium prismatic structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; many faint clay films lining pores and as bridges between sand grains; violently effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
BC--20 to 36 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay, brown (10YR 5/3) moist, few thin strata of light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2); strong fine prismatic structure; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
C1--36 to 47 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; pockets of light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
C2--47 to 63 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate fine prismatic structure; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Washoe County, Nevada; about 9 miles northwest of Reno in Lemmon Valley; approximately 2,200 feet east and 1,400 feet north of the southwest corner of section 23, T. 21 N., R. 19 E.; USGS Reno NE 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 39 degrees 40 minutes 08 seconds north latitude and 119 degrees 49 minutes 09 seconds west longitude, NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually moist for short periods in the winter and spring, dry from summer to mid fall; Aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature - 49 to 52 degrees F.
Ochric epipedon thickness - 1 to 3 inches.
Depth to base of natric horizon - 13 to 40 inches.
Reaction - Moderately alkaline through very strongly alkaline (up to pH 9.6).
Effervescence- Slightly effervescent to violently effervescent.
Linear extensibility (LE) - 6 to 9 cm.
A horizons
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Btn horizons
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Clay, sandy clay, silty clay, or silty clay loam.
Clay content: 35 to 50 percent.
Sodicity (SAR): 13 to 45.
C horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Clay, sandy clay, sandy clay loam, silty clay loam, or clay loam.
Clay content: 30 to 45 percent.
Other features: Some pedons have Ck horizons with few or common fine or medium masses of secondary carbonates.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the
Bullion series.
Bullion soils have horizons with identifiable secondary carbonates and gypsum.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Updike soils are on lake terraces and stream terraces. They formed in alluvium over lacustrine deposits derived from mixed rocks. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. Elevations range from 4,500 to 5,900 feet. The climate is semiarid and characterized by cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 10 inches. The mean annual temperature is 48 to 50 degrees F., the mean January temperature is 30 to 32 degrees F., and the mean July temperature is 68 to 70 degrees F. The frost-free period is 80 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Greenbrae and Haybourne soils. These soils lack a natric horizon. Also, Greenbrae soils have a sandy clay loam argillic horizon. Haybourne soils have a sandy loam cambic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; very high surface runoff; very slow permeability (low or moderately low saturated hydraulic conductivity). Endosaturation is present with an apparent seasonal high water table between 4 and 6 feet (deep free water occurrence class) between February and May. Cumulative annual duration class is Common. These soils are susceptible to rare flooding for very brief periods year-round or occasional flooding for long periods between December and May.
USE AND VEGETATION: Updike soils are used for livestock grazing, recreation, urban development, and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is black greasewood, basin big sagebrush, basin wildrye, inland saltgrass, shadscale, bud sagebrush, and bottlebrush squirreltail. Some areas are dominated by silver sagebrush and inland saltgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nevada. These soils are moderately extensive. The series concept and main acreage is in MLRA 26, while other acreage occurs in MLRA 23.
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 2 inches (A horizon).
Natric horizon - The zone from 2 to 20 inches (Btn1, Btn2, and Btn3 horizons).
Endosaturation feature - The condition of ground water with an upper boundary between 48 and 72 inches at certain times during normal years (parts of the C1 and C2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 2 to 20 inches (Btn1, Btn2, and Btn3 horizons).
The revision of November 2003 updated the taxonomic class from Fine, smectitic, mesic Typic Natrargids. The Xerertic subgroup placement is based on the estimated linear extensibility (LE) as populated in the NASIS database and field evidence of reversible surface and trans-horizon cracks.