LOCATION BITTER SPRING NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed, thermic Typic Calciargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Bitter Spring gravelly loam-rangeland and wildlife habitat. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered by approximately 90 percent subangular or rounded pebbles with a dark desert varnish.
A--0 to 2 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) gravelly loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate thick platy structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; very few fine roots; many fine and medium vesicular, and few very fine tubular pores; 20 percent pebbles; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (1/2 to 3 inches thick)
Bt--2 to 3 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) sandy clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak thin and medium platy; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; common fine and medium vesicular and tubular pores; many, distinct, continuous clay films on all faces of peds and lining pores; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
Btk--3 to 7 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) gravelly sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and few fine roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; 25 percent pebbles; common, distinct, discontinuous clay films lining pores; few, distinct calcium carbonate coats on undersides and sides of rock fragments; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)
2Bkq1--7 to 14 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 35 percent pebbles; common,fine calcium carbonate pendants on undersides and sides of rock fragments; very few, distinct silica coats on undersides of rock fragments; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); clear wavy boundary.
2Bkq2--14 to 22 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) extremely gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine, few fine through medium roots; few very fine tubular pores; 65 percent pebbles and 15 percent cobbles; many, coarse calcium carbonate pendants on undersides and few on the tops of rock fragments; common, fine soft masses and filaments of calcium carbonate; few fine silica pendants on undersides of rock fragments; few medium weakly cemented calcium carbonate lenses; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the 2Bkq1 and 2Bkq2 horizons is 10 to 20 inches.)
2Bkq3--22 to 46 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) stratified extremely gravelly coarse sand and very gravelly loamy sand; brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, few fine and medium roots; many very fine, common fine interstitial pores; 70 percent pebbles and 10 percent cobbles; many fine and medium calcium carbonate pendants on undersides of rock fragments; few, fine distinct silica pendants on the undersides of rock fragments; common, medium and coarse weakly cemented calcium carbonate concentrations; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (15 to 30 inches thick)
2Bkq4--46 to 60 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) stratified extremely gravelly coarse sand and very gravelly loamy sand; brown (10YR 5/3)moist; massive; slightly hard; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, few fine and medium roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 65 percent pebbles and 5 percent cobbles; many fine and medium calcium carbonate and silica pendants on undersides of rock fragments; many yellow (2.5Y 7/6) distinct silica coats on the bottom of rock fragments; many medium and coarse weakly and moderately cemented calcium carbonate concentrations; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8).
TYPE LOCATION: Clark County, Nevada; about 1.4 miles southwest of Bunkerville, Nevada; about 1,200 feet east and 900 feet north of the southwest corner of section 35, T. 13 S., R. 70 E; USGS Flattop Mesa, NV 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 36 degrees, 45 minutes, 20 seconds north latitude and 114 degrees, 8 minutes, 37 seconds west longitude; UTM 11, 754989e, 4071548n; NAD83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually dry, moist in some part for short periods during winter and early spring and for 10 to 20 days between July and October following convection storms. The soils have a typic aridic moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature - 66 to 71 degrees F.
Depth to calcic horizon - 5 to 10 inches.
Depth to lower boundary of argillic horizon - 5 to 10 inches.
Other features Some pedons contain salt or gypsum segregations.
A horizon - Hue: 7.5YR or 5YR.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Bt horizon Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 4 through 6.
Texture: Sandy clay loam or loam.
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 30 percent gravel.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Calcium carbonate equivalent in the fine earth fraction: 5 to 10 percent.
Btk horizon - Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 4 through 6.
Texture: Fine sandy loam or sandy loam.
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent, dominantly gravel.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Calcium carbonate equivalent in the fine earth fraction: 5 to 15 percent.
2Bkq1 or 2Bkq2 horizons - Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 5, 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Clay content: 6 to 15 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 75 percent, dominantly gravel with 0 to 15 percent cobbles.
Consistence: Hard or very hard.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Calcium carbonate equivalent in the fine earth fraction: 10 to 25 percent.
Other features Secondary calcium carbonate is 5 to 20 percent by volume in the calcic horizon.
2Bkq3 and 2Bkq4 horizons - Hue: 7.5YR, or 10YR.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 4 through 6.
Texture: Stratified loamy sand to coarse sand.
Clay content: 2 to 8 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 50 to 85 percent, dominantly gravel with 0 to 20 percent cobbles.
Calcium carbonate equivalent in the fine earth fraction: 5 to 15 percent.
Other features Secondary calcium carbonate is 5 to 20 percent by volume in the calcic horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Bitter Spring soils are on fan remnants. These soils formed in alluvium from mixed rock sources. Slope ranges from 2 to 15 percent. Elevations are 2,000 to 3,200 feet. The climate is hot and arid, with warm, moist winters and hot, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 3 to 5 inches, mean annual temperature is 64 to 71 degrees F., and the frost-free season is 200 to 300 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Arizo, Nickel and Vace soils. Arizo soils lack an argillic or calcic horizon. Nickel soils lack an argillic horizon and have a loamy-skeletal particle-size control section. Vace soils lack an argillic horizon and have a petrocalcic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; high runoff; moderately slow permeability in the upper part and rapid permeability in the lower part.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for rangeland, wildlife habitat and farmland. Native vegetation consists of creosotebush, white bursage and cacti.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mojave Desert of southern Nevada. These soils are moderately extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Clark County (Virgin River Area), Nevada, 1969.
REMARKS: The original type location was recovered and re-described in 2003. A sandy-skeletal control section better represents the series concept. Formally classified as loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Calciargids.
Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - 0 to 2 inches (A horizon).
Argillic horizon - 2 to 7 inches (Bt and Btk horizons).
Calcic horizon - 7 to 60 inches (2Bkq1, 2Bkq2, 2Bkq3 and 2Bkq4 horizons).
Particle-size control section - 2 to 40 inches (Bt, Btk, 2Bkq1, 2Bkq2 and the upper part of the 2Bkq3 horizons).
ADDITIONAL DATA: Partially sampled pedon from S59Nev-2-18, 59112 thru 59116 from Clark County, Nevada. Samples by Soil Survey Laboratory Riverside, California.