LOCATION BLUEPOINT NV+AZ CA NM TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, thermic Typic Torripsamments
TYPICAL PEDON: Bluepoint fine sand, rangeland and wildlife habitat. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 2 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) fine sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate thin and medium platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; common very fine, few fine interstitial and few very fine, fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
Cy1--2 to 14 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) fine sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak very thick platy structure due to stratification; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and few fine roots; common very fine interstitial and few very fine, fine and medium tubular pores; few fine crystals of gypsum; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary.
Cy2--14 to 40 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) fine sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, few fine and medium roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; few fine crystals of gypsum; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); gradual wavy boundary.
Cy3--40 to 60 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) fine sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine through coarse roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; few fine crystals of gypsum; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8). (Combined thickness of the C horizons is 56 to 70 inches.)
TYPE LOCATION: Clark County, Nevada; approximately 1/4 mile south of Government Well, 1/8 mile northeast of Nevada-California stateline to the east of Mesquite Lake and 6 miles southeast of Sandy Valley, Nevada; about 2,300 feet south and 500 feet east of the northwest corner of section 36, T. 25 S., R. 57 E; USGS Mesquite Lake, NV and CA 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 35 degrees, 43 minutes, 46 seconds north latitude and 115 degrees, 32 minutes, 42 seconds west longitude; UTM 11, 631593e, 3954904n; NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - usually dry, moist in some part during winter and spring and intermittingly moist in the upper part following summer thunderstorms; typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Soil temperature: 65 to 72 degrees F.
Soil color: Darker values and lower chroma reflect lithochromic colors.
Control section - Percent clay: 2 to 10.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent gravel.
A horizon - Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 4 through 7 dry, 3 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 3 through 6.
C horizons - Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 4 through 7 dry, 3 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 3 through 6.
Texture: Loamy fine sand or loamy sand, and sand or fine sand, containing more than 10 percent silt plus clay.
Structure - Single grain, massive or platy.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline.
Consistence: Loose to slightly hard dry, loose to very friable moist.
Other features: Calcareous in some part or all of control section. 0 to 2 percent gypsum or calcium carbonate by volume.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Atina (TX), Azulugar (TX), Brazito (AZ), Cajon (CA), Copia (NM), Maynard Lake (NV), Moapa (NV), Pintura, Toquop, University (NM), and Yturbide (NM) series. Atina and Azulugar soils precipitation falls mostly during the months of July through September and less than 13 percent falls during January through March. Atina, Azulugar, Brazito, Copia, Pintura, Toquop and University soils have less than 10 percent silt plus clay in the series control section. Also, Pintura soils are mainly noncalcareous throughout. Cajon soils formed in sandy alluvium from dominantly granitic rocks. Maynard Lake soils have more than 20 percent volcanic ash. Moapa soils have a paralithic contact at 20 to 40 inches. Atina and Yturbide soils average 15 to 35 percent gravel in the series control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Bluepoint soils are on dunes and sand sheets. Slope ranges from 0 to 50 percent. These soils formed in eolian materials from mixed rock sources. Elevations are 1,700 to 4,000 feet. The climate is arid with hot, dry summers and warm, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 3 to 7 inches; mean annual air temperature is 64 to 69 degrees F., and the frost-free season is 240 to 300 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Bard, Overton and Virgin River soils. Bard soils are shallow or very shallow over indurated lime hardpans. Overton soils have fine textured control sections and are saturated during part of the year. Virgin River soils have fine-loamy control sections and are usually moist in some part of the moisture control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; Very low or low runoff; rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly creosotebush, white bursage, ephedra, mesquite, Indian ricegrass and big galleta.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mojave desert of southern Nevada; MLRA 30. These soils are extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Clark County, (Las Vegas-Eldorado Valleys Area) Nevada, 1964.
REMARKS: The type location was eelocated in December 2005 to better represent the series concept of a thermic soil temperature regime. Bluepoint soils are in MLRA 30. Use outside the area should be reevaluated.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the profile are:
Ochric epipedon - 0 to 2 inches (A horizon).
Particle-size control section - 10 to 40 inches (Part of the Cy1 and Cy2 horizons).