LOCATION HELKITCHEN              NV+AZ

Established Series
Rev. DJM/JVC/ET
04/2015

HELKITCHEN SERIES

The Helkitchen series consists of very shallow and shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from limestone. Helkitchen soils are on mountains. Slope ranges from 8 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 6 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 68 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, carbonatic, thermic Lithic Haplocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Helkitchen extremely stony fine sandy loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered by approximately, 40 percent pebbles,15 percent cobbles and 15 percent stones.

A--0 to 3 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely stony fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate thin platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine and common fine interstitial pores;,40 percent pebbles, 15 percent cobbles and 15 percent stones; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)

Bk1--3 to 7 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, few fine and medium roots; common very fine interstitial and common fine tubular pores; many medium and coarse calcium carbonates coats and pendants on bottom of rock fragments; 60 percent pebbles and 5 percent cobbles; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary.

Bk2--7 to 12 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly fine sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial and common very fine tubular pores; many medium and coarse calcium carbonate coats and pendants on sides and bottom of rock fragments; 35 percent pebbles and 15 percent cobbles; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt irregular boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bk horizons is 6 to 10 inches).

R--12 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) fractured hard limestone bedrock; many coarse coats of secondary calcium carbonate between fractures.

TYPE LOCATION: Clark County, Nevada; about 45 miles south of Mesquite in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area and about 1 mile north of Devil's Cove next to Iceberg Canyon; about 660 feet south and 1,860 feet east of the northwest corner of section 29, T. 20 S., R. 71 E.; USGS Iceberg Canyon, NV 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 36 degrees 10 minutes 19 seconds north latitude and 114 degrees 05 minutes 40 seconds west longitude; UTM 11s. 761337e, 40069234n; 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 convection storms; typic aridic soil moisture regime.

Mean annual soil temperature - 68 to 71 degrees F.

Depth to calcic horizon - 2 to 4 inches.

Depth to lithic contact : 7 to 14 inches.

Control section:

Clay content: 5 to 18 percent

Rock fragments: Averages 35 to 65 percent, the surface horizon ranges from 60 to 75 percent.

Calcium carbonate equivalent in the fine earth fraction: 40 to 80 percent.

A horizon - Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Rock fragments: 35 to 70 percent..
Calcium carbonate equivalent in the fine earth fraction: 20 to 40 percent.

Bk horizons - Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Loam and fine sandy loam
Rock fragments: 35 to 70 percent..
Structure: Weak or moderate subangular blocky or massive.
Other features: Identifiable secondary carbonates common fine to coarse coats and pendants on sides and bottom of rock fragments.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Kohatk, Lozier, and Zeheme series. Kohatk soils are moist for more than 20 days cumulative due to summer convection storms. Lozier soils have 15 to 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Zeheme soils have mean annual soil temperature of 61 to 67 degrees F.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Helkitchen soils are on backslopes of mountains. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from limestone. Slope ranges from 8 to 50 percent. Elevations are 1,600 to 3,600 feet. The climate is typical of a low-latitude desert, with mild winters and very hot summers. Precipitation is greatest in the winter with lesser secondary peak in the summer, typical of the Mojave Desert transitional to Sonoran Desert. The mean annual precipitation is 5 to 9 inches, the mean annual temperature is 66 to 68 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 240 to 300 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Iceberg soil. Iceberg soils have a hyperthermic temperature regime.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very high runoff; moderate to moderately rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly white bursage, wolfberry, ephedra, creosotebush, Utah mortonia, desert needlegrass, Indian ricegrass and cacti.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mojave Desert of southern Nevada and northwestern Arizona; MLRA 30; These soils are not extensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: PHOENIX, ARIZONA

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mohave County (Grand Canyon Area), Arizona, 2001.

REMARKS:

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - 0 to 3 inches (A horizon).

Calcic horizon - 3 to 12 inches (Bk1 and Bk2 horizons).

Lithic contact - 12 inches (R layer).

Particle-size control section - 0 to 12 inches (A, Bk1 and Bk2 horizons).

Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 4/2015. The last revision to the series was 5/2006. ET

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.