LOCATION BARD                    NV+AZ

Established Series
Rev. LNL/ELS/ET
04/2015

BARD SERIES

The Bard series consists of shallow over cemented material, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived predominantly from limestone and dolomite with some sandstone and quartzite. The Bard soils are on dissected valley fill terraces, alluvial fans and fan remnants. Slope ranges from 0 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 5 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 62 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, carbonatic, thermic, shallow Calcic Petrocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Bard gravelly fine sandy loam, rangeland and wildlife habitat. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface has a weakly developed gravel pavement consisting of limestone and petrocalcic fragments.

A1--0 to 1 inch; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) gravelly fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate coarse platy structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine, common medium vesicular pores; 20 percent pebbles (limestone and petrocalcic fragments); violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)

A2--1 to 5 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; moderate coarse platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine and fine interstitial, and few very fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 6 inches thick)

Bk1--5 to 11 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and medium roots; common very fine and few fine interstitial pores; violently effervescent with few to common, fine and medium very pale brown (10YR 8/2) soft calcium carbonate segregations; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary.

Bk2--11 to 19 inches; pink (7.5YR 8/4) fine sandy loam, pink (7.5YR 7/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many fine and very fine interstitial pores; violently effervescent with many hard to extremely hard very pale brown (10YR 8/2) calcium carbonate nodules up to 1 1/2 inches in diameter; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bk horizons is 6 to 16 inches.)

Bkm--19 to 36 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) indurated petrocalcic horizon with many very thin laminae in the upper 1/2 inch, pink (7.5YR 7/4) moist; massive; extremely hard to very ridgid; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).

TYPE LOCATION: Clark County, Nevada; approximately 2,000 feet south and 2,640 feet east of the NW corner of section 24, T.14S., R.65E., Mount Diablo base line and meridian; 36 degrees, 42 minutes, 21 seconds north latitude and 114 degrees, 40 minutes, 0 seconds west longitude; USGS Moapa West, NV 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; UTM 11S, 0708429e 4064779n; NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil Moisture: Usually dry, moist in some parts for short periods during winter and early spring and for very brief intermittent periods in summer and fall, 10 to 20 days cumulative following summer convection storms.

Soil temperature - 64 to 66 degrees F.

Depth to petrocalcic horizon - 14 to 20 inches.

Profile reaction - Moderately alkaline or very strongly alkaline.

Control section - Clay Content: 8 to 15 percent

Rock fragments: Less than 15 percent.

A horizon - Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.

Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist.

Chroma: 2 through 4.

Bk horizons - Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR.

Value: 5 through 8 dry, 4 through 7 moist.

Chroma: 1 through 6.

Structure: Massive or subangular blocky.

Consistence: Soft or slightly hard, very friable to friable, and nonsticky or slightly sticky, nonplastic through plastic wet.

Secondary calcium carbonate accumulation: Up to 75 percent soft calcium carbonate masses, seams, and filaments; 0 to 40 percent hard calcium carbonate nodules or hardpan fragments.

Sodium absorbtion ratio - 5 to 12.

Bkm horizon - Value: 7 or 8 dry or moist.

Chroma: 0 through 4.

Other features: Some pedons may have thin, discontinuous silica lamellae in upper 1/2 inch of pan.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Crossen (TX), Mormon Mesa (NV), Upton (TX) and Woda (T NV) series. Crossen soils have an aridic moisture regime that borders on ustic and have 15 to 35 percent course fragments in the particle-size control section. Mormon Mesa soils have petrocalcic horizons thicker than 4 feet. Upton soils have 15 to 30 percent clay and 15 to 35 percent course fragments in the particle-size control section. Woda soils contain 20 to 30 percent clay in the control section. Wodavar soils contain gypsum above the hardpan.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Bard soils are on valley fill terraces, alluvial fans and fan remnants. Slope ranges from 0 to 15 percent. Elevation ranges from 1,600 to 3,000 feet. These soils formed in loamy alluvium derived mainly from limestone and dolomite with some sandstone and quartzite. The climate is arid, with hot dry summers and warm, occasionally moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 4 to 6 inches; mean annual temperature is 61 to 68 degrees F.(the mean January temperature is about 43 degrees F.; and the mean July temperature is about 83 degrees F.), The frost free season is about 180 to 270 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Mormon Mesa, Glendale, St. Thomas, and Tonopah soils, Glendale soils are very deep and dominantly silt loam. St Thomas soils have loamy-skeletal control sections and are shallow over limestone. Tonopah soils have sandy-skeletal control sections and lack petrocalcic horizons.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow or medium runoff; moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is mainly creosotebush, white bursage, annual buckwheat, cholla and other cacti.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Nevada and may occur in southwestern Utah, western Arizona, and southeastern California. MLRA 30. These soils are moderately extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Virgin River Area, Nevada-Arizona, 1970.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - 0 to 5 inches (A1 and A2 horizons).

Calcic horizon - 5 to 19 inches (Bk1 and Bk2 horizons).

Petrocalcic horizon - 19 to 36 inches (Bkm horizon).

Particle-size control section - 10 to 19 inches (Part of the Bk1 and Bk2 horizons).

Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 4/2015. The last revision to the series was 12/2005. ET

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.