LOCATION BEERBO                  NV

Established Series
Rev. DJM-LJL-JVC
04/2015

BEERBO SERIES

The Beerbo series consists of very shallow and shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium derived from gneiss, schist, and altered granitic rocks. Beerbo soils are on mountains. Slope ranges from 15 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 10 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 48 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic, shallow Aridic Argiustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Beerbo extremely cobbly sandy loam, forest and wildlife habitat. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered by approximately 35 percent pebbles, 25 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones.

A--0 to 3 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) extremely cobbly sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 35 percent pebbles, 25 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)

Bt1--3 to 7 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely cobbly sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial and common very fine and fine tubular pores; few faint clay films coating sand grains; 25 percent pebbles and 40 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)

Bt2--7 to 11 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) extremely cobbly sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic, common medium and coarse roots; common fine interstitial and common fine and medium tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 30 percent pebbles and 35 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2); gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 6 inches thick)

Cr--11 to 18 inches; soft weathered gneiss and schist; clear wavy boundary. (6 to 8 inches thick)

R--18 inches; hard unweathered gneiss and schist.

TYPE LOCATION: Clark County, Nevada; about 0.5 miles southwest of the summit of McCullough Mountain on the western slopes of the McCullough Range; approximately 2,610 feet north and 570 feet east of the southwest corner of section 17, T. 27 S., R. 61 E.; USGS McCullough Mountain, NV 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 35 degrees 35 minutes 50 seconds north latitude and 115 degrees 11 minutes 13 seconds west longitude: UTM 11s, 664246e, 3940789n; NAD83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture - Usually dry, moist in late winter and early spring and intermittently moist in the upper part following summer convection storms. The soils have an aridic moisture regime that borders on ustic.

Mean annual soil temperature - 47 to 52 degrees F.

Mollic epipedon thickness - 7 to 10 inches; includes the Bt1 horizon.

Depth to paralithic contact - 8 to 14 inches. The paralithic materials below the contact are weathered metamorphic rock such as schist or gneiss.

Depth to hard bedrock - 14 to 20 inches.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 15 to 24 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 70 percent, mainly cobbles..

A horizon - Value: 4 or 5.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 1 or 2 percent.

Bt1 and Bt2 horizons - Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 through 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent.
Texture: Sandy loam or sandy clay loam.
Structure: Subangular blocky or angular blocky.
Organic matter content: 1 or 2 percent in the Bt1 horizon.
Other features: some pedons, below 7 inches, the Bt2 horizon have a chroma of 4

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Brown and Brownrigg series. Brown soils are dominated by gravel in the particle-size control section, have C horizons above the paralithic contact, and do not have paralithic materials of weathered metamorphic rock in the series control section. Brownrigg soils have secondary carbonates or calcareous C horizons.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Beerbo soils are on mountains. Slope ranges from 15 to 50 percent. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from gneiss, schist, and altered granitic rocks. Elevations are 5,000 to 7,020 feet. The climate is sub-humid continental, cool, with moist winters and occasional summer convection storms; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on ustic. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches; mean annual temperature is 45 to 50 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 90 to 130 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the McClanahan series. McClanahan soils do not have mollic epipedons.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for forest and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly of singleleaf pinyon and Utah juniper with an understory of Stansbury cliffrose, black grama, and muttongrass.

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

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Clark County Area, Nevada, 2006. Proposed in Clark County, Nevada, 1994. The name is coined from Beer Bottle Pass located about seven miles to the northwest.

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

Mollic epipedon - 0 to 7 inches (A and Bt1 horizons).
Argillic horizon - 3 to 11 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Paralithic contact - 11 inches (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section - 0 to 11 inches (A, Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).

Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 4/2015. The last revision to the series was 7/2006. ET

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.