LOCATION BITTER SPRING           NV

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

BITTER SPRING SERIES

The Bitter Spring series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium from mixed rock sources. Bitter Spring soils are on fan remnants. Slope ranges from 2 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 4 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 67 degrees F.

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

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.

Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 4/2015. The last revision to the series was 9/2006. ET

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.