LOCATION BLUEGYP                 NV

Established Series
Rev. DJM/JVC
04/2015

BLUEGYP SERIES

The Bluegyp series consists of deep, well drained soils that formed in residuum derived from gypsiferous sedimentary rocks. Bluegyp soils are on dissected pediments. Slope ranges from 2 to 8 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 4 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 72 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, gypsic, hyperthermic Leptic Haplogypsids

TYPICAL PEDON: Bluegyp gypsiferous fine sandy loam, rangeland and wildlife habitat. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) About 20 percent of the soil surface is covered by a thin microbiotic crust of cryptogams.

ABy--0 to 2 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) gypsiferous material, very pale brown (10YR 8/3) moist; strong very thick platy structure; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores and common very fine vesicular pores; apparent texture of the fine earth material is fine sandy loam; 30 percent fine gypsum crystals; many fine gypsum masses; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)

By--2 to 11 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) gypsiferous material, very pale brown (10YR 8/3) moist; strong very thick platy structure; hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; few fine tubular and very fine interstitial pores; apparent texture of the fine earth material is fine sandy loam; 25 percent discontinuous coarse gypsum clusters of extremely weakly cemented crystals 0.5 to 4 centimeters in size; many fine gypsum masses; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)

Byn--11 to 43 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) gypsiferous material, very pale brown (10YR 8/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; few fine and very fine interstitial pores; apparent texture of the fine earth material is sandy loam; 50 percent discontinuous coarse gypsum clusters of extremely weakly cemented crystals 0.5 to 2 centimeters in size; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); abrupt wavy boundary. (30 to 50 inches thick)

Cr--43 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) gypsum rock, very pale brown (10YR 8/3) moist; massive; finely-crystalline bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Clark County, Nevada; in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area about 0.5 mile east of Blue Point Spring along the access road to Stewarts Point; 830 feet east and 250 feet north of the southwest corner of section 5, T. 18 S., R. 68 E.; USGS Valley of Fire East, NV 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 36 degrees 23 minutes 25 seconds north latitude and 114 degrees 25 minutes 17 seconds west longitude; UTM 11s, 0739680e, 4030353n; NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture - Usually dry, moist in some part for short periods during winter and early spring and for brief periods between July and October following convection storms; typic aridic moisture regime.

Soil temperature - 72 to 78 degrees F.
Depth to gypsic horizon - 2 to 4 inches.
Depth to paralithic contact - 40 to 60 inches.

Reaction - Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.

Gypsum content: 40 to 60 percent.

ABy horizon - Value: 7 or 8, dry or moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.

By horizon - Value: 7 or 8, dry or moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Apparent texture: Sandy loam or fine sandy loam.
Secondary gypsum: Occurs as weakly cemented clusters of crystals ranging from 0.5 to 4 centimeters in size.

Byn horizon - Value: 7 or 8, dry or moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Apparent texture: Sandy loam or fine sandy loam.
Salinity (EC): 4 to 8 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 5 to 13.
Calcium carbonate equivalent in the fine earth fraction: 0 to 1 percent.
Secondary gypsum: Occurs as weakly cemented clusters of crystals ranging from 0.5 to 6 centimeters in size.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Govwash (NV) series. Govwash soils have 15 to 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section and are very deep.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Bluegyp soils are on dissected pediments. These soils formed in residuum derived from gypsiferous sedimentary rocks. Slope ranges from 2 to 8 percent. Elevations are 1,200 to 1,600 feet. The climate is arid with warm, moist winters and hot, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 3 to 5 inches, mean annual temperature is 70 to 76 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 300 to 360 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Drygyp soil. Drygyp soils are shallow to petrogypsic horizons.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; low runoff; rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly shadscale, sandpaper bush, Fremont dalea, and seepweed.

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

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Clark County Area, Nevada, 2006. Proposed in Clark County, Nevada, 2000. The name is coined.

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

Ochric epipedon - 0 to 2 inches (Ay horizon).
Gypsic horizon - 2 to 43 inches (By and Byn horizons).
Paralithic contact - 43 inches to underlying soft bedrock (Cr layer).
Particle size control section - 10 to 40 inches (parts of the By and Byn horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: The typical pedon of Bluegyp was reference sampled and analyzed at the Utah State University Analytical Laboratories. Selected chemical properties such as soil reaction (pH), electrical conductivity, sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), gypsum content, and water soluble ions were determined. USU Sample # 2723-2726, 1997.

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.