LOCATION CAFETAL                 NV

Established Series
Rev. LJL/TM/ET
04/2015

CAFETAL SERIES

The Cafetal series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in mixed alluvium from basalt and andesite. Cafetal soils are on fan remnants. Slope ranges from 2 to 8 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 4 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 66 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, thermic Durinodic Calciargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Cafetal extremely stony loam, rangeland and wildlife habitat. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted). The soil surface is covered by approximately 40 percent pebbles, 20 percent cobbles and 20 percent stones.

A--0 to 3 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely stony loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; strong thin and medium platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine vesicular pores; 40 percent pebbles, 20 percent cobbles and 20 percent stones; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (1 to 5 inches thick)

Bty--3 to 13 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very cobbly loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds; common fine soft masses of gypsum (2 percent); 20 percent pebbles, 30 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)

Bqk1--13 to 22 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) extremely stony loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many fine calcium carbonate coats on rock fragments; 80 percent discontinuous weak silica and calcium carbonate cementation, brittle; 30 percent pebbles, 15 percent cobbles and 20 percent stones; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)

Bqk2--22 to 38 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) stratified extremely cobbly loam to loamy sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; common thick calcium carbonate coats on tops and sides of rock fragments and many thick (1/4 to 1/2 inch) silica and calcium carbonate pendants on undersides; averages 20 percent pebbles, 30 percent cobbles and 10 percent stones; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 18 inches thick)

2Bqk3--38 to 60 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely cobbly coarse sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; many thick (1/4 to 1/2 inch) silica and calcium carboante pendants on undersides of rock fragments; 30 percent pebbles, 30 percent cobbles and 10 percent stones; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).

TYPE LOCATION: Clark County, Nevada; approximately 3.5 miles southwest of Blue Quartz Mine in Eldorado Valley, Nevada; about 220 feet north and 1,615 feet west of the southeast corner of section 1, T. 24 S., R. 62 E.; USGS Boulder City NW, NV 7.5 minute quadrangle; 35 degrees, 52 minutes, 52 seconds north latitude and 114 degrees, 59 minutes, 49 seconds west longitude; UTM 11, 680814e 3972616n; NAD 83.

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 cumulative between July to October following convection storms. The soil has a typic aridic moisture regime.

Soil temperature - 66 to 71 degrees F.

Depth to base of the argillic horizon - 10 to 20 inches.

Depth to duric features - 10 to 20 inches.

Depth to the calcic horizon 20 to 30 inches.

Control section - Percent clay: 18 to 27 percent.

Rock fragments: 40 to 60 percent, mainly stones and cobbles.

A horizon - Value: 6 or 7 dry.
Chroma: 3 or 4.

Bty horizon - Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry.
Chroma: 4 through 6 moist.
Texture: Loam or sandy clay loam.
Gypsum: Trace to 2 percent as fine filaments and soft masses.

Bqk1 horizon - Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Texture: Loam or fine sandy loam.
Clay content: 10 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 60 to 75 percent, mainly stones and cobbles.
Calcium carbonate equivalent in the fine earth fraction: 3 to 10 percent.
Gypsum: Less than 1 percent gypsum as filaments and masses in some pedons.
Other features: Few calcium carbonate coats on undersides of rock fragments.

Bqk2 horizon - Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Texture: Averages loam or sandy loam with stratified loam to loamy sand.
Rock fragments: 60 to 80 percent, mainly stones and cobbles.
Clay content: Averages 8 to 15 percent.
Sand content: Averages 40 to 60 percent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent in the fine earth fraction: 5 to 15 percent.
Other features: Common visible calcium carbonate and silica as thick coatings on undersides of rock fragments.

2Bqk3 horizon - Value: 6 or 7 dry; 4 or 5 moist.
Rock fragments: 60 to 80 percent, mainly stones and cobbles.
Clay content: 5 to 15 percent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent in the fine earth fraction: 5 to 10 percent.
Other features: Many thick calcium carbonate and silica coats on undersides of rock fragments.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cafetal soils are on fan remnants. These soils formed in mixed alluvium from basalt and andesite. Slope ranges from 2 to 8 percent. Elevations are 1,800 to 3,600 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 69 degrees F., and the frost-free season is 240 to 300 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Arizo series. Arizo soils have sandy-skeletal particle-size control section and do not have an argillic horizon.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly creosotebush, white bursage and buckhorn cholla.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: 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, 1993. The name is coined.

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

Ochric epipedon - 0 to 3 inches (A horizon).
Argillic horizon - 3 to 13 inches (Bty horizon).
Calcic horizon - 22 to 60 inches (Bqk2 and 2Bqk3 horizon).
Duric horizon - 13 to 22 inches (Bqk1 horizon).
Particle-size control section - 3 to 13 inches (Bty horizon).

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.