LOCATION CALICO NV
Established Series
Rev. LNL/ELS
04/2015
CALICO SERIES
Calico soils have calcareous moderately alkaline profiles of coarsely stratified very pale brown fine sandy loam; light brownish gray silty clay; and very pale brown fine sand.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy over clayey, mixed over smectitic, superactive, calcareous, thermic Aquic Xerofluvents
TYPICAL PEDON: Calico fine sandy loam, cultivated. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 6 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist; weak very thick platy structure that parts to weak medium and fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary, (4 to 8 inches thick)
C1--6 to 15 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; weak thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and common fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 15 inches thick)
C2--15 to 22 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) finely stratified silt loam and fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable and very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2)l; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)
IIC3--22 to 31 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) stratified silty clay and silty clay loam, very dark grayish brown and dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2 and 4/2) moist; common fine distinct reddish brown (5YR 5/4) clay lumps, few fine prominent dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) iron mottles, and common fine to coarse faint very dark gray (10YR 3/1) organic stains; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard and slightly hard, firm and friable, very sticky and sticky, very plastic and plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 20 inches thick)
IIC4--31 to 37 inches; finely stratified grayish brown (10YR 5/2) and light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silty clay, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) and very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; common fine prominent yellowish red (5YR 5/6) and olive gray (5Y 5/2) iron mottles. and many fine faint very dark gray (N 3/) organic stains; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard and slightly hard, friable, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 20 inches thick)
IIC5g--37 to 43 inches; light gray (5Y 7/1) finely stratified fine sandy loam, clay loam, and silt loam; gray (5Y 5/1) moist; many fine distinct white (10YR 8/1) gypsum flecks; weak medium and fine granular structure; very hard and slightly hard, firm and friable, nonsticky and very sticky, nonplastic and very plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and few fine interstitial pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 15 inches thick)
IVC6--43 to 60 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) fine sand, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; single grained; loose; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Clark County, Nevada; on the Ozaki Ranch in Moapa Valley; approximately 1,500 feet west and 660 feet south of the NE corner of section 2, T.17S., R.67E., Mount Diablo base line and meridian.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The unconformable fine textured stratum is at depths of 20 to 30 inches and it is 14 to 30 inches thick. The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 59 to 66 degrees F. These soils are usually moist for 6 months or more during the winter and spring months. Iron mottles having hue of 2.5YR to 5BG and chromas of 2 or greater are common below a depth of 20 inches. The organic matter content ranges from less than 0.70 in the A horizon to more than 2 percent in the IIC horizon. Calcium carbonate content ranges from 5 to 20 percent. The soils are moderately to strongly alkaline (pH 8.0 to 8.6). The upper part of the control section is dominantly fine sandy loam with a weighted average of less than 18 percent clay; thin (less than 3 inches thick) strata of very fine sandy loam, silt loam, loam, sandy loam or clay loam are in some pedons. The upper part of the control section has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. The lower part of the control section is dominantly silty clay or clay and has minor stratification with clay loam, silty clay loam or heavy silt loam in some pedons. It has hue of 10YR or 5Y, value of 4 through 7 dry, 2 through 5 moist, and chroma of 1 through 3. A few fine (less than 1/2 inch) very hard lime nodules occur below a depth of 40 inches in some pedons. Salt and gypsum crystals occur above the water table in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Anthony,
Gila,
Ireteba,
Lahontan,
Placeritos, and
Tobler series. All of these soils lack contrasting textures in the series control section. In addition, Anthony, Gila, Ireteba, and Tobler are well drained and Lahontan and Placeritos soils have annual soil temperatures cooler than 59 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Calico soils are on smooth, nearly level floodplains with gradients commonly less than 0.3 percent, but ranging up to 2 percent. They formed in loamy alluvium deposited by flood waters over clayey alluvium. The loamy alluvium was derived from mixed rock sources including assorted volcanic and sedimentary rocks. The underlying clayey alluvium was derived from mixed sedimentary and reworked lacustrine deposits. The climate is arid having a mean annual rainfall of 4 to 6 inches. The average annual temperature is about 65 degrees F.; the January temperature is about 65 degrees F.; and the July temperature is about 83 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Overton and
Toquop soils. Overton soils have fine textured control sections. Toquop soils have sandy control sections and are excessively drained.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; very slow runoff; moderately rapid permeability in the upper part of the control section and slow in the lower part of the control section. The water table flucuates between depths of 36 and 48 inches during most of the year.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of these soils are irrigated and used for production of alfalfa, sorghum, small grains, mixed legumes, and grass pastures, and assorted vegetable row crops. Native vegetation where not irrigated is quailbush, arrowweed, mesquite trees, fourwing saltbush, and saltgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Moapa Valley part of the Virgin River Area, Nevada in MLRA 30. The series is of small extent but may also occur in other areas of southeastern California and western Arizona.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: PHOENIX, ARIZONA
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Virgin River Area, Nevada-California, 1970.
REMARKS: Calico soils were classified as Alluial soils. The activity class was added to the classification in March of 2003. Competing series were not checked at that time. - ET
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.