LOCATION CHARPEAK                NV

Established Series
Rev. LJL/ET
04/2015

CHARPEAK SERIES

The Charpeak series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in colluvium and residuum from limestone and dolomite. Charpeak soils are on upper back slopes of mountains and slopes range from 15 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 500 millimeters and the mean annual air temperature is about 4 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive Typic Calcicryepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Charpeak extremely gravelly fine sandy loam, recreation and wildlife habitat. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The surface is covered by approximately 90 percent gravel and 1 percent cobbles.

A--0 to 5 centimeters; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely gravelly fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; moderately hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and common fine tubular pores; 75 percent gravel; strongly effervescent (11 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in the fine earth fraction); moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 10 centimeters thick)

Bk1--5 to 20 centimeters; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine and common fine tubular pores; 70 percent fine (1 to 2 millimeter) calcium carbonate pendants on the undersides of rock fragments; 75 percent gravel; strongly effervescent (19 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in the fine earth fraction); moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 18 centimeters thick)

Bk2--20 to 74 centimeters; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely gravelly fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; 70 percent medium (2 to 5 millimeter) calcium carbonate pendants on the undersides of rock fragments; 75 percent gravel and 3 percent cobbles; strongly effervescent (11 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in the fine earth fraction); moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (25 to 76 centimeters thick)

R--74 centimeters; fractured limestone bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Clark County, Nevada; on the Toiyabe National Forest about 4 miles north and 16 miles east of Pahrump; in the Spring Mountains approximately 200 feet east and 2200 feet south of Charleston Peak; 1600 feet north and 1400 feet west of the southeast corner of section 28, T. 19 S., R. 56 E.; USGS Charleston Peak, NV, 7.5 minute quadrangle; latitude 36 degrees 15 minutes 56.10 seconds N. and longitude 115 degrees 41 minutes 42.20 seconds W.; UTM zone 11N, 0617219e 4014195n; NAD83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture - usually moist, dry for less than 45 days in normal years; udic soil moisture regime.

Mean annual soil temperature: 4 to 6 degrees C.
Mean annual summer soil temperature: 8 to 12 degrees C.
Organic matter: 0.25 to 0.75 percent.

Depth to calcic horizon: 5 to 10 centimeters.
Depth to lithic contact: 50 to 100 centimeters.

Control section - Rock fragments: 60 to 80 percent, mainly gravel, lithology of fragments is limestone or dolomite.
Clay content: 8 to 15 percent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent of the less than 20 millimeter fraction: 20 to 40 percent.

A horizon - Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Calcium carbonate equivalent of the fine earth fraction: 5 to 15 percent.

Bk1 horizon - Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Sandy loam or fine sandy loam.
Consistence: Nonsticky and slightly sticky.
Clay content: 8 to 15 percent.
Rock fragments: 60 to 80 percent, mainly gravel.
Calcium carbonate equivalent of the fine earth fraction: 10 to 25 percent.

Bk2 horizon - Chroma: 3 or 4.
Texture: Sandy loam or fine sandy loam.
Consistence: Nonsticky or slightly sticky.
Rock fragments: 60 to 80 percent, mainly gravel.
Calcium carbonate equivalent of the fine earth fraction: 10 to 25 percent.
Other features: 5 to 10 percent secondary calcium carbonate accumulation as pendants on undersides of coarse fragments.

COMPETING SERIES: There are currently no other series in this family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Charpeak soils are on upper backslopes of mountains. Slopes range from 15 to 50 percent. These soils formed in colluvium and residuum from limestone and dolomite. Elevations are 3048 to 3627 meters. The characteristic climate is alpine tundra, with cool summers and cold winters. The mean annual precipitation is 457 to 560 millimeters, the mean annual air temperature is 3 to 5 degrees C., and the frost-free period is 40 to 60 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Ladyofsnow and Mountmummy soils. Ladyofsnow soils are on north-facing lower backslopes of mountains and are very deep. Mountmummy soils are on south-facing lower backslopes of mountains and have frigid soil temperature regimes and mollic epipedons.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; high runoff; moderately rapid permeability (high saturated hydraulic conductivity).

USE AND VEGETATION: Charpeak soils are used for recreation and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly muttongrass and Kern milkvetch.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: High mountains in the Mojave Desert of southern Nevada; MLRA 30. These soils are not extensive with about 230 acres of the series mapped to date.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Clark County Area, Nevada, 2006. Proposed in Clark County, Nevada; Clark County Soil Survey, 2005. The name is coined from Charleston Peak located in the Spring Mountains.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the profile are:

Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 5 centimeters (A horizon).
Calcic horizon - The zone from 5 to 74 centimeters (Bk1 and Bk2 horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 74 centimeters to underlying unweathered bedrock (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 74 centimeters (Part of the Bk2 horizon).

Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 4/2015. The last revision to the series was 7/2008. ET

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.