LOCATION CROSGRAIN NV+CA

Established Series
Rev. JLL/LJL/RLB
04/2015

CROSGRAIN SERIES

The Crosgrain series consists of very shallow and shallow to a duripan, well drained soils that formed in mixed alluvium . Crosgrain soils are on partial ballenas, ballenas and fan remnants. Slope ranges from 2 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 6 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 68 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, thermic, shallow Typic Haplodurids

TYPICAL PEDON: Crosgrain extremely gravelly loam, rangeland and wildlife habitat. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted). The soil surface is covered by approximately 84 percent pebbles, 10 percent cobbles and 1 percent stones.

A--0 to 1 inch; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) extremely gravelly loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak thick platy structure parting to medium subangular blocky; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 74 percent pebbles, 5 percent cobbles and 1 percent stones; violently effervescent (7 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in the fine earth fraction); moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)

Bw--1 to 5 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very gravelly loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and few medium roots; many very fine and few fine tubular pores; 40 percent pebbles and 3 percent cobbles; violently effervescent (12 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in the fine earth fraction); moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary.

Bk--5 to 11 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and few fine and medium roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; few distinct calcium carbonate coats on undersides of rock fragments in lower part of the horizon; 40 percent pebbles, 3 percent cobbles and 1 percent stones; violently effervescent (12 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in the fine earth fraction); strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (The combined thickness of the B horizons is 5 to 13 inches.)

Bqkm1--11 to 24 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) indurated duripan, light gray (10YR 7/2) moist; massive; very rigid, brittle; violently effervescent; abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 15 inches thick)

Bqkm2--24 to 49 inches; pink (7.5YR 8/4) strongly cemented duripan, reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) moist; massive; extremely hard, slightly rigid, brittle; discontinuous lenses of extremely gravelly sand (2 to 6 inches thick), massive, soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; violently effervescent (13 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in the fine earth fraction); strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (20 to 30 inches thick)

Bqm--49 to 60 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) weakly cemented duripan, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; massive; hard, very firm, brittle; discontinuous lenses of extremely gravelly sand (2 to 6 inches thick), massive, soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).

TYPE LOCATION: Clark County, Nevada; approximately 6.5 miles southwest of Keyhole Canyon Archaeological Site; about 1,730 feet south and 1,770 feet west of the northeast corner of section 36, T. 26 S., R. 62 E.; USGS Keyhole Canyon, NV 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 35 degrees, 38 minutes, 36 seconds north latitude and 114 degrees, 59 minutes, 47 seconds west longitude; UTM 11s, 681401e, 3946240n; NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture - Usually dry, moist in some part during winter and spring and intermittingly moist in the upper part following summer thunderstorms The soil has a typic aridic moisture regime.

Soil temperature - 63 to 72 degrees F.

Depth to duripan - 6 to 14 inches.

Control section: Percent clay: 8 to 20 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 40 to 70 percent.

A horizons - Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4 dry and moist. Texture of the fine earth: sandy loam or loam.

Bw or Bk horizons - Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry and moist.
Texture: sandy loam or loam.
Rock fragments: 35 to 70 percent.

Bqkm or Bqm horizons Hue: 10YR or7.5YR.
Value: 6 or 7 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 6 dry and moist.
Other features - Some horizons lack the 2 to 6 inches thick discontinuous layers of extremely gravelly sand.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bylas (AZ), Cline (AZ), Gotchell (AZ), Greyeagle (CA), Longjim (NV), Marsite (CA) and Tumarion (AZ). Bylas soils have late Neogene lacustrine limestone bedrock at 6 to 20 inches. Cline soils are moist in the soil moisture control section for more than 20 days from July through September and have basalt bedrock at 7 to 20 inches. Gotchell soils have fanglomerate bedrock at 15 to 60 inches. Greyeagle and Longjim soils are dry in the soil moisture control section during the summer months. Greyeagle soils have a 16 to 18 inches thick duripan forming on extremely stony loamy sand. Longjim soils are 14 to 20 inches deep to the duripan and contain less than 10 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Marsite soils have rhyolitic bedrock at 6 to 20 inches. Tumarion soils have volcanic bedrock at 7 to 20 inches below a 2 to 15 inch thick duripan.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Crosgrain soils are on partial ballenas, ballenas and fan remnants. These soils formed in mixed alluvium. Slope ranges from 2 to 50 percent. Elevations are 1,900 to 4,000 feet. The climate is low-latitude desert, with mild winters and very hot summers. Precipitation is greatest in the winter with a lesser secondary peak in summer, typical of the Mojave Desert. The mean annual precipitation is 3 to 7 inches; mean annual air temperature is 61 to 70 degrees F., and the frost-free season is 240 to 340 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Arizo, Irongold, Nickel and Tenwell series. Arizo soils do not have a duripan and have a sandy-skeletal particle size control section. Irongold soils have less than 35 percent coarse fragments in the control-section and petrocalcic horizon. Nickel soils have a calcic horizon and no pan. Tenwell soils have a moderately deep duripan below a fine-loamy argillic horizon.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; low to very high runoff; moderate to moderately rapid permeability above the pan.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly creosotebush, white bursage, range ratany, Spanish dagger, Nevada ephedra and bush muhly.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mojave Desert of southern Nevada and California. MLRA 30. These soils are moderately extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: San Benardino County, California, National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Soil Survey, 2000. The name is coined from Crossgrain Valley located in northwest Clark County.

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

Ochric epipedon 0 to 7 inches (A, Bw and Bk horizons).

Duripan -11 to 60 inches (Bqkm1, Bqkm2 and Bqm horizons)

Particle-size control section - 0 to 11 inches (A, Bw and Bk horizons).

Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 4/2015. The last revision to the series was 2/2006. ET

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.