LOCATION FLETCHERPEAK            NV

Established Series
LJL/TM/ET
04/2015

FLETCHERPEAK SERIES

The Fletcherpeak series consists of shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium from limestone. Fletcherpeak soils are on back slopes of mountains. Slope ranges from 30 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 16 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 43 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Aridic Lithic Argiustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Fletcherpeak extremely gravelly loam, forest and wildlife habitat. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered by approximately 65 percent pebbles, 5 percent cobbles and 1 percent stones.

A--0 to 1 inch; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) extremely gravelly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate thick platy structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine and common fine tubular pores; 50 percent pebbles and 10 percent cobbles; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)

Btk1--1 to 6 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, common fine through coarse roots; many very fine and common fine tubular pores; 15 percent, discontinuous, faint, clay films on sand grains and ped faces; 60 percent, fine, calcium carbonate pendants on undersides of rock fragments; 30 percent pebbles and 15 percent cobbles; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary.

Btk2--6 to 13 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) extremely cobbly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine through very coarse roots; many very fine and common fine tubular pores; 25 percent, discontinuous, faint clay films on sand grains and ped faces; 2 percent, medium, prominent, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) carbonate masses; 75 percent, fine, prominent, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) calcium carbonate pendants on undersides of rock fragments; 35 percent pebbles and 25 percent cobbles; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); very abrupt irregular boundary. (Combined thickness of the Btk horizons is 9 to 18 inches thick)

R--13 inches; hard limestone.

TYPE LOCATION: Clark County, Nevada; about 6.75 miles east and 2.5 miles north of Charleston Peak, Nevada; approximately 0.8 miles due south of Angel Peak on the east side of the Spring Mountains; tentatively sectioned area 200 feet north and 2,300 feet west of the southeast corner of section 10, T. 19 S., R. 57 E.; USGS Angel Peak, NV 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 36 degrees, 18 minutes, 25.8 seconds north latitude and 115 degrees, 34 minutes, 27.0 seconds west longitude; UTM 11s, 0628012e 4018963n; NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - usually dry, moist in late winter and early spring and intermittently moist in the upper part following summer convection storms; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on ustic.
Soil temperature: 43 to 46 degrees F.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 10 to 20 inches.
Depth to argillic horizon: 1 to 3 inches.
Depth to lithic contact: 10 to 20 inches.

Control section - Rock fragments: 35 to 80 percent, mainly gravel and/or cobbles.
Clay content: 15 to 25 percent.

A horizon - Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry and moist.
Structure: Weak or moderate, very fine through medium subangular blocky or granular.
Consistence: Soft or slightly hard.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent through violently effervescent.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Calcium carbonate of the fine earth fraction: 0 to 2 percent.
Organic matter: 1.0 to 2.0 percent.

Btk horizon(s) - Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Texture: Loam or silt loam.
Structure: Weak or moderate.
Consistence: Slightly hard or moderately hard, very friable through firm, slightly sticky or moderately sticky, slightly plastic or moderately plastic.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent through violently effervescent.
Reaction: Sightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Calcium carbonate of the fine earth fraction: 1 to 5 percent.
Organic matter: 0.5 to 2.0 percent.
Other features: In some pedons, the lower part of the profile does not meet the requirements of the mollic epipedon.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Wheelerpass series. Wheelerpass soils formed in quartzite parent material and is noneffervescent throughout the profile.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Fletcherpeak soils are on back slopes of mountains. Slope ranges from 30 to 75 percent. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium from limestone. Elevations are 7,000 to 8,600 feet. The climate is sub-humid continental, cool, with moist winters and occasional summer convection storms. The mean annual precipitation is 14 to 18 inches; mean annual air temperature is 41 to 44 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 60 to 95 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Buckspring soils. Buckspring soils have a mesic soil temperature regime.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very high runoff; moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for forest and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly singleleaf pinyon, curlleaf mountainmahogany, Utah juniper, black sagebrush and bluegrass.

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 Area, Nevada, 2003. The name is from Fletcher Peak located in the Spring Mountains.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the profile are:
Mollic epipedon - 0 to 13 inches (A, Btk1 and Btk2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - 1 to 13 inches (Btk1 and Btk2 horizons).
Lithic contact - 13 inches (upper boundary of the R layer).
Particle-size control section - 1 to 13 inches (Btk1 and Btk2 horizons).

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.