LOCATION GARR NV+AZ

Inactive Series
Rev. LNL/VDL/ELS
02/2024

GARR SERIES

Typically, Garr soils are light brown calcareous strongly alkaline soils with very cobbly A horizons, very gravelly B2 horizons over bedrock at depth of 16 inches.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, thermic Lithic Haplocambids

TYPICAL PEDON: Garr very cobbly sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated)

A1--0 to 2 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very cobbly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine roots; few fine vesicular and common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 70 percent cobbles and gravel; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)

B21--2 to 8 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very gravelly fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine and few fine and medium roots; few fine tubular and many very fine tubular pores; 70 percent gravel and cobbles; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)

B22--8 to 12 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very gravelly fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine and few fine and medium roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 70 percent gravel and cobbles; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)

B23ca--12 to 16 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very gravelly loam, common medium faint brown (7.5YR 5/4) iron stains and common medium distinct white (N 8/0) lime segregations, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine and few fine tubular, and many very fine interstitial pores; very few thin clay bridges between sand grains and clay coats on sand grains; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt irregular boundary. (1 to 7 inches thick)

R--16 to 20 inches; black (10YR 2/1) unweathered gneiss bedrock with white (10YR 8/2) and very pale brown (10YR 7/4) lime coatings on surface and in cracks.

TYPE LOCATION: Clark County, Nevada; approximately 660 feet east and 2,000 feet south of the northwest corner of section 30, T.15S., R.70E., Mount Diablo base line and meridian.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of sola and depth to bedrock range from 12 to 20 inches. Mean annual soil temperature ranges from 59 degrees to 66 degrees F. The soil is usually dry for 6 months or more during most years, mainly during the spring, summer and autumn months. The soil has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 6 or 7 dry and 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. It is moderately or strongly alkaline (pH 8.0 to 8.8). The control section is fine sandy loam, sandy loam or light loam modified by gravel, cobbles or stones. Rock fragments range from 60 to 85 percent. The upper 15 inches of the profile average less than 0.3 percent organic matter. Few or common, fine to coarse lime segregations occur in the horizon immediately above bedrock, or the rock is coated by lime in cracks and on its surface, or both.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Cedar Mountain series which has <35 percent rock fragments in the control section and has mean annual soil temperature of <59 degrees F.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Garr soils are on moderately steep and steep foothills and mountain slopes at elevations of 2,000 to 3,500 feet. Slope gradients are 15 to 50 percent. The soils formed in residuum from metamorphic rocks including gneiss or schist. The climate is hot and arid. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 4 to 8 inches and mean annual temperature of about 60 degrees to 66 degrees F. Average January temperature is about 45 degrees F., July 86 degrees F., and average frost-free season is about 200 to 240 days.

PRINCIPAL ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Arizo, Cave, Nickel, Pulsipher, St. Thomas, and Virgin Peak soils. Arizo and Nickel soils lack lithic contacts. Cave soils have petrocalcic horizons. Pulsipher soils have mean annual temperature of <59 degrees F., and are Xerollic. St. Thomas soils lack cambic horizons and have carbonatic mineralogy. Virgin Peak soils have mollic epipedons and have mean annual temperatures of <59 degrees F.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used to provide limited livestock grazing and for watershed purposes. Native vegetation is very sparse, stunted, widely spaced white bursage, creosotebush, cacti, and annuals.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: These soils are of moderate extent in the Virgin River Area and possibly also in adjacent areas of Arizona, Utah, and California.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: DAVIS, CALIFORNIA

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Clark County (Virgin River Area), Nevada, 1970.

REMARKS: Garr soils were classified as Lithosols.

OSED scanned by SSQA. Last revised by state on 12/73.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.