LOCATION GOODSPRINGS             NV+AZ

Established Series
Rev. BS/RPZ/ET
04/2015

GOODSPRINGS SERIES

The Goodsprings series consists of shallow. well drained soils overlying a lime-cemented hardpan. They formed in mixed alluvium primarily from limestone and sandstone on erosional fan remnants and alluvial flats. Permeability is moderate above the hardpan. Slopes range from 2 to 15 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 5 inches, and mean annual temperature is about 65 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic, shallow Typic Petrocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Goodsprings gravelly fine sandy loam-desert wildlife habitat. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--O to 1 inch; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gravelly fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; moderate thick platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; many very fine and fine vesicular pores; 22 percent pebbles; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 2 inches thick)

A2--1 to 5 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gravelly fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; weak thick platy structure parting to weak coarse subangular blocky; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and many very fine roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 22 percent pebbles; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)

Bk1--5 to 11 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) gravelly fine sandy loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, few fine and medium roots; few fine interstitial pores; 20 percent pebbles; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)

Bk2--11 to 15 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) gravelly fine sandy loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and plastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; few very fine and fine interstitial pores; 31 percent pebbles; weakly lime cemented; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline; (pH 8.8); clear wavy boundary. (O to 6 inches thick)

Bkm1--15 to 27 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) and pinkish white (5YR 8/2) strongly lime cemented hardpan, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) and pink (5YR 7/4) moist; very hard, firm and very firm; clear wavy boundary. (O to 15 inches thick)

Bkm2--27 to 52 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) and pinkish white 5YR 8/2) strongly lime cemented hardpan, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) and pink (5YR 7/4) moist; extremely hard, very firm; abrupt wavy boundary. (18 to 42 inches thick)

C--52 to 60 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) extremely gravelly loamy fine sand, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine interstitial pores; 70 percent pebbles; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8).

TYPE LOCATION: Clark County, Nevada; 2,400 feet south and 1,400 feet east of the northwest corner of section 18, T. 22 S., R. 61 E., 1DMB.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture:

Usually dry; moist during winter and for short periods in July through September after convection storms.

Soil temperature - 64 to 70 degrees F.

Pan thickness - 18 to 42 inches.

Clay content - 5 to 12 percent.

Depth to hardpan - 9 to 20 inches.


Control section- Texture: Typically fine sandy loam, but also sandy loam or loam.

Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent, mostly pebbles.

Reaction: Moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline.


A horizon - Value: 6 or 7 dry; 5 or 6 moist.

Chroma: 4 through 6.


Bk horizon Hue: 7.5YR or 5YR.

Value: 6 or 7 dry; 4 or 5 moist.

Chroma: 4 through 6.

Structure: Weak to moderate subangular blocky, weak prismatic, or horizon is massive.


Bkm horizon Hue: 7.5YR or 5YR.

Value: 5 through 8 dry; 4 through 7 moist.

Chroma: 2 through 6.

Consistence: Very hard or extremely hard, dry; firm or very firm, moist. Strongly cemented.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Cave and Simona soils, both of which have an indurated petrocalcic horizons with laminar capping. In addition, Simona soils have less than 15 percent rock fragments in the control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Goodsprings soils are on alluvial fans and valley fill plains and have slopes of 2 to 15 percent. The soils formed in alluvium primarily from limestone and sandstone. Elevations range from 2,000 to 3,000 feet. Mean annual precipitation is 4 to 6 inches and mean annual temperature is 62 to 68 degrees F. Frost-free season is 180 to 280 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Cave soil, and the Grapevine and Jean soils. Grapevine and Jean soils lack petrocalcic horizons. The Jean soils also have sandy-skeletal control sections.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Slow or medium runoff. Permeability is moderate above the hardpan.

USE AND VEGETATION: Desert wildlife habitat; some areas are being urbanized. Vegetation is mainly creosotebush, white bursage, desert globemallow, chorizanthe, and plantain. Ratany and ephedra are found in swales.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Nevada in MLRA 30. These soils are moderately extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Clark County, Nevada. 1964.

REMARKS: The type location was moved to better represent the concept of the series. The activity class was added to the classification in March of 2003. Competing series were not checked at that time. - ET

Additional Data: National Soil Survey Laboratory Sample No. S80NV-003-001.

Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this pedon are:

Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 4/2015. The last revision to the series was 3/2003. ET

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.