LOCATION GOVWASH NV
Established Series
Rev. DJM/JVC
04/2015
GOVWASH SERIES
The Govwash series consists of deep, somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from gypsiferous sedimentary rocks and basalt. Govwash soils are on dissected pediments. Slope ranges from 4 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 4 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 72 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, gypsic, hyperthermic Leptic Haplogypsids
TYPICAL PEDON: Govwash gravelly sandy loam, rangeland and wildlife habitat. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered by approximately 15 percent pebbles.
A--0 to 1 inch; light brown (7.5YR 6/3) gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and fine vesicular pores; 15 percent pebbles; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
Bw--1 to 3 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and fine vesicular and interstitial pores; 10 percent pebbles; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)
Byk--3 to 6 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gravelly gypsiferous sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; moderately hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 20 percent gypsum pendants on bottoms of rock fragments; 5 percent fine calcium carbonate threads; 20 percent pebbles; violently effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
By1--6 to 30 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/3) gypsiferous material, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine and medium prismatic structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; apparent texture of the fine earth material is coarse sandy loam; 60 percent medium and coarse vertical gypsum crystals and pendants on bottom of rock fragments; 20 percent pebbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (20 to 25 inches thick)
By2--30 to 56 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/3) gypsiferous material, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine prismatic structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and few fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; apparent texture of the fine earth material is coarse sandy loam; 30 percent fine and medium vertical gypsum crystals and pendants on bottom of rock fragments; 40 percent pebbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (20 to 30 inches thick)
Cr--56 to 63 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) highly fractured gypsum rock, pinkish gray (7.5YR 7/2) moist; massive; clear wavy boundary. (6 to 20 inches thick)
R--63 inches; hard gypsiferous sedimentary rocks.
TYPE LOCATION: Clark County, Nevada; about 7 miles northeast of Henderson in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area along Lake Shore Road 0.5 mile east of the junction of North Shore Road; 350 feet south and 2,270 feet east of the northwest corner of section 24, T. 21 S., R. 63 E.; USGS Henderson 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 36 degrees 6 minutes 52 seconds north latitude and 114 degrees 53 minutes 45 second west longitude; UTM 11s, 0689383e, 3998693n; 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 convection storms; typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature - 72 to 78 degrees F.
Depth to gypsic horizon - 1 to 7 inches.
Depth to paralithic contact - 40 to 60 inches
Control section - Clay content: 5 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 15 to 35 percent, mainly basalt gravel.
Reaction - Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
A horizon - Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry; 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Bw horizon (when present) - Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Sandy clay loam or loam.
Clay content: 10 to 25 percent.
Structure: Subangular blocky or platy.
Rock fragments: 5 to 15 percent.
Byk horizon - Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Gypsiferous sandy loam or gypsiferous fine sandy loam.
Structure: Subangular blocky or massive.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: Occurs as 2 to 10 percent by volume fine threads or filaments.
Calcium carbonate equivalent in the fine earth fraction: 5 to 15 percent.
Secondary gypsum: Occurs as 5 to 10 percent by volume fine and medium crystals or pendants on bottoms of rock fragments.
Gypsum content: 15 to 25 percent.
By horizons - Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Apparent texture: Sandy loam, coarse sandy loam..
Structure: Prismatic, subangular blocky, or massive.
Secondary gypsum: Occurs as 40 to 80 percent by volume vertically oriented fine through coarse clusters of crystals or pendants on bottom of rock fragments.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the
Bluegyp (TNV) series. Bluegyp soils do not have rock fragments.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Govwash soils are on summits of dissected pediments. These soils formed in alluvium (pedisediment) derived from gypsiferous sedimentary rocks and basalt. Slope ranges from 4 to 15 percent. Elevations are 1,300 to 2,200 feet. The climate is low-latitude desert, with mild winters and very hot summers. Precipitation is greatest in the winter with lesser secondary peak in the summer, typical of the Mojave Desert transitional to Sonoran Desert. The mean annual precipitation is 3 to 5 inches, mean annual temperature is 70 to 74 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 300 to 360 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the
Guardian soil. Guardian soils are loamy, shallow to gypsum rock, and do not have rock fragments.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; medium runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly creosotebush, white bursage, sunray, and range ratany.
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, Nevada, 2000. The name is coined from Government Wash.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - 0 to 3 inch (A and Bw horizons).
Gypsic horizon - 3 to 56 inches (Byk, By1, and By2 horizons).
Paralithic contact - 56 inches (Cr layer).
Particle size control section - 10 to 40 inches (parts of the By1 and By2 horizons).
Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 4/2015. The last revision to the series was 7/2006. ET
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.