LOCATION GRAPEVINE NV+AZ CA

Established Series
Rev. LNL/ELS/RLB/ET
04/2015

GRAPEVINE SERIES

The Grapevine series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in mixed alluvium with some gypsum. Grapevine soils are on fan piedmonts and alluvial flats. Slopes range from 0 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 125 millimeters (5 inches) and the mean annual air temperature is about 18 degrees C. (65 degrees F.).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Haplocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Grapevine very fine sandy loam - rangeland and wildlife habitat. Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. The soil surface is covered by approximately 10 percent gravel.

A1--0 to 3 centimeters (0 to 1 inch); pink (7.5YR 7/4) very fine sandy loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist; strong medium platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and fine vesicular pores; 5 percent gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary.

A2--3 to 13 centimeters (1 to 5 inches); pink (7.5YR 7/4) very fine sandy loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist; weak very coarse prismatic structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; 10 percent gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (The combined thickness of A horizons is 8 to 25 centimeters)

Bk1--13 to 43 centimeters (5 to 17 inches); pink (7.5YR 7/4) fine sandy loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine through medium roots; many fine distinct white (N8/) calcium carbonate filaments; 5 percent gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary.

Bk2--43 to 76 centimeters (17 to 30 inches); pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) fine sandy loam, pinkish gray (7.5YR 7/2) moist; massive; slightly hard and hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; 15 percent slightly hard calcium carbonate nodules; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt irregular boundary.

Bk3--76 to 127 centimeters (30 to 50 inches); pink (7.5YR 7/4) very fine sandy loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; 25 percent soft calcium carbonate masses; 2 percent gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of B horizons is 60 to 130 centimeters)

Bky1--127 to 137 centimeters (50 to 54 inches); reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) fine sandy loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial and few very fine tubular pores; few fine distinct white (N8/) gypsum masses; 5 percent soft calcium carbonate masses, 10 percent gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 38 centimeters thick)

Bky2--137 to 175 centimeters (54 to 69 inches); pink (5YR 7/4) loam, light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) moist; massive; hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and medium prominent white (N8/) gypsum masses; 5 percent soft calcium carbonate masses, slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).

TYPE LOCATION: Clark County, Nevada; about 275 meters (900 feet) north and 518 meters (1,700 feet) east of the southwest corner of sec. 31, T 21 S, R 61 E; USGS Las Vegas, NV 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 36 degrees, 4 minutes, 26.5 seconds north latitude and 115 degrees, 12 minutes, 7.6 seconds west longitude; UTM 11, 661896e, 3993654n; 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 soils have a typic-aridic soil moisture regime.

Soil temperature: 18 to 22 degrees C. (64 to 72 degrees F.).

Depth to the calcic horizon: 8 to 25 centimeters (3 to 10 inches).
Depth to weakly cemented part of calcic horizon: 38 to 122 centimeters (15 to 48 inches).

Control section
Clay content: Averages 10 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent in the less than 20 millimeter fraction: 15 to 40 percent.

A horizon:
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 through 6.

Bk horizons:
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 7 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 6 dry or moist.
Clay content: Averages 10 to 18 percent, ranges from 8 to 30 percent.
Texture: Fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or loam with some pedons having thin layers of clay loam.
Structure: Massive, subangluar blocky or platy.
Consistence: Soft through hard dry, very friable or friable moist, and nonsticky through moderately sticky, and nonplastic through moderately plastic wet.
Secondary calcium carbonate: 15 to 40 percent, mainly in soft masses.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Other features: 2 to 20 percent calcium carbonate concretions or nodules in some part.

Bky horizons:
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 7 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 6.
Clay content: Averages 10 to 18 percent, ranges from 8 to 30 percent.
Texture: Fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or loam to clay loam.
Consistence: Slightly hard through hard dry, very friable or friable moist, and nonsticky through moderately sticky, and nonplastic through moderately plastic wet.
Secondary calcium carbonate: 5 to 20 percent, mainly in soft masses.
Secondary gypsum: 1 to 5 percent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Other features: 2 to 20 percent calcium carbonate concretions or nodules in some part.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Algerita (NM), Cronese (CA), Guijarral (CA), Kinley (T AZ), Nikey (AZ), Rillino (AZ), Whitlock (AZ), Wink (TX+NM) and Yippin (NM) series. All these soils lack gypsum influence. Algerita soils have control sections with 10 to 20 percent carbonate clay. Cronese soils do not have gypsum in the lower substratum and have 5 to 10 percent calcium carbonate equivalent. Guijarral soils are dry from April to January. Kinley and Rillino soils contain 15 to 35 percent gravel in the control sections. Nikey soils have a calcic horizon at depths below 50 centimeters (20 inches) and contain more than 20 percent gravel. Whitlock soils have calcic horizons at depths of 25 to 41 centimeters (10 to 16 inches). Wink soils have calcic horizons at 50 to 100 centimeters (20 to 39 inches). Yippin soils have calcic horizons at 25 to 50 centimeters (10 to 20 inches).

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Grapevine soils are on fan piedmonts and alluvial flats. These soils formed in mixed alluvium with some gypsum. Slopes range from 0 to 15 percent. Elevations are 520 to 1,100 meters (1,700 to 3,600 feet) in Nevada and 460 to 1,375 meters (1,500 to 4,500 feet) in Arizona. 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. The mean annual precipitation is 100 to 230 millimeters (4 to 9 inches); mean annual air temperature is 14 to 21 degrees C. (57 to 69 degrees F.), and the frost-free season is 170 to 300 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Aztec, Goodsprings and McCarran soils. Aztec and McCarran soils have gypsic horizons. Goodsprings soils have petrocalcic horizons.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; slow or medium runoff; moderate permeability; moderately low saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly creosotebush, white bursage, and Indian ricegrass.

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: Formerly the Las Vegas-El Dorado Valley Areas, Nevada 1964; Currently the Las Vegas Valley Area, Nevada.

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

Ochric epipedon - 0 to 13 centimeters (0 to 5 inches) (A1 and A2 horizons).
Calcic horizon - (5 to 69 inches) (Bk1, Bk2, Bk3, Bky1 and Bky2 horizons).
Particle size control section - (10 to 40 inches) (Part of the Bk1, Bk2 and part of the Bk3 horizons).

Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 4/2015. The last revision to the series was 7/2011. ET

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.