LOCATION HIGHLAND NV
Established Series
Rev. LJL/RLB/TM
04/2015
HIGHLAND SERIES
The Highland series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in colluvium and residuum from volcanic sources. Highland soils are on backslopes of mountains. Slope ranges from 15 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 6 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 60 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Highland extremely gravelly loam, rangeland and wildlife habitat. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered by approximately 65 percent pebbles, 20 percent cobbles and 2 percent stones.
A--0 to 3 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely gravelly loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate thin platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine and common fine vesicular pores; 55 percent pebbles, 20 percent cobbles and 2 percent stones; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)
Bt--3 to 13 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very cobbly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine, and few medium roots; many very fine tubular pores; common faint colloid stains on mineral grains; 35 percent pebbles and 20 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (7 to 12 inches thick)
2Btkq--13 to 26 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very gravelly loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; strong medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; common faint clay films lining pores and on faces of peds; common fine seams of calcium carbonate; many, distinct, calcium carbonate and silica coats on rock fragments; 36 percent pebbles; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 15 inches thick)
2Bkq--26 to 40 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; common medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine, common fine and few medium tubular pores; few fine seams of calcium carbonate; few thin calcium carbonate and silica coats on undersides of rock fragments; 35 percent pebbles; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (11 to 24 inches thick)
R--40 inches; hard; slightly fractured bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Clark County, Nevada; approximately 10 miles northwest of Searchlight, Nevada on the northeast side of the Highland Range; about 15 feet west and 2,850 feet north of the southwest corner of section 27, T. 26 N., R. 62 E.; USGS McCullough Mountain NE, NV 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 35 degrees, 39 minutes, 20 seconds north latitude and 115 degrees, 2 minutes, 25 seconds west longitude; UTM 11s, 677400e, 3947516n; NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually dry, moist in some part for short periods during winter and early spring and for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July to October following convection storms. Has a typic-aridic moisture regime.
Soil temperature - 59 to 65 degrees F.
Depth to argillic horizon - 2 to 8 inches.
Depth to bedrock - 30 to 40 inches.
Control section - Percent clay: 18 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent.
Bt horizon - Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Clay: 18 to 27 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent, dominated by cobbles or gravel.
Effervescence: Noneffervescent to slightly effervescent.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
2Btkq horizon - Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Texture: Loam or clay loam.
Clay: 18 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent, dominated by gravel.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent to violently effervescent.
2Bkq horizon - Clay content: 6 to 12
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent.
Structure: Massive or subangular blocky.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Ashmed (T NV),
Bitter (CA),
Blind (T AZ),
Bluebird (AZ),
Khyber (CA),
Nellake (CA),
Soledad (NM),
Timosea (CA),
Topawa (AZ),
Twobitter (CA) and
Werewolf (CA) series. Ashmed, Bitter and Timosea soils are dry in the soil moisture control section during the summer months. Ashmed, Bitter, Blind, Bluebird, Khyber, Nellake, Timosea, Topawa, Twobitter and Werewolf soils have bedrock greater than 60 inches. Nellake soils have a mean annual soil temperature of 66 to 72 degrees F. Soledad soils contain 8 to 18 percent clay in the control section. Topawa soils have a mean annual soil temperature of 69 to 72 degrees F. Twobitter soils have an average clay content of 10 to 18 percent in the particle-size control section. Werewolf soils have 60 to 85 percent rock fragments and an average clay content of 15 to 18 percent in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Highland soils are on backslopes of mountains. These soils formed in colluvium and residuum from volcanic sources. Slope ranges from 15 to 50 percent. Elevations are 2,700 to 4,500 feet. The climate is hot and arid with warm, moist winters and hot, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 5 to 7 inches; mean annual temperature is 57 to 63 degrees F., and the frost-free season is 180 to 240 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Newera and
Nipton series. Newera and Nipton soils are less than 20 inches to bedrock and Nipton soils do not have an argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; rapid runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly big galleta and white bursage.
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, Nevada, 2006. Proposed in Clark County, Nevada, 1994. The name is from the Highland Range located nearby.
REMARKS: The type location was moved to better represent the series 7/95. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - 0 to 3 inches (A horizon).
Argillic horizon - 3 to 26 inches (Bt and 2Btkq horizons).
Lithic contact - 40 inches.
Particle-size control section - 3 to 23 inches (Bt and part of the 2Btkq 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.