LOCATION IRETEBA NV+AZ
Established Series
Rev. LNL/ET
04/2015
IRETEBA SERIES
The Ireteba soils typically have pale brown A1 horizons that are low in organic matter, have stratified moderately coarse and medium textured C horizons, and have weakly expressed Cca horizons. Organic matter is content of the soil profiles is variable and does not decrease regularly with depth.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, thermic Typic Torrifluvents
TYPICAL PEDON: Ireteba loam (Colors for dry conditions unless otherwise noted).
A1--to 0 to 12 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium to coarse platy structure; slightly hard, friable; slightly sticky, and slightly plastic; few fine roots; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 15 inches thick).
C1--12 to 18 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, non-plastic; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick).
C2ca--18 to 34 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loam with few medium faint white (10YR 8/1) lime segregation's, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; very hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; very few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8/2); abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 18 inches thick).
C3--34 to 54 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8/2); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 20 inches thick).
C4ca--54 to 60 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; massive; very hard, firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: The site is located at the approximate center of section. 29, T. 24 5., R. 63 E., Mt. Diablo baseline and meridian, Clark County, Nevada.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Average annual soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is less than 71.6 degrees F., and more than 59 degrees F. The soil is dry for more than half the time it is not frozen. Mineralogy is mixed. Color of the soil profile includes hues of 10YR and 7.5YR, values of 6 to 8 dry and 4 to 6 moist, and chromas of 2 to 4. Values of 8 dry and 6 moist occur only in Cca horizons. Texture of the control section is predominantly stratified fine sandy loam and loam, but may include thin (less than 9 inches thick) strata of loamy fine sand, gravelly sandy loam, sandy loam or very fine sandy loam, When mixed, the control section will contain less than 18 percent clay.
Structure of the A1 horizons ranges from weak or moderate, medium fine to coarse platy or may be massive. The remainder of the profile is either massive or ranges in structure from weak, fine to coarse platy.
The Cca horizons contain few to many fine or medium, distinct lime segregations or sufficient disseminated lime to impart high color values. In the former the Cca horizons range in thickness from 3 to 8 inches and contain less than 15 percent CaC03 equivalent or not over 5 percent more than the next underlying horizon. In the latter they are less than 6 inches thick and contain more than 15 percent CaC03. One to several Cca horizons may occur within the control section.
Weak or strongly lime-cemented strata, up to 15 inches thick, may occur below 40 inches. The soil profile is calcareous throughout. pH of the profile ranges from 8.0 to 9 0 and is usually highest either at the surface or in Cca horizons.
COMPETING SERIES: These include the
Anthony,
Gila, and
Tobler series. The Anthony soils are moderately coarse textured and Gila medium textured. Neither soil has Cca horizons that are characteristic of Ireteba soils. Tobler soils are redder, having hues of 5YR to 10YR, and contain many strata of loamy fine sand or loamy sand in the control section, though they are in a coarse loamy family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are on the smooth, nearly level lower margins of alluvial fans and in flat basins. The slope gradients are commonly less than O.2 percent, but may include slopes up to 1 percent. They have developed in loamy alluvium derived from mixed rock sources including assorted volcanic and sedimentary rocks. Ireteba soils occur at elevations between 1,700 and 2,200 feet where the mean annual precipitation averages about 5 inches. The average annual air temperature is about 66 degrees F.; January about 45 degrees F.; and July 86 degrees F. The frost-free season is about 235 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the
Land,
Mead,
Arizo and
Colorock series. Land soil have fine silty control sections and salic horizons. Mead soils are fine textured and somewhat poorly drained. Arizo soils have very gravelly coarse textured control section. Colorock soils have clay loam textured argillic horizons and lime-indurated hardpans.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is very slow and permeability is generally moderate, but may be moderately slow or slow in lime-cemented substrata layers.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used only for low production range land that has very low carrying capacity. Vegetation consists mainly of creosotebush, white bursage, and desert sage. The plant density is about 2 percent.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Nevada and possibly in southeastern California and southern Arizona in MLRA 30. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: PHOENIX, ARIZONA
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Clark County, Las Vegas-Eldorado Valleys Area, Nevada, August 1964.
REMARKS: The Ireteba series was formerly classified in the Alluvial Great Soil Group. The activity class was added to the classification in March of 2003. Competing series were not checked at that time. - ET
OSED Scanned by NSSQAS last state edits 10/66
Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 4/2015. The last revision to the series was 3/2003. ET
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.