LOCATION LIMEWASH                NV

Established Series
Rev: LJL/DM/TM/ET
09/2015

LIMEWASH SERIES

The Limewash series consists of shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium from gypsiferous sedimentary rocks. Limewash soils are on rock pediments. Slope ranges from 4 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 5 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 68 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, active, thermic, shallow Leptic Haplogypsids

TYPICAL PEDON: Limewash extremely gravelly fine sandy loam, rangeland and wildlife habitat. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered by approximately 65 percent pebbles and 5 percent cobbles.

A1--0 to 1 inch; reddish brown (2.5YR 5/4) extremely gravelly fine sandy loam, reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate very thick platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; many very fine, fine, common medium and coarse vesicular pores; 65 percent pebbles; very slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); abrupt smooth boundary.

A2--1 to 3 inches; light reddish brown (2.5YR 6/4) gravelly loamy fine sand, moderate thick platy structure parting to fine subangular blocky, reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) moist; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores and few very fine and fine tubular pores; 30 percent pebbles; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of A horizons is 1 to 5 inches)

Bw--3 to 6 inches; light reddish brown (2.5YR 6/4) gravelly fine sandy loam, reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores and few very fine and fine tubular pores; 25 percent pebbles; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)

By1--6 to 9 inches; light red (2.5YR 6/6) fine sandy loam, red (2.5YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine and few medium roots; many very fine interstitial pores and common fine tubular pores; 10 percent, medium and coarse, prominent, soft masses of gypsum throughout; 10 percent channers; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); abrupt wavy boundary.

By2--9 to 17 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 5/4) channery fine sandy loam, red (2.5YR 4/6) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine and few medium roots in soil matrix between gypsum crystals; many fine and medium interstitial pores; 5 percent coarse and very coarse gypsum crystals as pendants on bottom of rock fragments; 3 percent, fine, prominent, discontinuous, horizontal seams of gypsum crystals throughout; 20 percent channers and 2 percent flagstones; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of By horizons is 7 to 14 inches)

Cr--17 to 29 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) gypsiferous mudstone with lenses of limestone, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist.

TYPE LOCATION: Clark County, Nevada; about 24 miles south and 9 miles west of Mesquite, Nevada; approximately 4 miles west and 1 mile north of Devils Throat sinkhole; 2,010 feet south and 1,165 feet west of the northeast corner of section 19, T. 17 S., R. 70 E.; USGS Devils Throat, NV 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 36 degrees, 26 minutes, 35.6 seconds north latitude and 114 degrees, 12 minutes, 44.9 seconds west longitude; UTM 11S, 749850e, 4036723n; 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 and October following convection storms. The soils have a Typic-Aridic moisture regime.

Soil temperature: 66 to 71 degrees F.

Depth to gypsic horizon: 3 to 7 inches.
Depth to paralithic contact: 14 to 20 inches.

Organic matter: 0 to 0.5 percent.

Control section - Rock fragments: Averages 15 to 35 percent, mainly channers.
Clay content: 6 to 15 percent.

A1 horizon - Hue: 2.5YR and 5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Effervescence: Very slightly effervescent or slightly effervescent.

A2 horizon - Hue: 2.5YR and 5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Consistence: Soft or slightly hard.
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent, mainly gravel.
Effervescence: Very slightly effervescent or slightly effervescent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline.
Calcium carbonate equivalent of the fine earth fraction: 0 to 2 percent.

Bw horizons - Hue: 2.5YR and 5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry.
Chroma: 4 or 6.
Rock fragments: 10 to 35 percent.
Effervescence: Very slightly effervescent or slightly effervescent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent of the fine earth fraction: 0 to 2 percent.

By horizons - Hue: 2.5YR and 5YR.
Chroma: 4 or 6.
Rock fragments: 10 to 35 percent.
Effervescence: Very slightly effervescent or slightly effervescent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent of the fine earth: 0 to 2 percent.
Gypsum content: 10 to 30 percent by weight.
Other features: 1 to 10 percent visible secondary gypsum.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing soils.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Limewash soils are on rock pediments. Slopes range from 4 to 50 percent. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium from gypsiferous sedimentary rocks. Elevations are 1,750 to 3,000 feet. The climate is arid with hot, dry summers and warm, occasionally moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 4 to 6 inches; mean annual air temperature is 64 to 69 degrees F., and the frost-free season is 240 to 300 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bard, Calwash and Nickel soils. Bard soils have a calcic horizon and a petrocalcic horizon. Calwash soils do not have a gypsic horizon. Nickel soils have a calcic horizon and are very deep.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium or high runoff; moderately rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly white bursage, creosotebush, Fremont dalea, longleaf ephedra and cattle saltbush.

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, Clark County Soil Survey Area, 2002. The name is coined from Lime Wash located 6 miles to the south.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the profile are:
Ochric epipedon -- 0 to 6 inches (A1, A2 and Bw horizons).
Gypsic horizon -- 6 to 17 inches (By1 and By2 horizons).
Paralithic contact -- 17 inches (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section -- 10 to 17 inches (Part of the By2 horizon).

Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 9/2015. The last revision to the series was 7/2006. ET

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.