LOCATION PARADISE                NV

Established Series
Rev: BS/RPZ
12/2015

PARADISE SERIES

The Paradise series consists of very deep, poorly drained soils. The soils formed in mixed alluvium, mainly from limestone, on nearly level flood plains and alluvial flats. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 5 inches; mean annual temperature is about 66 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, thermic Typic Calciaquolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Paradise loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

Al--0 to 6 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry, with many fine and very fine light gray (10YR 7/2) mottles; moderate medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine and medium saltgrass rhyzomes; many fine and very fine tubular, and many very fine interstitial pores; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick.)

A2--6 to l9 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry, with many fine and very fine light gray (10YR 7/2) mottles; moderate medium and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; abundant fine and medium saltgrass rhyzomes and roots; many very fine and fine tubular, and many fine interstitial pores; violently effervesent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (7 to 16 inches thick.)

Bg--l9 to 38 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam with common coarse distinct reddish brown (5YR 4/4) iron mottles, light gray (10YR 7/1) dry; weak medium and fine granular structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and medium roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (17 to 36 inches thick.)

Bk--38 to 60 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) silt loam, white (10YR 8/1) dry; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; many l/2 to 3-inch diameter lime concretions; several extremely hard and extremely firm, 3/4 to 2-inch thick , discontinuous strongly lime-cemented lenses; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).

TYPE LOCATION: Clark County, Nevada; about 50 feet north and l0 feet east of the southwest corner of section 15, T. 14 S., R. 65 E., MDBM.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture:Moist in winter, dry in spring, summer and fall
except for short periods following summer
thunder showers.
Soil temperature:66 to 69 degrees F.
Mollic epipedon
thickness:7 to 24 inches.
Control section
Texture:Silt loam, sandy loam, loam.
Percent clay:8 to l8 percent.
Reaction:Moderately through very strongly alkaline.
Other features:Some pedons have thin strata of silty clay loam.

A horizon
Value:4 or 5 dry; 2 or 3 moist (values of 6 dry and
4 moist may occur where calcium carbonate
equivalent exceeds 40 percent)
Chroma:l or 2.
Structure:Platy, granular, or subangular blocky.
be massive in the lower part of some pedons.

B horizon
Value:7 or 8 dry; 5, 6 or 7 moist.
Chroma:l, 2 or 3.
Consistence:Slightly hard to very hard when dry and
very friable to firm when moist.
Other features:Few to many, extremely hard lime concretions
and thin extremely hard, discontinuous lime-
cemented strata occur below 24 inches in
some pedons. Iron mottles may occur through-
out the B horizons.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family. Similar soils are the Borup and Ironton series. Borup soils are coarse-silty and frigid. Ironton soils have mesic temperature regimes.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Paradise soils are on flood plains and alluvial flats. The soils formed in alluvium from limestone and other sedimentary rocks. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. Elevations are l,800 to 2,l00 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 4 to 6 inches; the mean annual temperature is 64 to 68 degrees F. The frost-free season is about 260 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Land, Las Vegas and Spring series. These soils lack a mollic epipedon. Land soils are fine-silty and have a salic horizon. Las Vegas soils are shallow to a hardpan. Spring soils are fine-loamy and have a qypsic horizon within a depth of 40 inches.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained; very slow runoff; permeability is moderate. In most areas the water table has been lowered by pumping.

USE AND VEGETATION: Pasture and wildlife habitat. Some areas are being urbanized. Present vegetation is mainly alkali sacaton, inland saltgrass, sedges and some mesquite trees.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Nevada. The soils are not extensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: PHOENIX, ARIZONA

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Las Vegas and Eldorado Valleys Area, Clark Coutny, Nevada, l964.

Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 12/2015. The last revision to the series was 9/1997. ET

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.