LOCATION RAMSHEAD                NV

Established Series
Rev. DJM/JVC
12/2015

RAMSHEAD SERIES

The Ramshead series consists of very shallow, well drained soils that formed in colluvium and residuum derived from sedimentary rocks. Ramshead soils are on hills. Slope ranges from 15 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 4 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 72 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, calcareous, hyperthermic, shallow Typic Torriorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Ramshead extremely flaggy sandy loam, rangeland and wildlife habitat. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered by approximately 15 percent channers and 55 percent flagstones.

A--0 to 1 inch; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) extremely flaggy sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine roots; many very fine interstitial and common fine vesicular pores; 15 percent channers and 55 percent flagstones; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)

C--1 to 6 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) extremely channery loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine and few fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 70 percent channers; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 6 inches thick)

Cr--6 to 8 inches; weathered siltstone. (1 to 4 inches thick)

R--8 inches; unweathered siltstone.

TYPE LOCATION: Clark County, Nevada; in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area about 1 mile east of Pinto Ridge on the east side of Pinto Valley; 2,120 feet west and 180 feet south of the northeast corner of section 6, T. 20 S., R. 67 E.; USGS Boulder Canyon 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 36 degrees 13 minutes 50 seconds north latitude and 114 degrees 32 minutes 21 seconds west longitude; UTM 11s 0721162e, 4012330n; 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 convection storms; typic aridic soil moisture regime.

Mean annual soil temperature - 72 to 78 degrees F.

Depth to paralithic contact: 5 to 10 inches .

Depth to bedrock: 6 to 14 inches

Reaction - moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.

Control section - Clay content: 8 to 18 percent.

Rock fragments: averages 35 to 80 percent.

Effervescence - Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.

Calcium carbonate equivalent in the fine earth fraction: 5 to 15 percent.

A horizon - Hue: 2.5YR through 10YR.

Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.

Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.

C horizon - Hue: 2.5YR through 10YR.

Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.

Chroma: 4 through 6, dry or moist.

Texture: Sandy loam or loam.

Salinity (EC): 2 to 8 mmhos/cm.

Sodicity (SAR): 0 to 5.

Other features: Some pedons have 1 to 3 percent visible secondary gypsum.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Schenco (AZ), and Stormjade (CA) series. Schenco soils have Bw horizons and occur only on schist parent materials. Stormjade soils occur on gneiss and granite parent materials.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ramshead soils are on hills. These soils formed in colluvium and residuum derived from sedimentary rocks. Slope ranges from 15 to 50 percent. Elevations are 1,500 to 2,600 feet. The climate is arid with warm, moist winters and hot, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 3 to 5 inches, mean annual temperature is 69 to 74 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 300 to 360 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the St. Thomas soil. St. Thomas soils have carbonatic mineralogy and a thermic soil temperature regime.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; very high runoff; moderate permeability.

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

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, 2000. The name is coined.

REMARKS: The superactive cation exchange activity class is estimated. Laboratory data is needed to confirm this placement.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - 0 to 6 inch (A and C horizons).

Entisol feature - The absence of diagnostic subsurface horizons.

Paralithic contact - 6 inches (Cr layer).

Particle size control section - 0 to 6 inches (A and C horizons).

Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 12/2015. The last revision to the series was 7/2006. ET

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.