LOCATION SKYHAVEN NV

Established Series
REV: BS/TM/RPZ
12/2015

SKYHAVEN SERIES

The Skyhaven series consists of well drained soils that are moderately deep to an indurated lime hardpan. The soils formed in mixed alluvium dominantly from limestone, on basin floor remnants and relict alluvial flats. Slopes range from 0 to 4 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 5 inches; mean annual temperature is about 66 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, carbonatic, thermic Argic Petrocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Skyhaven clay loam, desert wildlife habitat. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 1 inch; pink (7.5YR 7/4) very fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; moderate thin platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial and common very fine vesicular pores; 3 percent fine pebbles; 20 percent calcium carbonate equivalant; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (l to 2 inches thick)

Bt--1 to 4 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) clay loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; strong medium prismatic structure, parting to strong coarse subangular blocky; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores, common very fine interstitial pores; 3 percent fine pebbles; few thin clay films on peds and in root channels, common clay bridges between sand grains; 25 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)

Btk--4 to 8 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gravelly clay loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few medium roots, common very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; few thin clay films on peds and in root channels; l5 percent pebbles composed mainly of hardpan fragments; common indurated and hard medium lime nodules that are white (N 8/) dry and pink (7.5YR 7/4) moist; 60 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; violently effer- vescent; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)

Bkyl--8 to 28 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) gravelly silty clay loam, pink (7.5YR 8/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few medium and fine roots, common very fine roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 25 percent white (N 8/) hard caliche fragments; few fine gypsum crystals; 80 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4) gradual wavy boundary. (l0 to 22 inches thick)

Bky2--28 to 37 inches; white (N 8/) very gravelly loam, pink (7.5YR 7/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 35 percent white (N 8/) hard caliche fragments; few fine gypsum crystals; 90 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3) abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to l0 inches thick)

Bkm--37 to to 60 inches; white (N 8/) indurated lime hardpan, pink (7.5YR 7/4) moist.

TYPE LOCATION: Clark County, Nevada; about 300 feet north and 2590 feet east the southwest corner of section 6, T. 20 S., R. 60 E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture:Usually dry; moist during winter and for l0
to 20 days during the period of July to September
following convection storms.
Soil temperature:66 to 70 degrees.
Solum thickness:6 to l6 inches.
Control section:
Texture of fine
earth: Loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam, silty clay
loam.
Clay content:20 to 40 percent
Rock fragments:Commonly l5 to 35 percent, mostly pebble sized
caliche fragments.
Depth to hardpan:24 to 40 inches.
Reaction:Moderately, strongly, or very strongly alkaline.

A horizon
Hue:7.5YR or l0YR.
Value:6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma:3 or 4.

Bt horizon:
Hue:7.5YR or l0YR.
Value:6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma:4 or 6.
Texture:Clay loam or sandy clay loam.
Rock fragments:0 to l5 percent, mostly pebble-sized caliche
fragments.
Structure:Prismatic or subangular blocky.
Calcium carbonate:20 to 60 percent.
Clay films:Few thin clay films on peds and in root channels,
clay bridging common between sand grains.
Skyhaven Series 3

Bk horizons
Hue:7.5YR, l0YR or neutral.
Value:7 or 8 dry, 6, 7 or moist.
Chroma:0, 2, 3 or 4.
Texture:Loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam or silty
clay loam.
Calcium carbonate
equivalent:60 to 90 percent.
Other features:Gypsum crystals are found in most pedons.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family. Similiar soils are the Cacique, Cruces and Hueco series. These soils have mixed minerology. In addition, Cruces soils are shallow to the hardpan and Hueco soils are coarse-loamy.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Skyhaven soils are on basin floor remnants and relict alluvial flats, at elevations ranging from l800 to 2500 feet. Slopes are 0 to 4 percent. The soils formed in mixed alluvium dominantly from limestone. The mean annual precipitation is 4 to 6 inches; the mean annual temperature is 64 to 68 degrees F.; frost-free season is about 260 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Casaga, Glendale, Las Vegas, Land and McCarren soils. The Casaga soil is very deep. The Glendale and Land soils are very deep and lack argillic horizons. The Las Vegas soil is shallow to the hardpan and lacks an argillic horizon. McCarran soils are very deep or deep, lack argillic horizons and have gypsic horizons.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow or medium runoff. Permeability is moderately slow above the hardpan.

USE AND VEGETATION: Wildlife habitat. Present vegetation is mainly shadscale, creosotebush, white bursage and ephedra.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Nevada. These soils are of small extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Clark County, Nevada. l964.

REMARKS: Skyhaven soils were formerly classified as loamy, mixed, thermic, shallow Petrocalcic Paleargids.

Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 12/2015. The last revision to the series was 5/1997. ET

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.