LOCATION RABBITCREEK             OR

Established Series
Rev. EGH-MPK-JVC-JBF
05/2011

RABBITCREEK SERIES

The Rabbitcreek series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium over lacustrine deposits derived from volcanic rocks. Rabbitcreek soils are on lake terraces. Slopes are 0 to 3 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 230 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 8 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Haplocambids

TYPICAL PEDON: Rabbitcreek very gravelly loam--on a lake terrace sloping 1 percent to the southeast at an elevation of 1,364 meters--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 8 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very gravelly loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate medium platy structure parting to weak fine granular; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and few fine roots; common fine vesicular pores; 40 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (5 or 8 cm thick)

A2--8 to 18 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate medium platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, common fine, and few medium roots; common fine irregular pores; 5 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)

Bt--18 to 36 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine and few medium roots; few fine irregular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 20 cm thick)

Bk1---36 to 66 cm; 70 percent brown (10YR 5/3) with 30 percent light gray (10YR 7/2) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) with brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate medium and thick platy structure parting to moderate very fine angular blocky; hard, firm, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and few medium roots; common fine irregular pores; secondary carbonates segregated as few fine masses; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 30 cm thick)

2Bk2--66 to 81 cm; pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) paragravelly loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; weak thin platy structure parting to moderate very fine angular blocky; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; few fine irregular pores; common fine relict masses of iron and manganese accumulation; 30 percent paragravel; secondary carbonates segregated as few medium masses; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 25 cm thick)

2Bk3--81 to 102 cm; pale yellow (2.5Y 8/2) extremely paragravelly clay loam, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; angular blocky rock structure; very hard, very firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; few fine irregular pores; common fine relict masses of iron and manganese accumulation; 70 percent paragravel and 5 percent paracobbles; secondary carbonates segregated as common fine masses; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (15 to 20 cm thick)

2Ck1--102 to 127 cm; pale yellow (2.5Y 8/2) extremely paragravelly silt loam, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) angular blocky rock structure; extremely hard, extremely firm, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; very few fine roots between fragments; few fine irregular pores; few fine relict masses of iron and manganese accumulation; about 80 percent paragravel; secondary carbonates segregated as few medium masses on pararock fragments; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (25 to 81 cm thick)

2Ck2--127 to 157 cm; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) extremely paragravelly silt loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; angular blocky rock structure; extremely hard, extremely firm, moderately and slightly plastic; very few fine roots between fragments; few fine irregular pores; common fine and common medium relict masses of iron and manganese accumulation; about 85 to 90 percent paragravel; secondary carbonates segregated as few medium masses on pararock fragments; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4)

TYPE LOCATION: Lake County, Oregon; east of Rabbit Basin in Warner Valley; approximately 700 feet south and 2,600 feet east of the northwest corner of section 4, T. 34 S., R. 25 E.; USGS Rabbit Hills NE 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 42 degrees 39 minutes 25 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 46 minutes 30 seconds W; NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in the moisture control section in winter and spring, dry in summer and fall; typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 9 to 10 degrees C.
Depth to base of cambic horizon: 25 to 50 cm.
Depth to horizons with more than 60 percent pararock fragments: 50 to 90 cm.
Other features: Pararock fragments consist of weakly cemented silty lacustrine deposits that are highly fractured and that do not form a layer that is root-limiting. The majority of these fragments are water-stable and will not slake after air-drying and soaking in water for at least one hour.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 18 to 30 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent, mainly gravel. Lithology of fragments are volcanic rocks such as basalt and tuff.

A horizons
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

Bt or Bw horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Clay loam or loam.
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent gravel
Pararock fragments: 0 to 15 percent paragravel.
Other features: Although evidence of illuvial clay is present in Bt horizons, such horizons in this soil lack the required clay increase needed for an argillic horizon.

Bk horizon
Texture: Loam, clay loam, sandy clay loam, or sandy loam.
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent gravel
Pararock fragments: 0 to 15 percent paragravel. Some pedons have 15 to 25 percent paragravel.
Salinity (EC): 2 to 8 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 5 to 13.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent or strongly effervescent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 3 to 5 percent.

2Bk horizons
Texture: Extremely paragravelly loam, extremely paragravelly clay loam, extremely paragravelly sandy clay loam, or extremely paragravelly sandy loam. Some pedons have an upper 2Bk horizon with texture of paragravelly loam.
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent gravel
Pararock fragments: 60 to 85 percent paragravel and 0 to 5 percent paracobbles; Some pedons have an upper 2Bk horizon with only 25 percent pararock fragments.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Salinity (EC): 2 to 8 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 5 to 13.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent or strongly effervescent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 3 to 5 percent.

2Ck horizons
Value: 4 through 6 moist.
Texture: Extremely paragravelly silt loam or extremely paragravelly loam.
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent gravel
Pararock fragments: 80 to 90 percent, mainly paragravel.
Salinity (EC): 2 to 8 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 5 to 13.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent or strongly effervescent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 3 to 5 percent.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Defenbaugh, Hostage, Kinnear, Pavillion, and Tewa series.

Defenbaugh and Kinnear soils do not have horizons with pararock fragments from cemented lacustrine deposits. Hostage and Pavillion soils are moderately deep to paralithic contacts. Tewa soils are intermittently moist in the upper horizons during July through September due to summer convection storms and do not have horizons with pararock fragments from cemented lacustrine deposits.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Rabbitcreek soils are on lake terraces. These soils formed in alluvium over lacustrine deposits derived from volcanic rocks. Slopes are 0 to 3 percent. Elevations range from 1,320 to 1,495 meters. The climate is arid and characterized by cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm, the mean annual temperature is 7 to 9 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 80 to 110 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Boravall, Rabbithills, Reese, and Turpin soils. Boravall soils are fine, saline-sodic, and have endosaturation at shallow depth. Rabbithills soils are loamy and shallow to duripans. Reese soils are fine-loamy, saline-sodic, and have endosaturation at shallow depth. Turpin soils are fine-loamy, saline-sodic, and have sodium adsorption ratio of 100 to 300 within the series control section.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; low surface runoff; moderately slow permeability; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Rabbitcreek soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The historic plant community is shadscale, bud sagebrush, black greasewood, Indian ricegrass, and bottlebrush squirreltail.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South-central Oregon. These soils are not extensive with about 750 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRA 23.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lake County (Northern Part), Oregon, 2006.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 18 to 36 cm (Bt horizon).
Identifiable secondary carbonates - The zone from 36 to 157 cm (Bk1, 2Bk2, 2Bk3, 2Ck1, and 2Ck2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (Bk1, 2Bk2, and 2Bk3 horizons and part of the Bt horizon).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.