LOCATION SUCKERFLAT              OR

Established Series
Rev. GDM-TDT-JVC-JBF
07/2011

SUCKERFLAT SERIES

The Suckerflat series consists of shallow, well drained soils that formed in volcanic ash over slope alluvium and colluvium derived mainly from basalt and tuff-breccia. Suckerflat soils are on lava plains, lava plateaus and hills. Slopes are 0 to 40 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 230 mm and the mean annual temperature is 7 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy, glassy, frigid Aridic Lithic Haploxerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Suckerflat ashy loamy sand--on a nearly level plain at about 1,345 meters elevation--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described in June 1994, the soil was dry throughout).

A--0 to 10 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) ashy loamy sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granular; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, many fine, and few medium roots; common very fine interstitial pores; about 70 percent very pale brown (10YR 7/3) coarse and very coarse sand-size pumiceous ash grains; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 15 cm thick)

Bw--10 to 33 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) ashy loamy sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and common fine roots; common fine tubular pores; about 60 percent very pale brown (10YR 7/3) coarse and very coarse sand-size pumiceous ash grains; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 30 cm thick)

2Bwb--33 to 43 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly ashy sandy clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and few fine roots; common fine tubular pores; about 25 percent very pale brown (10YR 7/3) coarse and very coarse sand-size pumiceous ash grains; 20 percent fine gravel and 5 percent medium and coarse gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to15 cm thick)

3R--43 cm; basalt; widely-spaced fractures in upper 8 cm.

TYPE LOCATION: Lake County, Oregon; north of Fort Rock Valley near the southern margin of the Devils Garden lava field; approximately 200 feet west and 2,200 feet north of the southeast corner of section 21, T. 25 S., R. 15 E.; USGS Cougar Mountain 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 43 degrees 23 minutes 28 seconds N and longitude 120 degrees 54 minutes 50 seconds W; NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry and are dry in all parts of the moisture control section one-half to three-fourths of the time (cumulative) that the soil temperature at a depth of 50 cm is above 5 degrees C; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 7 to 8 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 18 to 36 cm; includes the Bw horizon.
Depth to buried horizon: 18 to 36 cm.
Depth to bedrock: 25 to 50 cm to a lithic contact.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: averages 10 to 24 percent;
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent. Lithology of fragments are mainly basalt or tuff-breccia;
Volcanic glass content: Averages 30 to 60 percent in coarse silt through very coarse sand fractions.

A horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 to 3, dry or moist.
Clay content: 5 to 18 percent.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.
Volcanic glass content: 35 to 80 percent throughout all fractions with many pumiceous ash grains visible in coarser sand fractions.

Bw horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Ashy loamy sand, ashy sandy loam or cobbly ashy loam.
Clay content: 5 to 15 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 20 percent.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.
Volcanic glass content: 35 to 80 percent throughout all fractions with many pumiceous ash grains visible in coarser sand fractions.

2Bwb horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Ashy sandy loam, ashy loam, cobbly ashy loam, or gravelly ashy sandy clay loam.
Clay content: 15 to 30 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 25 percent gravel, 0 to 25 percent cobbles.
Volcanic glass content: 15 to 40 percent with most glass present in the coarse silt and very fine sand fractions. Some pumiceous ash grains visible in coarser sand fractions.
Other features: Oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half oxalate extractable iron is assumed to be 0.2 to 0.4 percent.

COMPETING SERIES: There are currently no other series in this family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Suckerflat soils are on lava plains, lava plateaus and hills. These soils formed in volcanic ash over slope alluvium and colluvium derived mainly from basalt and tuff-breccia. Slopes are 0 to 40 percent. Elevations range from 1,310 to 1,610 meters. The climate is semiarid and characterized by cold, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 300 mm, the mean annual temperature is 6 to 7 degrees C,and the frost-free period is 40 to 70 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Abert, Kunceider, Morehouse, Wegert, and Weglike soils. Abert, Moreouse, Wegert and Weglike soils are deeper than 50 cm. Kunceider soils have more than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; very high surface runoff; high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Suckerflat soils are used for livestock grazing, wildlife habitat, and marginal irrigated cropland. Potential native vegetation is basin big sagebrush, littleleaf horsebrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, and basin wildrye.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South-central Oregon. These soils are moderately extensive. 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:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 33 cm (A and Bw horizons).
Buried horizon - The zone from 33 to 43 cm (2Bwb horizon).
Vitrandic intergrade feature - The zone from the soil surface to 43 cm (A, Bw, and 2Bwb horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 43 cm to underlying hard bedrock (3R layer).
Particle-size control section and ashy substitute class with glassy mineralogy - The zone from 25 to 43 cm (2Bwb horizon and part of the Bw horizon).

The series type location was reexamined and sampled for volcanic glass counts in October 2000. The particle-size class changed from loamy to ashy and the mineralogy class changed from mixed to glassy as a result of this effort.

Classification was updated to 11th edition on 07/2011 changed from Lithic Haploxerolls to Aridic Lithic Haploxerolls.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Volcanic glass content determined locally by optical grain count with a polarizing petrographic microscope.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.