LOCATION BODIEHILL               CA+NV

Established Series
Rev. EWB-JBF-TM-JVC
03/2017

BODIEHILL SERIES

The Bodiehill series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in colluvium and residuum derived from andesite and tuff breccia with surficial additions of eolian volcanic ash. Bodiehill soils are on mountains and hills. Slopes are 4 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 400 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 6 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy-skeletal over loamy-skeletal, glassy over mixed, superactive, frigid Vitrandic Argixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Bodiehill very gravelly ashy loamy sand--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with 30 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones, and 5 percent boulders.

A--0 to 10 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) very gravelly ashy loamy sand, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 40 percent subangular gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.3); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 15 cm thick)

Bt1--10 to 25 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly ashy sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and medium roots and many very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 5 percent faint clay bridges between sand grains; 35 percent subangular gravel; neutral (pH 6.7); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 20 cm thick)

Bt2--25 to 61 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely cobbly ashy sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine to medium roots; common very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 5 percent faint clay bridges between sand grains; 35 percent subangular gravel, 35 percent subangular cobbles, and 5 percent subangular stones; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (25 to 46 cm thick)

Bt3--61 to 91 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely cobbly ashy sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine to medium roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 5 percent faint clay bridges between sand grains and 25 percent faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 35 percent subangular gravel, 35 percent subangular cobbles, and 5 percent subangular stones; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt irregular boundary. (0 to 41 cm thick)

2Btq1--91 to 140 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) extremely cobbly sandy loam, brown(10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; extremely hard, extremely firm and brittle, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few fine interstitial pores; 5 percent faint clay bridges between sand grains and 25 percent faint clay films lining pores and on faces of peds; 40 percent strongly cemented silica concretions; 35 percent subangular gravel, 35 percent subangular cobbles, and 5 percent subangular stones; neutral (pH 6.9); clear irregular boundary. (41 to 64 cm thick)

2Btq2--140 to 152 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) extremely cobbly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; very hard, very firm and brittle, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 5 percent faint clay bridges between sand grains; 50 percent moderately cemented silica concretions; 35 percent subangular gravel, 30 percent subangular cobbles, and 2 percent subangular stones; neutral (pH 6.9).

TYPE LOCATION: Mono County, California; in the Bodie Hills about 2.4 kilometers west of the ghost town of Bodie; approximately 30 meters south and 579 meters east of the northwest corner of section 18, T. 4 N., R. 27 E.; USGS Bodie 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 12 minutes 45.9 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 02 minutes 32.8 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 38.2127500 latitude, -119.0424444 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in the moisture control section during fall, winter, and spring; usually dry from July through early October; xeric moisture regime that borders on aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 7 to 8 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 60 to 91 cm; includes the Bt1 and Bt2 horizons and also includes the Bt3 horizon in some pedons.
Depth to secondary silica: 50 to 100 cm.
Depth to major lithologic discontinuity: 50 to 100 cm.
Depth to bedrock - 150 to 200 cm to a paralithic contact. The paralithic materials below the contact are weathered andesitic rock.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 12 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: Average 60 to 85 percent, mainly cobbles. Lithology of rock fragments is volcanic rocks such as andesite or andesitic tuff.

A horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 2 to 3 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
Volcanic glass content: 40 to 70 percent in coarse silt through fine sand fractions.

Bt1 and Bt2 horizons
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Extremely cobbly ashy sandy loam, extremely gravelly ashy sandy loam, may be very gravelly ashy sandy loam in upper part.
Clay content: 12 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 60 to 85 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.
Volcanic glass content: 30 to 50 percent in very fine sand and fine sand fractions.

Bt3 horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Clay content: 12 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 60 to 85 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
Organic matter content: 0.5 to 2 percent.
Volcanic glass content: 30 to 50 percent in very fine sand and fine sand fractions.

2Btq horizons
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist.
Texture: Extremely cobbly sandy loam or extremely cobbly loam.
Clay content: 12 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 60 to 85 percent, some of which are silica-cemented nodules.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
Organic matter content: 0.5 to 1 percent.
Rupture resistance: Very firm or extremely firm when dry with a brittle manner of failure when moist.
Secondary silica: 20 to 70 percent strongly to moderately silica-cemented concretions.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Sinnacut and Tephzite series.
Sinnacut soils are moderately deep to paralithic contacts. Tephzite soils have 20 to 30 percent clay in the particle-size control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Bodiehill soils are on mountains and hills. They typically occur on backslope positions. They formed in colluvium and residuum derived from andesite and tuff-breccia with surficial additions of eolian volcanic ash. The probable sources of the volcanic ash are the Mono Craters and Long Valley Caldera in eastern California. Slopes are 4 to 50 percent. Elevations range from 2,100 to 3,025 meters. The climate is semiarid with cold, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 350 to 460 mm, the mean annual temperature is 6 to 7 degrees C., and the frost-free period is 30 to 60 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Adamatt, Domehill, and Lastsummer soils. Adamatt soils are shallow to paralithic contacts. Domehill soils are shallow to lithic contacts. Lastsummer soils are very deep and have a cryic temperature regime.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRUALIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; low or medium surface runoff; moderately rapid permeability; high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Bodiehill soils are used for liovestock grazing, recreation, watershed, and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is mainly mountain big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, western needlegrass, snowberry, currant, basin wildrye, and lupine.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern California and western Nevada, in the western part of the Great Basin. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 26.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mono County (Coleville-Bridgeport Area), California, 2010.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 91 cm (A, Bt1, Bt2, and Bt3 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 10 to 152 cm (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3, 2Btq1, and 2Btq2 horizons).
Vitrandic intergrade feature - The zone from the soil surface to 75 cm (A, Bt1, and Bt2 horizons and part of the Bt3 horizon).
Major lithologic discontinuity - The abrupt change to loamy-skeletal material at 91 cm (between the Bt3 and 2Btq1 horizons).
Duric feature - The zone from 91 to 152 cm (2Btq1 and 2Btq2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 100 cm (Bt1, Bt2, and Bt3 horizons and part of the 2Btq1 horizon).

ADDITIONAL DATA: User Pedon ID: 2006CA051028.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.