LOCATION BONNICK                 OR

Established Series
Rev. GDM-TDT-JVC-JBF
11/2010

BONNICK SERIES

The Bonnick series consists of very deep, somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in lacustrine deposits derived from volcanic rocks and pumiceous volcanic ash. Bonnick soils are on lake terraces. Slopes are 0 to 5 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 230 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 7 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy, glassy, frigid Vitritorrandic Haploxerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Bonnick very gravelly ashy loamy sand--on a nearly level lake terrace at an elevation of 4,350 feet--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described on June 13, 1994, the soil was dry throughout.)

A--0 to 8 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly ashy loamy sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots, few medium, common very fine, and common fine interstitial pores; 40 percent very pale brown (10YR 7/3) medium through very coarse sand-size pumiceous ash grains; 40 percent fine gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 18 cm thick)

AB--8 to 25 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly ashy loamy sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granular; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and common fine roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 35 percent very pale brown (10YR 7/3) medium through very coarse sand-size pumiceous ash grains; 15 percent fine gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (18 to 30 cm thick)

Bw1--25 to 51 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) ashy loamy sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine interstitial pores; 25 percent very pale brown (10YR 7/3) medium through very coarse sand-size pumiceous ash grains; 10 percent fine gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (20 to 38 cm thick)

Bw2--51 to 71 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly ashy loamy sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine interstitial pores; 15 percent very pale brown (10YR 7/3) medium through very coarse sand-size pumiceous ash grains; 20 percent fine gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (18 to 38 cm thick)

BC--71 to 107 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly ashy loamy sand, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 10 percent very pale brown (10YR 7/3) medium through very coarse sand-size pumiceous ash grains; 25 percent fine gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (25 to 50 cm thick)

2Bqb--107 to 114 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly loamy sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; strong medium and thick platy structure; hard, firm and brittle, nonsticky and nonplastic; 50 percent fine gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 13 cm thick)

2C--114 to 152 cm; black (10YR 2/1) and light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) extremely gravelly sand, brown (10YR 4/3) and very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; single grain; loose; nonsticky and nonplastic; 70 percent fine gravel; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8).

TYPE LOCATION: Lake County, Oregon; approximately 2,000 feet south and 200 feet east of the northwest corner of section 13, T. 25 S., R. 14 E.; USGS Cougar Mountain 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 43 degrees 24 minutes 27 seconds N and longitude 120 degrees 59 minutes 30 seconds W; NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in winter and spring, dry in summer and fall; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 7 to 8 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 25 to 50 cm, includes the AB horizon.
Depth to buried and strongly contrasting horizons: 107 to 150 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 2 to 10 percent.
Rock fragments: 5 to 25 percent, mainly gravel. Lithology of fragments are volcanic rocks such as basalt and tuff.
Volcanic glass content: 30 to 70 percent in coarse silt through fine sand fractions.

A horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Ashy loamy sand, gravelly ashy loamy sand, or very gravelly ashy loamy sand.
Rock fragments: 10 to 45 percent fine gravel.
Organic matter content: 1 or 2 percent.
Other features: Visible pumiceous ash grains in the medium sand, coarse sand, and very coarse sand fractions (0.25 to 2.0 mm) range from 15 to 50 percent.

AB horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Gravelly ashy loamy sand or ashy loamy sand.
Rock fragments: 5 to 25 percent fine gravel.
Organic matter content: 1 or 2 percent.
Other features: Visible pumiceous ash grains in the medium sand, coarse sand, and very coarse sand fractions (0.25 to 2.0 mm) range from 15 to 50 percent.

Bw horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Gravelly ashy loamy sand or ashy loamy sand.
Rock fragments: 5 to 25 percent fine gravel.
Structure: Weak or moderate, fine and medium subangular blocky.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline in the Bw2 horizon.
Other features: Visible pumiceous ash grains in the medium sand, coarse sand, and very coarse sand fractions (0.25 to 2.0 mm) range from 15 to 50 percent.

BC horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 2 through 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Gravelly ashy loamy sand or ashy loamy sand.
Rock fragments: 5 to 25 percent fine gravel.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Other features: Visible pumiceous ash grains in the medium sand, coarse sand, and very coarse sand fractions (0.25 to 2.0 mm) range from 10 to 30 percent.

2Bqb horizon (when present)
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 2 through 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Very gravelly loamy sand or gravelly sandy loam.
Rock fragments: 20 to 50 percent fine gravel.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline
Consistence: Hard or very hard dry, firm and brittle moist.
Volcanic glass content: 2 to 10 percent in coarse silt through very coarse sand fractions.

2C horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 2 through 6 dry, 2 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Extremely gravelly sand or very gravelly sand.
Rock fragments: 50 to 70 percent fine gravel.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline
Effervescence: Very slightly effervescent to strongly effervescent.
Volcanic glass content: 1 to 5 percent in coarse silt through very coarse sand fractions.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Boltz, Borobey, Emamount, Embal, Frentera, Gardone, Oatmanflat, Picturerock, Stookmoor, Tuffcabin, and Wegert series.

Boltz soils are moderately deep to paralithic contacts. Borobey soils have firm, brittle horizons over 15 cm thick within 100 cm of the soil surface. Emamount soils average 18 to 27 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Embal soils have mollic epipedons 20 to 35 inches thick and have irregular decrease in organic carbon with depth. Frentera, Stookmoor, and Wegert soils are moderately deep to lithic contacts. Gardone soils do not have very gravelly or extremely gravelly textures within 150 cm. Picturerock soils have cambic horizons, horizons with identifiable secondary carbonates, and do not have ashy sandy textures in the particle-size control section. Oatmanflat and Tuffcabin soils have buried argillic horizons within 100 cm and buried duripans within 150 cm of the soil surface.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Bonnick soils are on lake terraces. These soils formed in lacustrine deposits derived from volcanic rocks, pumiceous ash, and volcanic ash. Slopes are 0 to 5 percent. Elevations range from 1,310 to 1,345 meters. The climate is semiarid and characterized by cold, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 300 mm, mean annual temperature is 6 to 7 degrees C., and the frost-free period is 50 to 80 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Abert, Fort Rock, Kunceider, and Morehouse soils and the competing Wegert soil.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; very low surface runoff; rapid permeability; high saturated hydraulic conductivity above the buried horizon and very rapid permeability; very high saturated hydraulic conductivity in the lower part of the underlying material.

USE AND VEGETATION: Bonnick soils are used for irrigated cropland, livestock grazing, and wildlife habitat. Alfalfa hay and barley are the main crops. The vegetation in rangeland is mainly mountain big sagebrush, needleandthread, Ross sedge, Indian ricegrass, 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 25 cm (A and AB horizons).
Major lithologic discontinuity - The abrupt change to non-ashy material at 107 cm.
Buried horizon - The zone from 107 to 114 cm (2Bqb horizon).
Particle-size control section and ashy substitute class with glassy mineralogy - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons and part of the BC horizon).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.