LOCATION BRUNZELL ID+OR

Established Series
Rev. ALH/CLM/TM
10/2018

BRUNZELL SERIES

The Brunzell series consist of very deep, well drained soils with moderately slow permeability that formed in mixed alluvium from volcaniclastic material. Brunzell soils are on outwash terraces and drainageways. Slopes range from 0 to 30 percent. Average annual precipitation is about 380 mm, and average annual temperature is about 6.1 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Haploxerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Brunzell gravelly loam -- on a west-facing slightly convex slope of 6 percent, in native rangeland at 1,720 meters elevation. (When described on October 1, 1986, the soil was moist above 28 cm, dry to 100 cm, and slightly moist below. Colors are for air dry soils unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 8 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine and medium granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine, few medium and coarse roots; common very fine and fine, few medium vesicular and interstitial pores; 15 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 15 cm thick)

AB--8 to 23 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine, few medium and coarse roots; few very fine, fine and medium tubular pores; 10 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.1); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 25 cm thick)

Bw1--23 to 38 cm; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) very gravelly clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine, few medium roots; few very fine, fine, and medium tubular pores; 25 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.3); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 25 cm thick)

Bw2--38 to 84 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very gravelly sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist, strong fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine, fine, and medium roots; common very fine, fine, and medium tubular and interstitial pores; few faint clay films in pores; 30 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 30 cm thick)

2C1--84 to 102 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) very cobbly sandy loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few medium roots; common very fine, fine, medium, and coarse tubular and irregular pores; few thin pressure faces; 30 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear smooth boundary. (30 to 64 cm thick)

3C2--102 to 152 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) extremely cobbly sandy clay loam, brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) moist; massive; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, fine, and medium, few coarse irregular pores; common faint pressure faces; 45 percent gravel, 25 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.9).

TYPE LOCATION: Owyhee County, Idaho; about 8 1/2 miles west of Silver City; 1,000 feet south and 2,000 feet east of the northwest corner of section 2, T. 5 S., R. 5 W; USGS Swisher Mountain 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 43 degrees 01 minutes 07 seconds N and longitude 116 degrees 53 minutes 42 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 43.0186111 latitude, -116.8950000 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Average annual soil temperature - 6.7 to 8.3 degrees C.
Average summer soil temperature - 17.2 to 19.4 degrees C.
Typic xeric moisture regime.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 25 to 50 cm.
Depth to base of cambic horizon - 61 to 102 cm.
Particle-size control section - 18 to 30 percent clay; and averages 35 to 70 percent rock fragments.
Reaction (pH) - moderately acid through neutral in the solum and ranges to mildly alkaline in the substratum.

A and AB horizons
Value - 4 or 5 dry
Chroma - 2 or 3 dry or moist
Rock fragments - 15 to 35 percent

Bw horizon
Value - 4 through 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry or moist
Texture - GR-SCL, GRV-CL, GRV-SCL, CBV-CL
Clay content - 20 to 32 percent
Rock fragments - 25 to 60 percent

C horizon
Value - 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist
Chroma - 2 through 6 dry or moist
Texture - CBV-SL, CBX-SL, CBX-SCL, GRX-LCOS, GRV-LCOS, GRV-SL.
Clay content - 5 to 22 percent Rock fragments - 40 to 85 percent

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bergquist, Bigarm, Bradshaw, Fuego, Mud Springs, Potamus, and St. Marys series. Bergquist, Bigarm and Bradshaw soils average less than 18 percent clay in their control sections. Fuego and Mud Springs soils have bedrock between 20 and 40 inches. Potamus soils have a solum more than 100 cm thick. St. Marys soils have hue of 2.5YR or 5YR in the B horizon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Brunzell soils are gently sloping to moderately steep on summits and sides of outwash terraces at elevations of 1,405 to 1,770 meters. Slopes range from 0 to 30 percent. These soils formed in mixed alluvium from volcaniclastic material. The climate is cool and moist in the winter and warm and dry in the summer. Average annual precipitation is 360 to 460 mm, and average annual temperature is 4.4 to 7.2 degrees C. The frost-free period is 50 to 95 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Hurryback and Threek series. Both soils have argillic horizons. Hurryback soils are on steep sideslopes. Threek soils are on similar landscape positions.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; slow to rapid runoff; moderately slow hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Brunzell soils are used mainly for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The dominant natural vegetation is mountain big sagebrush, Idaho fescue, and bluebunch wheatgrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Idaho and Southeastern Oregon. Brunzell soils are of small extent. MLRA 25.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Owyhee County Area, Idaho, 1992.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon:
Mollic epipedon - 0 to 23 cm (A1 and AB horizons).

Cambic horizon - 23 to 64 cm (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons).

Particle-size control section - 25 to 100 cm (Bw2 and parts of the Bw1 and 2C1 horizons).

The superactive cation exchange activity class was added in 03/2003 to the taxonomic classification by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the Reno MLRA office, without review of the soil series property data. The remainder of this document has not been updated.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.