LOCATION BUNKY                   NV

Established Series
Rev. ELS/PWB/RLB/JBF
02/2016

BUNKY SERIES

The Bunky series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks with a component of loess high in volcanic ash. The Bunky soils are on fans piedmont remnants. Slopes are 2 to 15 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 Xereptic Haplodurids

TYPICAL PEDON: Bunky loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 23 cm, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak thin platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine roots; common fine interstitial pores; 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 30 cm thick)

Bw--23 to 41 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; common fine and very fine roots; few very fine tubular, and common fine interstitial pores; few thin clay films in pores; 10 percent gravel; slightly effervescent in localized spots; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 25 cm thick)

Bqk--41 to 56 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and very fine roots; few very fine tubular, and common fine interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel; 30 percent very hard, firm, brittle 25 mm durinodes; few fine and medium strongly effervescent soft masses of carbonate; slightly effervescent matrix; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 36 cm thick)

Bqkm--56 to 71 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) strongly cemented duripan with many very thin (less than 3 mm) discontinuous very pale brown (10YR 7/3) silica laminae; brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; extremely hard, very firm; very few very fine and fine roots mostly matted on laminae; few very fine tubular and common very fine interstitial pores; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 33 cm thick)

2Bqkm--71 to 107 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) strongly cemented very gravelly duripan, with many very thin (less than 3 mm) discontinuous silica laminae; brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; very hard, very firm; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).

TYPE LOCATION: Eureka County, Nevada; about 3 miles southwest of the Barth iron mine; approximately 2,400 feet west and 1,200 feet north of the southeast corner of section 23, T.31 N., R. 50 E.; USGS Scotts Gulch 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 32 minutes 34 seconds N and longitude 116 degrees 18 minutes 12 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 40.5427778 latitude, -116.3033333 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry; moist in winter and spring, dry from June through October; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 10 degrees C.
Depth to duripan: 50 to 90 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 18 to 27 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 0 to 25 percent.

A horizon
Value: 2 through 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.

Bw horizon
Value: 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Texture: Loam, silt loam, or clay loam.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent gravel.
Structure: Weak or moderate, fine to coarse subangular blocky or it is massive.
Consistence: Slightly hard or hard dry, slightly sticky or sticky and slightly plastic or plastic, wet.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.

Bqk horizon
Texture: Sandy loam, silt loam, or loam.
Rock fragments: 0 to 45 percent gravel.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Other features: This horizon has 30 to 70 percent firm to extremely firm durinodes or is discontinuously weakly silica cemented.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent through violently effervescent.

Bqkm horizon
Continuously strongly cemented and is very firm or extremely firm.
Other features: Some pedons have Bqk horizons with 35 to 45 percent durinodes alternating with the strongly cemented duripan.

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

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Bunky soils are on fan piedmont remnants. These soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed rocks with a component of loess high in volcanic ash. Slopes are 2 to 15 percent. Elevations are 1,520 to 1,830 meters. The climate is cool, semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm; mean annual temperature is 7 to 8 degrees C., and the frost-free season is 100 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Clurde and Short Creek soils. Both lack duripans. Short Creek soils also have clay argillic horizons.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly big sagebrush, spineless horsebrush, Douglas rabbitbrush, cheatgrass, basin wildrye, bluebunch wheatgrass, bottlebrush squirreltail.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central and northeast Nevada. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 24, 25.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Eureka County, Nevada, 1975.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (Part of the A horizon).
Cambic horizon - The zone from about 23 to 41 cm (Bw horizon).
Strongly cemented duripan - The zone from about 56 to 107 cm (Bqkm and 2Bqkm horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 56 cm (Part of the Bw horizon, and the Bqk horizon).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.