LOCATION BUNTINGVILLE CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy, glassy, mesic Vitrandic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Buntingville ashy loam - cultivated. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 10 centimeters; dark gray (10YR 4/1) ashy loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; weak very fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine roots; many very fine pores; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 25 centimeters thick)
Bt1--10 to 38 centimeters; dark gray (10YR 4/1) ashy clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; weak medium prismatic structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; many fine roots; few fine and common very fine tubular pores; few thin clay films bridging sand grains and in pores; common fine and medium black (10YR 2/1) moist organic stains; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 30 centimeters thick)
Bt2--38 to 61 centimeters; gray (10YR 5/1) ashy clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; common fine roots; few medium, and common very fine and fine tubular pores; few thin clay films as bridges and common thin films in pores; few medium faint brown (10YR 4/3) redox concentrations; few medium dark gray (10YR 4/1) organic stains; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (18 to 74 centimeters thick)
Btk--61 to 81 centimeters; gray (10YR 5/1) ashy clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; common fine roots; common fine and many very fine tubular pores; few thin clay films on peds and common thin films in pores; common fine to coarse faint dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) and dark brown (10YR 3/3) redox concentrations; few medium faint dark gray (10YR 4/1) organic stains; common fine and medium light gray (10YR 7/1) lime segregations; effervescent in matrix and strongly effervescent in spots; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (18 to 56 centimeters thick)
Bk--81 to 117 centimeters; brown (10YR 5/3) ashy silty clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; hard, friable, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; common fine roots; common fine and very fine tubular pores; common fine and medium light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) lime segregations; matrix is noneffervescent but spots are strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary. (30 to 50 centimeters thick)
C1--117 to 149 centimeters; pale brown (10YR 6/3) ashy loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots; common fine and many very fine tubular pores; many medium distinct brown (7.5YR 4/4) redox concentrations; few medium distinct gray (10YR 5/1) and very dark gray (10YR 3/1) organic stains; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); gradual wavy boundary. (20 to 43 centimeters thick)
C2--149 to 160 centimeters; pale brown (10YR 6/3) ashy silty clay loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; massive; hard, friable, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; few fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; common fine faint brown (10YR 4/3) redox concentrations; common fine distinct very dark gray (N 3/) organic stains; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Modoc County, California; about 0.6 mile south of the intersection of California Highway 299 and the Surprise Valley road in the center of Cedarville; about 1,950 feet north and 2,475 feet east of the southwest corner of sec. 8, T 42N., R 16E; 41 degrees, 31 minutes, 13.7 seconds north latitude and 120 degrees, 10 minutes, 21.1 seconds west longitude, NAD 1927; Cedarville quadrangle.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Moist in the moisture control section during winter and spring, dry in summer and early fall. Xeric soil moisture regime. These soils are normally saturated with water below 91 centimeters (36 inches) during most years, except where artificially drained.
Soil temperature - 10 to 13 degrees C. (50 to 55 degrees F.).
Mollic epipedon thickness - 61 to 100 cm (24 to 40 inches); includes all or most of the Bt horizon.
Thickness of the solum - 61 to 152 cm (24 to 60 inches).
Argillic horizons thickness: 50 to 142 cm (20 to 56 inches).
Carbonates - Noncalcareous through the upper 50 cm (20 inches), but calcareous and with lime segregations below this depth.
Volcanic glass content - 30 to 60 percent glass and glass aggregates in the coarse silt to sand fractions.
Other features - Redox concentrations and depletions of high chroma or yellowish hue and stains of low chroma are in at least some part of the B horizon and most parts of the C horizon. These range from few to many, fine to coarse, faint to prominent and have hue of 7.5YR through 5Y or N.
Control section
Texture: Predominantly ashy clay loam; includes ashy sandy clay loam.
Clay content: Average 20 to 35 percent.
A horizons
Value: 3 through 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 1 or 2; chroma of 2 is permitted only where moist value is 2.
Texture: Ashy loam, or ashy clay loam.
Structure: Weak to strong, very fine to medium, granular or subangular blocky structure. Weak structure is normal in cultivated areas.
Consistence: Soft or slightly hard, dry.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly acid.
Bt horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 3, 4 or 5 dry; 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 1 or 2.
Structure: Weak or moderate, fine or medium, prismatic or subangular blocky.
Texture: Predominantly ashy clay loam; includes ashy sandy clay loam.
Clay content: Averages 20 to 35 percent, subhorizons in the lower part have up to 40 percent in some pedons.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly acid.
Btks and Bk horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 3, 4 or 5 dry; 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Texture: Ashy clay loam, ashy silty clay loam or ashy sandy clay loam.
Clay content: Averages 20 to 35 percent, subhorizons in the lower part have up to 40 percent in some pedons.
Carbonates: Few or common lime segregations as masses and filaments.
Reaction: slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline.
C horizon
Hue: 10YR through 5Y.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Texture: Usually stratified, but in some pedons it is of uniform texture, ranging from ashy fine sandy loam to ashy silty clay loam.
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Booten series. Booten soils are not saturated with water and have C horizons with 40 to 70 percent gravel-sized pumice.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Buntingville soils are on fan remnants and terraces at elevations of 1,219 to 1,524 meters (4,000 to 5,000 feet). Slopes range from 0 to 9 percent. The soils formed in ashy loamy alluvium derived primarily from tuffs, andesite, basalt, and tuff breccias. Climate is cool, semiarid. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 305 to 406 millimeters (12 to 16 inches). The mean annual temperature ranges from 9 to 12 degrees C. (48 to 53 degrees F.), frost-free period is 90 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bidwell, Bieber, Goose Lake, Modoc, Pit, and Surprise soils. Bidwell soils are well drained and have 10 to 16 inch thick mollic epipedons. Bieber soils have fine-textured argillic horizons and duripans. Goose Lake soils have E horizons and fine-textured argillic horizons. Modoc soils are well drained and have duripans. Pit soils are fine-textured and contain many slickensides. Surprise soils do not have argillic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; medium or high runoff; moderately slow permeability; saturated hydraulic conductivity class is moderately high. The water table normally fluctuated below 91 cm (36 inches) but in some places where the soil is artificially drained it is below a depth of 152 cm (60 inches).
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used mainly for irrigated cropland or pasture. Alfalfa and small grains grown in rotation are the principal crops, and some is in improved pasture. Native meadows are primarily of sedges, grasses and native clover.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: These soils are in northeastern California. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 23 AND 21.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Honey Lake Area, Lassen County, California, 1915.
REMARKS: Buntingville soils were formerly classified as Humic Gley soils. The type location was moved from Honey Lake Valley Area, Lassen County to Modoc County, California, in 1971. Reclassified in 2005 based on optical grain count at the recovered type location and application of current Soil Taxonomy. Classification was Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Argiaquolls prior to the revision.
Diagnostic Horizons and Features Recognized in this Pedon:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from 0 to 81 cm (0 to 32 inches) (Ap, Bt1, Bt2, Btk horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 10 to 81 cm (4 to 32 inches) (Bt1, Bt2, Btk horizons).
Vitrandic feature - All horizons in the upper 75 cm (30 inches) contain more than 30 percent volcanic ash and glass in the coarse silt to sand fractions.
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 60 cm (4 to 24 inches) (Bt1, Bt2 horizons).