LOCATION BURNINGMAN CA OREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy over clayey, glassy over smectitic, frigid Lithic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Burningman extremely cobbly ashy sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted). The soil surface is partially covered by 20 percent gravel, 25 percent cobbles and 10 percent stones.
A--0 to 3 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) crushed extremely cobbly ashy sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) crushed moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 10 percent pebbles and 60 percent cobbles; slightly acid, (pH 6.3); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 5 inches thick)
Bt1--3 to 8 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) crushed cobbly ashy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) crushed moist; weak fine and medium angular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky, slightly plastic; common fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 25 percent distinct clay bridges between sand grains; 5 percent pebbles and 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid, (pH 6.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
2Bt2--8 to 18 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) crushed cobbly clay, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) crushed moist; strong medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, very sticky, very plastic; common fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 30 percent distinct clay films on all faces of peds and 30 percent distinct clay films on surfaces along pores; 5 percent pebbles and 20 percent cobbles; slightly acid, (pH 6.4); abrupt irregular boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
2R--18 inches; unweathered hard basalt.
TYPE LOCATION: Modoc County, California; on the Modoc National Forest in the Warner Mountains, 2,600 feet south and 1,100 feet east of the northwest corner of section 5, T.47N., R.17E.; Lake Annie USGS 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 41 degrees 58 minutes 20 seconds north latitude and 120 degrees 3 minutes 0.0 seconds west longitude, NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - These soils are usually moist in winter, spring, and early summer, dry later in summer and fall; xeric soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature - 43 to 47 degrees F.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 14 to 20 inches.
Depth to bedrock - 14 to 20 inches to hard bedrock. The lithic materials below the contact are basalt or andesite.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: 18 to 27 in the upper part, (field estimates); 35 to 50 percent in the lower part. .
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent, cobbles or gravels, lithology of the fragments is basalt, andesite or andesitic tuff.
Reaction - Slightly acid or neutral.
A horizons - Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 1 to 2 percent.
Oxalate Al + 1/2 oxalate Fe: 0.2 to 0.4 percent.
Volcanic glass content - 50 to 80 percent in the coarse silt through fine sand fractions.
Bt horizon - Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: ashy loam, or ashy sandy clay loam.
Clay averages 18 to 27 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent.
Structure: Angular blocky or subangular blocky.
Organic matter content: 1 to 2 percent.
Oxalate Al + 1/2 oxalate Fe: 0.2 to 0.4 percent.
Volcanic glass content - 50 to 80 percent in the coarse silt through fine sand fractions.
2Bt horizon - Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Clay or clay loam.
Clay averages 35 to 50 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent.
Structure: Angular blocky, subangular blocky, or prismatic
Organic matter content: 1 to 2 percent
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Burningman soils are on hills and mountains. They formed in volcanic ash and colluvium over residuum derived from basalt and andesite. Slopes are 15 to 50 percent. Elevations range from 4500 to 7500 feet. The climate is subhumid with cold, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 16 to 26 inches, most of which comes as snow. The mean annual temperature is 41 to 45 degrees F. The frost-free period is 60 to 80 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Crazybird and Warnermount series. Crazybird soils have less than 27 percent clay in the control section and have paralithic material within 20 inches. Warnermount soils have less than 35 percent clay in the control section and have bedrock at 40 to 60 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium or high surface runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Burningman soils are used for watershed, wildlife habitat, and livestock grazing. The vegetation consists of low sagebrush, bluegrass, Idaho fescue, western juniper and antelope bitterbrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern California and southern Oregon. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 21.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lake County, Oregon, Southern Part, 2006. The soil was originally proposed in Surprise Valley-Home Camp Area, California and Nevada, 2005.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the mineral soil surface to 18 inches (A and Bt horizons).
Ashy texture modifier and glassy mineralogy class -- High volcanic glass content in the .02 to 2mm fraction from the mineral soil surface to 18 inches (A and the Bt1 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 3 to 18 inches (Bt1 and 2Bt2 horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 18 inches to underlying hard bedrock (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 3 to 18 inches (Bt horizons).