LOCATION GUNNEL ID
Established Series
FRK/GHL
01/2019
GUNNEL SERIES
The Gunnel series consists of shallow, well-drained, moderately permeable soils that are formed in mixed alluvium. They are on fan terraces and have slopes of 4 to 12 percent. The average annual temperature is about 9.4 degrees C., and the average annual precipitation is about 250 mm.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic, shallow Xeric Haplodurids
TYPICAL PEDON: Gunnel gravelly silt loam - rangeland. On a 6 percent smooth slope, southwest aspect, 1,665 meter elevation. (Colors are for air dry soils unless otherwise stated. When described on October 21, 1980, the profile was moist to 10 cm and dry below.)
A--0 to 5 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate thick platy structure parting to weak very fine and fine granular; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; many very fine and few fine interstitial pores; 20 percent pebbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 15 cm thick)
Bw--5 to 10 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; 10 percent pebbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.7); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 8 cm thick)
Bk--10 to 23 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) gravelly silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak very fine subangular blocky; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent; 30 percent pebbles; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 15 cm thick)
Bkq--23 to 46 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very gravelly sandy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; 50 percent pebbles; carbonate coatings and silica pendants on all coarse fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (20 to 30 cm thick)
Bqkm--46 to 94 cm; indurated carbonate-silica cemented hardpan; massive.
2C--94 to 152 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) extremely gravelly loamy coarse sand, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; violently effervescent. 30 percent cobbles, 45 percent pebbles; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6)
TYPE LOCATION: Cassia County, Idaho; about 4 miles northwest of Almo, Idaho, 2300 feet west and 2300 feet south of the northeast corner of sec. 17, T. 15 S., R. 25 E.; USGS Jim Sage Canyon 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 42 degrees 07 minutes 09 seconds N and longitude 113 degrees 33 minutes 30 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 42.1191667 latitude, -113.5583333 longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Average Annual soil temperature - 8.3 to 9.4 degrees C.
Depth to Duripan - 25 to 50 cm.
Coarse fragment average in the particle size control section - 35 to 50 percent.
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in the winter and spring, dry from late June through October; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
A horizon
Value - 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma - 2 or 3
Effervescence - none to moderate
Reaction - mildly to strongly alkaline
Bw horizon
Value - 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4
Texture - of the less than 2 mm fraction - L or SIL
Rock fragment content - 10 to 35 percent
Effervescence - none to moderate
Reaction - mildly to strongly alkaline
Bk and Bkq horizons
Value - 6 through 8 dry, 5 through 7 moist
Chroma - 2 through 4
Texture - of the less than 2 mm fraction - SIL, L, FSL, VFSL, and SL
Rock fragment content - averages 35 to 60 percent
Effervescence - strong to violent
Reaction - moderately to strongly alkaline
Bqkm horizon - Thickness - 6 to 20 inches
Hardness - extremely hard and extremely firm
2C horizon
Value - 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist
Chroma - 2 through 4
Texture - stratified GRV-FSL through STX-LCOS
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Gravden,
Jericho, and
Karpp series. Gravden soils have a mean annual soil temperature greater than 11.1 degrees C. Jericho soils have a thin indurated pan with very hard consistence below the pan. Karpp soils have lithologic discontinuities above the duripan and the duripans are over 50 cm thick.
Gravden soils have a mean annual soil temperature greater than 52 degrees F.
Jericho soils have a thin indurated pan with very hard consistence below the pan.
Karpp soils have lithologic discontinuities above the duripan and the duripans are over 50 cm thick.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Gunnel soils are on fan terraces. Slopes range from 4 to 12 percent. Elevation ranges from 1,465 to 1,830 meters. The soil formed in mixed alluvium. The climate is cold and moist in the winter and hot and dry in the summer. The average annual precipitation is about 200 to 300 mm, the average annual air temperature is about 7.2 to 8.3 degrees C., and the frost-free season is 85 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Darkbull and
Declo soils. Darkbull and Declo soils lack duripans. They are on fan terraces.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well-drained; slow to medium runoff; moderate saturated hydraulic conductivity above the duripan, very slow in the pan and rapid below.
USE AND VEGETATION: Gunnel soils are used for range. The natural vegetation is black sagebrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, and Sandberg bluegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Gunnel soils are inextensive in south Idaho. MLRA 25.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cassia County, Idaho, 1986.
REMARKS: Name is after a local guard station.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the surface to 18 cm (A, Bw horizons and part of the Bk).
Calcic horizon - The zone from 10 to 46 cm (Bk and Bkq horizons.)
Duripan - The zone from 46 to 94 cm (Bqkm horizon).
Particle-size control section - 25 to 46 cm (Part of the Bkq horizon).
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.