LOCATION BITNER NV+CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy, glassy, mesic Vitritorrandic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Bitner gravelly ashy sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partially covered with 10 percent cinders, 5 percent obsidian, and 5 percent rhyolitic pebbles.
A1--0 to 2 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly ashy sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 20 percent cinders, obsidian, and rhyolite pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.1); clear wavy boundary. (2 or 3 inches thick)
A2--2 to 7 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly ashy sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 15 percent cinders and obsidian pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Bw--7 to 13 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly ashy sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine and medium roots; many very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 15 percent cinders and obsidian pebbles and 5 percent rhyolite pebbles; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
Bq1--13 to 19 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly ashy sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard and hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine interstitial and common very fine tubular pores; 20 percent cinders and obsidian pebbles and 5 percent rhyolite pebbles; 5 percent 5 to 20 millimeter hard, firm durinodes with few fine strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) masses of iron accumulation, black (10YR 2/1) moist; 15 percent hard, firm and brittle 2 to 5 centimeter masses that slake in water; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)
Bq2--19 to 27 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly ashy sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard and hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial and common very fine tubular pores; 25 percent cinders and obsidian pebbles and 5 percent rhyolite pebbles; 5 percent 5 to 20 millimeter hard, firm durinodes with few fine strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) iron stains, black (10YR 2/1) moist; 15 percent hard, firm and brittle 2 to 5 centimeter masses that slake in water; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
Cr--27 to 37 inches; highly weathered and fractured tuff-breccia; few fine roots in some fractures; many 1 to 5 millimeter vitric pyroclastic pebbles in matrix; many distinct silica coats.
TYPE LOCATION: Washoe County, Nevada; on the east side of Massacre Mountain about one-half mile southeast of Mud Spring; in the nonsectionized township T. 42 N., R. 22 E.; USGS Massacre Creek 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 41 degrees 33 minutes 23 seconds north latitude and 119 degrees 32 minutes 30 seconds west longitude, NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually moist in winter and spring; dry from July through October; Aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature - 47 to 51 degrees F.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 10 to 20 inches.
Depth to bedrock - 20 to 40 inches.
Volcanic glass content - 50 to 90 percent in the very fine sand and fine sand fractions of which 40 to 60 percent are glass shards.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: 12 to 18 percent;
Rock fragments: 15 to 30 percent pebbles. Lithology of fragments are dominantly basaltic cinders, obsidian, or rhyolite.
Reaction - Slightly acid or neutral in the upper part, neutral or slightly alkaline in the lower part.
A horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 2 or 3 moist; dry value of 6 is only in the surface 2 inches of some pedons.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.
Bw horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 1 or 2 percent.
Bq horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Secondary silica: Up to 15 percent 2 to 10 centimeter durinodes.
Other features: Some pedons have 1 to 2 inch thick 2C horizons immediately above the Cr that are extremely gravelly sandy loam.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Brays, Chelan, Deskamp, Dryhollow, Emagert, Kester, Surprise, Weezweed, Winblow, Yellowhills, Yotes, and Zark series.
Brays, Deskamp, Kester, and Winblow soils are moderately deep to lithic contacts. Chelan soils are deep to dense compact till. Dryhollow, Emagert, Surprise, Weezweed, Yellowhills, and Yotes soils are very deep. Zark soils average 0 to 15 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section, have horizons with identifiable secondary carbonates, and have horizons with firm consistence and a brittle manner of failure.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Bitner soils are on plateaus. They typically occur on shoulder positions. They formed in residuum and colluvium derived from tuff-breccia and similar pyroclastic rocks. Slopes are 4 to 30 percent. Elevations range from 5,370 to 6,860 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 10 to 14 inches, the mean annual temperature is 44 to 46 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 80 to 100 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Ashcamp soil. Ashcamp soils are shallow.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; high surface runoff; moderately rapid permeability (high saturated hydraulic conductivity).
USE AND VEGETATION: Bitner soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is dominantly mountain big sagebrush, Wyoming big sagebrush, Thurber's needlegrass, bluebunch wheatgrass, Idaho fescue, and bluegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Nevada and northeastern California. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 23.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Washoe County, Nevada, North Part, 1995. The name is from Bitner Table, a local feature.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 13 inches (A1, A2, and Bw horizons).
Vitrandic intergrade feature - The zone from the soil surface to 27 inches (A1, A2, Bw, Bq1, and Bq2 horizons).
Durinodes- The zone from 13 to 27 inches (Bq1 and Bq2 horizons).
Paralithic contact - The boundary at 27 inches to underlying weathered bedrock (Cr layer).
Particle-size control section and ashy substitute class with glassy mineralogy - The zone from 10 to 27 inches (Bq1 and Bq2 horizons and part of the Bw horizon).
ADDITIONAL DATA: Volcanic glass content determined locally by optical grain counts using a polarizing petrographic microscope.