LOCATION CEDRIC MTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Lithic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Cedric coarse sandy loam, bouldery, in rangeland (colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
A--0 to 5 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) coarse sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 10 percent pebbles; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
Bt--5 to 11 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial tubular pores; common faint dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay films on faces of peds and bridging sand grains; 20 percent pebbles; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 8 inches thick)
Bk--11 to 15 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine interstitial and tubular pores; 40 percent pebbles; common fine masses and threads of lime; common distinct lime coatings on fragments; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
Cr--15 to 18 inches; partially decomposed granitic bedrock (grus) that crushes to very gravelly loamy coarse sand. (2 to 5 inches thick)
R--18 inches; hard granite bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Jefferson County, Montana; 1,100 feet north and 900 feet west of the SE corner of sec. 18, T. 1 N., R. 5 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Temperature - 38 to 44 degrees F.
Moisture control section - between 8 inches and the lithic contact.
Depth to the Bk horizon - 8 to 13 inches.
Depth to the argillic horizon - 5 to 8 inches.
Depth to the Cr horizon - 10 to 17 inches.
Depth to bedrock - 12 to 20 inches.
Surface stones or boulders - 0 to 0.1 percent.
A horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 or 5 dry; 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Clay content: 5 to 15 percent
Rock fragments: 5 to 15 percent pebbles (mainly less than 7mm in diameter)
Reaction: pH 6.6 to 7.8
Bt horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 or 5 dry; 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Clay content: 10 to 18 percent
Rock fragments: 10 to 30 percent pebbles (mainly less than 7mm in diameter)
Reaction: pH 6.6 to 7.8
Bk horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 6 or 7 dry; 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Clay content: 5 to 18 percent
Rock fragments: 15 to 45 percent pebbles (mainly less than 10mm in diameter)
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 20 percent
Reaction: pH 7.4 to 8.4
COMPETING SERIES:
Beenom (MT) - does not have secondary carbonate accumulation; does not have a paralithic contact above the lithic contact; formed in sandstone; rock fragments are channers.
Beje (UT) - does not have secondary carbonate accumulation; does not have a paralithic contact above the lithic contact; formed in sandstone and shale.
Berland (NM) - does not have secondary carbonate accumulation; does not have a paralithic contact above the lithic contact; is 6 to 10 inches deep to a lithic contact; has hue redder than 10YR in the control section.
Bonjea (WY) - does not have secondary carbonate accumulation; does not have a paralithic contact above the lithic contact; is at elevations over 6000 feet.
Coni (CO) - does not have secondary carbonate accumulation; does not have a paralithic contact above the lithic contact; formed in arkosic material; has a lithic contact of tuff or conglomerate.
Connieo (MT) - does not have secondary carbonate accumulation; has less than 20 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
Kiln (NM) - does not have secondary carbonate accumulation; has hue redder than 10YR in the argillic horizon.
Viewpoint (NM) - does not have secondary carbonate accumulation; does not have a paralithic contact above the lithic contact; has a lithic contact of basalt; has a discontinuity in the argillic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform - dissected bedrock floored plains, hills and mountains.
Elevation - 4,400 to 6,000 feet.
Slope- 2 to 35 percent.
Parent material - residuum from granite and other coarse grained igneous rocks.
Climate - long, cold winters; moist springs; warm summers.
Mean annual precipitation - 12 to 19 inches.
Mean annual air temperature - 36 to 42 degrees F.
Frost-free period - 70 to 105 days.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Cedric soils are primarily used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The potential native vegetation is mainly bluebunch wheatgrass, Idaho fescue, needleandthread, sandberg bluegrass, prairie junegrass, sedges, bitterbrush, Rocky Mountain juniper, rubber rabbitbrush, fringed sagewort and big sagebrush. Dry phase has blue grama on south and neutral aspects. Some areas have widely scattered Douglas-fir and limber pine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Cedric soils are of small extent in southwestern Montana.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Jefferson County, Montana, 1998.
REMARKS: Soil interpretation record MT3045. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: a mollic epipedon from the surface to 11 inches (A and Bt horizons); an argillic horizon from 5 to 11 inches (Bt horizon); a particle size control section from 5 to 11 inches (Bt horizon); a layer of calcium carbonate accumulation from 11 to 15 inches (Bk horizon); a layer of decomposed granite (grus) from 15 to 18 inches (Cr horizon); hard granite bedrock at 18 inches (R horizon). Cedric soils have a frigid temperature regime and an ustic moisture regime. NSSL sample number: 92MT043006.