LOCATION LANTERN MTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Lamellic Eutrudepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Lantern gravelly sandy loam in coniferous forest. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
0i--0 to 2 inches; undecomposed and slightly decomposed forest litter.
E1--2 to 16 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) gravelly sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; few very fine pores; 25 percent pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 14 inches thick)
E2--16 to 28 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) very gravelly sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, and nonplastic; common very fine roots and few fine and medium roots; few very fine pores; 30 percent pebbles and 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 22 inches thick)
E and Bt--28 to 41 inches; E part (75 percent) is pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; B part (25 percent) is brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly fine sandy loam lamellae, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; texture mixed is very gravelly sandy loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine pores; 45 percent pebbles and 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.6); gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 23 inches thick)
BC--41 to 60 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) extremely gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky, and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine pores; 45 percent pebbles and 20 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Missoula County, Montana; 1,750 feet east and 1,400 feet north of the SW corner of sec. 2, T. 11 N., R. 22 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil temperature - 42 to 46 degrees F.
Moisture control section - approximately between the depths of 8 to 24 inches
Control section - 5 to 17 percent clay and 15 to 40 percent mica by weight
E1 horizon - Value: 6 or 7 dry; 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Clay content: 5 to 15 percent
Rock fragments - 15 to 35 percent pebbles
Reaction: pH 6.1 to 6.5
E2 horizon - Value: 6 or 7 dry; 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2, 3, or 4
Clay content: 5 to 15 percent
Rock fragments: 15 to 60 percent--0 to 10 percent cobbles, 15 to 50 percent pebbles
Reaction: pH 6.1 to 6.5
E and Bt horizon - Hue: E part 10YR or 2.5Y; B part 10YR or 2.5Y Value: E part 6 or 7, B part 5 or 6 dry; E part 5 or 6, B part 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: E part 3 or 4; B part 3 or 4
Texture, mixed, less than 2 mm: sandy loam or fine sandy loam
Clay content: 5 to 18 percent, lamellae has less than 3 percent clay increase
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent--0 to 15 percent cobbles; 35 to 45 percent pebbles
Reaction: pH 6.1 to 7.3
BC horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 6 or 7 dry; 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture, less than 2 mm: sandy loam or loamy sand
Clay content: 5 to 15 percent
Rock fragments: 45 to 80 percent--0 to 20 percent cobbles; 45 to 60 percent pebbles
Reaction: pH 6.1 to 7.3
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Drexel, Selway, and Winfall series. These soils have less than 15 percent mica in the fine earth fraction.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Lantern soils are on mountain slopes. Elevations are 4,000 to 5,500 feet. Slopes are 8 to 80 percent. These soils formed in material derived from gneiss and micaceous schist. The climate is characterized by long, cold winters and moist springs. Mean annual preciptation is 25 to 40 inches, much of which falls as snow and as spring rain. Mean annual temperature is 40 to 44 degrees F. The frost-free period is 60 to 90 days.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; medium or rapid runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Lantern soils are used for timber production and watersheds and as wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is Douglas-fir, lodgepole pine, western larch, and ponderosa pine with an understory of pinegrass, mallow ninebark, twinflower, and blue huckleberry.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Lantern soils are inextensive in western Montana and northern Idaho.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Missoula County, Montana, 1985.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: an ochric epipedon in the upper 7 inches of the albic horizon from 2 to 28 inches (E1, E2 horizons); a cambic horizon from 28 to 41 inches (E/Bw horizon); a particle-size control section from 12 to 42 inches (E1, E2, E/Bw, BC horizons). Lantern soils have a frigid temperature regime and a udic moisture regime.