LOCATION ACCOLA             MT 
Established Series
Rev. JB-JAL-RJS
12/2005

ACCOLA SERIES


The Accola series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in colluvium from limestone. These soils are on mountains. Slopes are 15 to 45 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 21 inches, and mean annual air temperature is about 36 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive Calcic Argicryolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Accola loam, forested. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

Oi--0 to 1 inch; partially decomposed forest litter. (1 to 2 inches thick)

A--1 to 4 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots and few medium roots; 5 percent gravel; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)

Bt1--4 to 9 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 5 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)

Bt2--9 to 18 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 10 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)

Bk1--18 to 29 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure; soft, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and medium roots; 30 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles; common fine seams of lime; violently effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); gradual smooth boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)

Bk2--29 to 60 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) extremely cobbly loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; 35 percent gravel and 30 percent cobbles; disseminated lime; common fine masses of lime; common distinct lime coatings on underside of rock fragments; violently effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8)

TYPE LOCATION: Gallatin County, Montana; 1100 feet south and 400 feet east of the NW corner of sec. 4, T.5N., R.4E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Mean annual soil temperature - 36 to 40 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature - 45 to 47 degrees F.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 7 to 13 inches.
Depth to skeletal Bk horizon - 12 to 22 inches.

A horizon - Value: 4 or 5 dry
Chroma: 1 or 2
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent gravel
Reaction: pH 5.6 to 7.3

Bt horizons - Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2, 3 or 4
Texture: clay loam, loam
Clay content: 25 to 35 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 20 percent -- 0 to 5 percent cobbles; 0 to 15 percent gravel
Reaction: 5.6 to 7.8

Bk horizons - Value: 5, 6 or 7 dry; 4, 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 2, 3, or 4
Texture: loam, clay loam
Clay content: 18 to 30 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 70 percent--15 to 30 percent cobbles; 20 to 40 percent gravel
CaCO3 equivalent: 15 to 40 percent
Reaction: 7.8 to 8.4

COMPETING SERIES:

Michelson (MT) - has a buried argillic horizon below a depth of 40 inches.

Oro Fino (MT) - is sandy-skeletal at depths of 40 to 60 inches.

Philipsburg (MT) - does not have an O horizon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:

Landform- mountains.
Elevation - 6,000 to 7,500 feet.
Slope - 15 to 45 percent.
Parent material - colluvium from limestone.
Climate - cool with long, cold winters; moist springs; short summers.
Mean annual precipitation - 20 to 24 inches.
Mean annual temperature - 34 to 38 degrees F.
Frost-free period - 50 to 70 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Hanson, Tiban, and Whitore series. Tiban soils have a loamy skeletal control section, and lack both argillic and calcic horizons. Hanson soils have a loamy skeletal control section, lack an argillic horizon, and are carbonatic. Whitore soils have a loamy skeletal control section, lack both a mollic epipedon and an argillic horizon, and are carbonatic.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Accola soils are mainly used for timber production and understory grazing. The potential native vegetation is Douglas fir and common snowberry.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Accola soils are of small extent in southwestern Montana.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Gallatin County, Montana, 1997.

REMARKS: Soil interpretation record: MT1412. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: a mollic epipedon from 1 to 9 inches (A, Bt1 horizons); an argillic horizon from 4 to 18 inches (Bt1, Bt2 horizons); a calcic horizon from 18 to 60 inches (Bk1, Bk2 horizons); a particle-size control section from 4 to 18 inches (Bt1, Bt2 horizons). Accola soils have a cryic temperature regime and an ustic moisture regime.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.