LOCATION BARZEE MTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Euic, frigid Typic Haplohemists
TYPICAL PEDON: Barzee mucky peat, on a west-facing moraine under shrubs and sedges (colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted).
Oi--0 to 4 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) broken face and rubbed mucky peat (fibric material); about 90 percent fiber and raw herbaceous plant material, about 70 percent rubbed; massive; nonsticky and nonplastic; 80 percent Lycopodium mosses and 20 percent herbaceous; many very fine and fine roots; moderately acid (pH 5.8); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
Oe1--4 to 25 inches; black (10YR 2/1) broken face and rubbed mucky peat (hemic material); about 60 percent fiber, about 25 percent rubbed; massive; nonsticky and nonplastic; 90 percent Lycopodium mosses and 10 percent herbaceous; many very fine and fine roots; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary. (21 to 36 inches thick)
Oe2--25 to 55 inches; stratified (1/2 to 3 inches) black (10YR 2/1) broken face mucky peat and very dark brown (10YR 2/2) broken face peat (stratified hemic (80 percent) and fibric (20 percent) material); black (10YR 2/1) rubbed and pressed, about 40 percent fiber, about 20 percent rubbed; massive; nonsticky and nonplastic; 80 percent Lycopodium mosses and 20 percent herbaceous; many very fine roots; moderately acid (pH 6.0); gradual wavy boundary. (14 to 30 inches thick)
Oe3--55 to 70 inches; black (10YR 2/1) broken face and rubbed mucky peat (hemic material); about 40 percent fiber, about 20 percent rubbed; massive; nonsticky and nonplastic; 90 percent herbaceous and 10 percent Lycopodium mosses; many very fine roots; moderately acid (pH 6.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Flathead County, Montana; 2,600 feet north and 1100 feet west of the southeast corner of section 7, T. 26 N., R. 26 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil temperature - 42 to 45 degrees F.
Thickness of organic material - greater than 51 inches.
Depth to water table - surface to 12 inches.
Some pedons have a thin mineral layer less than 2 inches thick in the surface tier or below the bottom tier.
Oi horizon - Chroma: 1 or 2
Fiber content: 70 to 90 percent unrubbed; 65 to 75 percent rubbed
Reaction: pH 5.6 to 6.5
Oe1 horizon - Value: 2 or 3
Chroma: 1 or 2
Fiber content: 40 to 60 percent unrubbed; 20 to 30 percent rubbed
Reaction: pH 5.6 to 6.5
Oe2 horizon - Value: 2 or 3
Chroma: 1 or 2
Fiber content: 40 to 60 percent unrubbed; 20 to 30 percent rubbed
Reaction: pH 5.6 to 6.5
Oe3 horizon - Chroma: 1 or 2
Fiber content: 40 to 60 percent unrubbed; 20 to 30 percent rubbed
Reaction: pH 5.6 to 6.5
COMPETING SERIES:
Meadowsedge (NH) have 90 to 160 day frost-free period.
Mooselake (MN) - have hemic material with 35 to 75 percent woody fibers, mean annual air temperature is 35 to 42 degrees F.
Rifle (MI) - have 90 to 150 day frost-free period; occurs at elevations of 600 to 1,950 feet.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform- closed depressions on ground moraines;, depressions; flood plains.
Elevation - 3,100 to 4,000 feet.
Slope - 0 to 2 percent.
Parent material - organic materials.
Climate - long, cold winters; moist springs; warm summers.
Mean annual precipitation - 18 to 30 inches.
Mean annual temperature - 40 to 45 degrees F.
Frost free period - 70 to 95 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Very poorly drained; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Barzee soils are used for wildlife habitat, livestock grazing, and hayland. Potential native vegetation is mainly mosses, beaked sedge, rushes, bulrushes, mannagrass, cattail, reed canarygrass, Bebb's willow, and water birch.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Barzee soils are of small extent in the valleys of northwestern Montana. MLRA 44A.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Flathead County, MT, 1997.
REMARKS: Soil Interpretation Record: MT1617. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: a histic epipedon from the surface to 25 inches (Oi, Oe1 horizons); mostly hemic organic materials; a water table at or near the surface most of the year; a control section from the surface to 52 inches (Oi, Oe1, Oe2 horizons). Barzee soils have a frigid soil temperature regime and aquic conditions.
ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL S94MT-029-003.