LOCATION BAXENDALE MTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Baxendale sandy loam, grassland (colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
A1--0 to 5 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) sandy loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; weak thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
A2--5 to 9 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
Bt1--9 to 14 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine tubular and interstitial pores; common faint yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) clay films on faces of peds and clay bridging of sand grains; neutral (pH 6.6); gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
Bt2--14 to 22 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) sandy loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; common reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) coatings on faces of peds; clay bridging of sand grains; neutral (pH 6.7); gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
C--22 to 60 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) gravelly coarse sand, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots in upper part; 15 percent angular pebbles; neutral (pH 6.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Lewis and Clark County, Montana; 2,500 feet west and 1,800 feet north of the SE corner of sec. 33, T. 10 N., R. 5 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil temperature - 42 to 47 degrees F.
Moisture control section - between 8 and 24 inches.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 8 to 15 inches.
Depth to gravel and coarse sand C horizon - 20 to 30 inches.
A horizons - Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR, 2.5Y
Value: 4 or 5 dry; 3 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Clay content: 8 to 15 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent--0 to 10 percent cobbles and stones; 0 to 25 percent pebbles
Reaction: pH 6.1 to 7.3
Bt horizons - Hue: 10YR, 7.5Y, or 2.5Y
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2, 3, 4, or 6
Clay content: 12 to 18 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent angular pebbles
Reaction: pH 6.1 to 7.8
C horizon - Hue: 7.5YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2, 3, or 4
Texture: coarse sand or loamy coarse sand
Clay content: 0 to 5 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent angular pebbles
Reaction: pH 6.1 to 7.8
COMPETING SERIES:
Panguitch (UT) - has a Bk horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform - hills, mountains, and alluvial fans.
Elevation - 4,500 to 5,000 feet.
Slope - 2 to 35 percent.
Parent material - alluvium and colluvium from material derived from granite.
Climate - long, cold winters; moist springs; and warm summers.
Mean annual precipitation - 15 to 19 inches, moist of which falls during spring and early summer.
Mean annual air temperature - 40 to 45 degrees F.
Frost-free period - 90 to 110 days.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; permeability is moderately rapid in the A and B horizons and rapid in the underlying C horizon.
USE AND VEGETATION: Baxendale soils are used mainly for rangeland and for irrigated crops. Potential native vegetation is mainly bluebunch wheatgrass, needleandthread, rough fescue, Idaho fescue, prairie junegrass, Sandberg bluegrass, western wheatgrass, threadleaf sedge, big sagebrush, and forbs, and shrubs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Montana. Baxendale soils are not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lewis and Clark County Area, Montana, 1991; proposed in Lewis and Clark County, Montana, 1979. Baxendale is a place name.
REMARKS: Soil interpretation records: MT0370, MT0741. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: a mollic epipedon from the soil surface to 9 inches (A horizon); an argillic horizon from 9 to 22 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons); a gravelly coarse sand layer from 22 to 60 inches (C horizon). Baxendale soils have a frigid temperature regime and an ustic moisture regime.