LOCATION BICKERDYKE MTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, frigid Sodic Haplusterts
TYPICAL PEDON: Bickerdyke clay, native rangeland (colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
E--0 to 1 inch; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) clay, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; massive crust; hard, friable, very sticky and very plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)
Bss--1 to 8 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure, very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine pores; few faint slickensides; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)
Bssy--8 to 14 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) clay, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure, very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine pores; few faint slickensides; common fine gypsum crystals; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 60 inches thick)
Bssyz--14 to 22 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) clay, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure, very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine pores; few faint slickensides; common fine nest and seams of gypsum crystals; few fine seams and nests of other salts; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 40 inches thick)
Byz--22 to 60 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure, very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine pores; common fine nests and seams of gypsum crystals; few fine seams and nests of other salts; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Carter County, Montana; 1,800 feet west and 2,200 feet north of the SE corner of sec. 27, T. 5 S., R. 61E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil temperature - 43 to 47 degrees F.
Moisture control section - between 4 and 12 inches.
Soil Moisture Regime - Ustic moisture regime that borders on Aridic (Aridic-Ustic).
The soil has 1/2 to 1 inch cracks that extend to 20 inches or more and have few to many slickensides. The 1 chromas are lithochromic.
E horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5, 6 or 7 dry; 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: clay loam or clay
Clay content: 30 to 60 percent
EC: less than 2 mmhos/cm
Reaction: pH 7.4 to 8.4
Bss horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5 or 6 dry; 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: clay or silty clay
Clay content: 40 to 60 percent
EC: less than 2 mmhos/cm
Reaction: pH 7.9 to 8.4
Bssy horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4, 5, or 6 dry; 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: clay or silty clay
Clay content: 40 to 60 percent
EC: 4 to 8 mmhos/cm
SAR: 10 to 15
Gypsum: 5 to 15 percent
Reaction: pH 7.9 to 9.0
Bssyz horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4, 5, or 6 dry; 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: clay or silty clay
Clay content: 40 to 60 percent
EC: 4 to 16 mmhos/cm
SAR: 15 to 30
Gypsum: 5 to 15 percent
Reaction: pH 7.9 to 9.0
Byz horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4, 5, or 6 dry; 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: clay or silty clay
Clay content: 40 to 60 percent
EC: 8 to 16 mmhos/cm
SAR: 15 to 30
Reaction: pH 7.9 to 9.4
COMPETING SERIES:
Marvan (MT) - calcareous throughout.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform - alluvial fans; stream terraces; sedimentary plains.
Elevation - 3,000 to 4,500 feet.
Slope- 0 to 8 percent.
Parent material - clayey alluvium.
Climate - long, cold winters; moist springs; hot summers.
Mean annual precipitation - 10 to 14 inches.
Mean annual air temperature - 41 to 45 degrees F.
Frost-free period - 110 to 135 days.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Bickerdyke soils are used as rangeland. A few areas are used for pasture and hay. The potential native vegetation is mainly western wheatgrass, pricklypear cactus, and big sagebrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Montana. Series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Carter County, Montana, 1992.
REMARKS: Soil interpretations record: MT0449. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: an ochric epipedon (E and Bss horizons); slickensides from 1 to 22 inches (Bss, Bssy, and Bssyz horizons); a particle size control section from 10 to 40 inches (Bssy, Bssyz, and part of Byz horizon). Bickerdyke soils have a frigid temperature regime and an ustic moisture regime bordering on aridic.