LOCATION CAMEAHWAIT MT
Established Series
REV. KTS-RJS
01/2012
CAMEAHWAIT SERIES
The Cameahwait series consists of very deep, excessively drained soils that formed in alluvium. These soils occur on stream terraces and fan remnants. These soils are subject to prolonged saturation from flood irrigation. Slopes are 0 to 4 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 300 mm, and the mean annual temperature is about 5 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed, frigid Oxyaquic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Cameahwait gravelly loam, in irrigated pastureland on a 1 percent slope at an elevation of 1940 meters (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
Oi--0 to 3 cm; slightly decomposed matted roots; strongly acid (pH 5.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 5 cm thick)
A--3 to 23 cm; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) gravelly loam, very dark brown (7.5YR 2.5/2) moist; few fine and medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist redox concentrations (due to prolonged saturation from flood irrigation); weak fine and medium granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine dendritic tubular pores; 20 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 25 cm thick)
Bw--23 to 48 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/2) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist; few fine and medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist redox concentrations (due to prolonged saturation from flood irrigation); weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine dendritic tubular pores; 30 percent gravel and 20 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0); gradual wavy boundary. (15 to 30 cm thick)
C--48 to 152 cm; light brown (7.5YR 6/3) extremely cobbly sand, brown (7.5YR 5/3) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots in the upper part; 30 percent gravel, 25 percent cobbles, and 10 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Beaverhead County, Montana; located about 100 feet south and 600 feet east of the northwest corner of sec. 32, T. 7 S., R 12 W; Mill Point topographic quadrangle; UTM 12T, 334390e., 5006323n. NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature - 5 to 8 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 18 to 38 cm
Depth to C horizon - 30 to 50 cm
A horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR; dry or moist
Value: 3 to 5 dry; 2 to 3 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3; dry or moist
Clay content: 15 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent--10 to 35 percent gravel, 0 to 15 percent cobbles
Reaction: pH 5.6 to 7.3
Bw horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR; dry or moist
Value: 3 to 5 dry; 2 to 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3; dry or moist
Texture: loam, sandy loam or sandy clay loam
Clay content: 15 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 65 percent--20 to 50 percent gravel, 10 to 30 percent cobbles and stones
Reaction: pH 5.6 to 7.3
C horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR; dry or moist
Value: 4 to 6 dry; 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4; dry or moist
Texture: sand or loamy sand
Clay content: 0 to 10 percent
Rock Fragments: 45 to 80 percent--25 to 50 percent gravel, 15 to 40 percent cobbles and stones
Reaction: pH 6.1 to 7.3
COMPETING SERIES:
Nestley (MT) - has a seasonally high water table at a depth of 60 to 105 cm
Nirling (MT) - has a seasonally high water table at a depth of 60 to 105 cm
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform - stream terraces and fan remnants Elevation - 1820 to 1980 meters
Slope - 0 to 4 percent
Parent material - alluvium
Climate - long, cold winters; moist springs; warm summers
Mean annual precipitation - 230 to 355 mm
Mean annual air temperature - 4 to 7 degrees F
Frost-free period - 70 to 90 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: None listed.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Excessively drained; moderate permeability above the C horizon and very rapid in the C horizon.
USE AND VEGETATION: Cameahwait soils are used mainly for irrigated grass hay and irrigated pasture. The vegetation is mainly Garrison creeping foxtail, meadow foxtail, timothy, tufted hairgrass, Poa species, and other miscellaneous sedges, rushes, and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Cameahwait soils are of small extent in southwestern Montana. MLRA 44B.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Horse Prairie-South Valley Area - Part of Beaverhead County, Montana, 2011; proposed in Beaverhead County, Montana, 2008.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - from 3 to 23 cm (A horizon)
Cambic horizon - from 23 to 48 cm (Bw horizon)
Particle-size control section - from 25 to 100 cm (part of Bw and part of C horizons)
Cameahwait soils have a frigid temperature regime, an ustic moisture regime and an oxyaquic moisture subclass.
Note: The oxyaquic condition is not a result of a seasonally high water table, but is from prolonged flood irrigation. Under flood irrigation this soil is saturated with water in one or more layers within 100 cm of the mineral soil surface for more than or equal to 30 cumulative days.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.