LOCATION CARAMON MTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy, glassy, frigid Vitrandic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Caramon ashy loam, in forest (colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
A--0 to 4 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) ashy loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and common fine, medium and coarse roots; 10 percent pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
E--4 to 9 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly ashy clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, fine, medium and coarse roots; common very fine tubular pores; 20 percent pebbles; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
Bt1--9 to 18 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) ashy clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; very hard, firm, moderately sticky and very plastic; common very fine, fine, medium and coarse roots; few very fine, fine and medium tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds; 10 percent pebbles; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary.
Bt2--18 to 30 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) ashy clay, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak fine prismatic structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky; very hard, firm, moderately sticky and very plastic; common very fine and few fine and medium roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds; 30 percent soft to semi-hard pebble size fragments; neutral (pH 6.8); gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of Bt horizons is 14 to 32 inches.)
BC--30 to 46 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1)) ashy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; 15 percent soft to semi-hard pebble size fragments; neutral (pH 7.0); gradual smooth boundary. (6 to 26 inches thick)
R--46 to 60 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) hard welded tuff bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Deer Lodge County, Montana; 1100 feet west and 50 feet south of the NE corner of sec. 14, T. 4 N., R. 11 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil temperature - 40 to 44 degrees F.
Moisture control section - between 4 and 12 inches.
Volcanic glass - 30 to 50 percent in the coarse silt and sand fraction.
Acid oxalate Al + 1/2 Fe - .12 to .20 percent.
Depth to argillic horizon - 5 to 12 inches.
Depth to R horizon - 40 to 60 inches.
A horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 or 5 dry; 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent--0 to 10 percent cobbles and stones, 0 to 25 percent pebbles
Reaction: pH 5.6 to 6.5
E horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 3, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: ashy loam or ashy clay loam
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent
Rock fragments: 5 to 35 percent--0 to 5 percent cobbles and stones, 5 to 30 percent pebbles
Reaction: pH 6.1 to 7.3
Bt horizons - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5, 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: ashy clay loam or ashy clay
Clay content: 35 to 50 percent
Rock fragments: 5 to 35 percent--0 to 5 percent cobbles and stones, 5 to 30 percent pebbles
Reaction: pH 6.1 to 7.3
BC horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 6 or 7 dry; 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: ashy loam, ashy clay loam or ashy sandy clay loam
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent--0 to 5 percent cobbles and stones; 0 to 30 percent pebbles
Reaction: pH 6.6 to 7.8
COMPETING SERIES:
Pax (MT) - has less than 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform - mountains and hills.
Elevation - 5,200 to 6,400 feet.
Slope - 8 to 60 percent.
Parent material - colluvium and residuum from welded tuff or rhyolite bedrock
Climate - long, cold winters; moist springs; warm summers.
Mean annual precipitation - 15 to 24 inches.
Mean annual air temperature - 38 to 42 degrees F.
Frost-free period - 70 to 90 days.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Camaron soils are used for timber production, understory grazing, watershed and as wildlife habitat. The potential overstory vegetation is mainly Douglas-fir. Understory vegetation is mainly snowberry, pinegrass, Oregon grape, woods rose and common juniper.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Camaron soils are of small extent in southwestern Montana.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Deer Lodge County, Montana, 1999.
REMARKS: Soil interpretive record: MT1740. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: an ochric epipedon from the soil surface to 9 inches (A and E horizons); an argillic horizon from 9 to 30 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons); a particle size control section from 9 to 29 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons); hard welded tuff bedrock at 46 inches (R horizon). Camaron soils have a frigid temperature regime and an ustic moisture regime. (Note: Areas where the Camaron series has been mapped in Deer Lodge County are moderately impacted from past smelter emissions and may contain significant levels of heavy metal contaminants in surface horizons.)