LOCATION CHICKAMAN MTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-silty, micaceous Andic Dystrocryepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Chickaman silt loam, forested. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
0i--0 to 2 inches; undecomposed and slightly decomposed forest litter.
Bw--2 to 11 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, and nonplastic; many very fine, fine, and medium roots and few coarse roots; 5 percent hard micaceous pebbles, 5 percent soft micaceous pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (7 to 15 inches thick)
2E--11 to 20 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) silt loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine, fine, and medium roots and few coarse roots; 5 percent hard micaceous pebbles, 15 percent soft micaceous pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 14 inches thick)
2E and Bt--20 to 32 inches; E part (75 percent) is light gray (10YR 7/2) silt loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; B part (25 percent) is brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam lamellae 1/8 to 1/2 inch thick, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; texture mixed is silt loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, and nonplastic; common very fine, fine, and medium roots and few coarse roots; 5 percent hard micaceous pebbles, 15 percent soft micaceous pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
2BC--32 to 60 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silt loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, and nonplastic; few very fine roots; 5 percent hard micaceous pebbles, 40 percent soft micaceous pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Missoula County, Montana; approximately 1,200 feet north of the SW corner of sec. 12, T. 11 N., R. 22 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Temperature - 39 to 43 degrees F. (June, July, and August temperatures are less than 59 degrees F.)
Moisture control section - approximately between the depths of 4 and 12 inches
Control section - 5 to 10 percent clay and more than 40 percent mica by weight
Bw horizon - Value: 5 or 6 dry
Chroma: 3 or 4
Clay content: 5 to 8 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 25 percent-hard pebbles, 0 to 10 percent, 0 to 15 percent are soft micaceous pebbles.
Reaction: pH 6.1 to 6.5
Moist bulk density: 0.95 g/cc or less
2E horizon - Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Clay content: 5 to 10 percent
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent-hard pebbles, 0 to 10 percent; 0 to 25 percent are soft micaceous pebbles
Reaction: pH 6.1 to 6.5
2E and Bt horizon - Value: E part 6 or 7, B part 5 or 6 dry; E part 5 or 6, B part 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: E part 2 or 3; B part 3 or 4
Clay content: 5 to 10 percent, lamellae has less than 3 percent increase in clay
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent-hard pebbles 0 to 10 percent; 15 to 25 percent soft micaceous pebbles
Reaction: pH 6.1 to 6.5
2BC horizon - Value: 6 or 7 dry; 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 2, 3, and 4
Clay content: 5 to 10 percent-0 to 10 percent hard cobbles and pebbles; 35 to 65 percent are soft micaceous pebbles and cobbles
Reaction: pH 6.1 to 6.5
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Chickaman soils are on mountain slopes. Elevations are 4,500 to 6,000 feet. Slopes are 8 to 60 percent. These soils formed in material derived from micaceous schist. They have a large component of volcanic ash in the surface layer. The climate is characterized by long, cold winters and moist springs. Mean annual precipitation is 35 to 50 inches, much of which falls as snow and spring rain. Mean annual temperature is 37 to 41 degrees F. The frost-free season is less than 60 days.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; medium or rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Chickaman soils are used for timber production, as wildlife habitat, and for watersheds. The native vegetation is subalpine fir, Engelmann spruce, Douglas-fir, western larch, and lodgepole pine with an understory of twinflower, blue huckleberry, common beargrass,and rusty menziesia.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Chickaman soils are of small extent in western Montana.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Missoula County, Montana, 1985.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: an ochric epipedon from 2 to 11 inches (Bw horizon); an albic horizon from 11 to 20 inches (2E horizon); a cambic horizon from 20 to 60 inches (2E andBt, 2BC horizons); a soil layer from 2 to 11 inches that has a moist bulk density of 0.95 g/cc or less (Bw horizons); a particle-size control section from 12 to 42 inches (2E, 2E and Bt, 2BC horizons). Chickaman soils have a udic moisture regime and a cryic temperature regime.