LOCATION COLDCREEK MT+COEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Glossudalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Coldcreek gravelly loam, forested. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
0i--0 to 1 inch; litter, needles, and partially decomposed organic material.
E1--1 to 6 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1) gravelly loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; weak very fine granular structure; friable; many fine roots; sand grains are mostly uncoated; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
E2--6 to 13 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) gravelly loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate medium and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky; many fine and medium roots; many very fine tubular and common fine interstitial pores; mostly uncoated sand grains; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
E/Bt1--13 to 19 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) and 15 percent very pale brown (10YR 7/4) gravelly loam, light gray (10YR 7/2) and light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; many fine roots; many very fine tubular and few fine interstitial pores; many uncoated silt and sand grains; faint continuous clay film in brown material; moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary. (6 to 8 inches thick)
E/Bt2--19 to 29 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) and 15 percent dry very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very gravelly loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) and pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; many very fine tubular and few fine interstitial pores; faint continuous clay films; many uncoated silt and sand grains; 55 percent angular rock fragments; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (10 to 14 inches thick)
Bt/E--29 to 43 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) and 50 percent light gray (10YR 7/2) very gravelly clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist; moderate medium and fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and medium roots; few fine tubular and interstitial pores and few irregularly shaped large vesicles; faint patchy clay films on surfaces of peds; gray walls of pockets have uncoated sand grains; 55 percent angular rock fragments; slightly alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (14 to 20 inches thick)
R--43 to 54 inches; fractured angular hard rock; brown thick clay film patches on rocks and gray uncoated soil material; soil makes up less than 5 percent of volume.
TYPE LOCATION: Mineral County, Montana; 5 1/2 miles up Coldcreek Road from South Side Road.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to bedrock and thickness of solum ranges from 40 to 60 inches. Mean annual soil temperature is 44 degrees to 46 degrees F. and average summer soil temperature is 60 degrees to 62 degrees F. when lacking an O horizon.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 6 to 8 dry, 4 or 5 moist and chroma of 1 or 2. The E2 horizon is gravelly loam or gravelly sandy loam.
The E/Bt horizon ranges from neutral to moderately acid.
The Bt part has hue usually of 10YR or 7.5YR and ranging to 5YR, value of 4 through 7 and chroma of 3 or 4. It is loam or clay loam and has 35 to 80 percent rock fragments, mainly of pebbles and cobbles and lesser amounts of stones.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Northmound series. Northmound soils are moderately deep to a lithic contact.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Coldcreek soils are on steep mountain slopes ranging from 3,000 to 8,500 feet elevation on mixed argillites and quartzites. Mean annual precipitation is 25 to 60 inches with moderately deep winter snow cover. Mean annual temperature is estimated as ranging from 40 degrees to 45 degrees F. Average summer temperature is estimated as ranging from 55 degrees to 60 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Blackburn, Tamely, Haugan and Winkler soils. Blackburn and Tamely soils are associated at high elevations, have pale brown silty loess surface mantle and lack argillic horizons. Blackburn soils are calcareous in the lower horizons. The Haugan and Winkler soils are associated at low and intermediate elevations.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained; medium runoff under forest or grassland cover; moderate permeability. Moderately erodible when surface is bare.
USE AND VEGETATION: Timber production and big game winter range with some summer grazing by domestic livestock. Vegetation is ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir overstory with snowbrush, Oregon-grape, spiraea and pinegrass understory.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Rocky Mountains of western Montana. Coldcreek soils are extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: St. Regis-Ninemile Area, Mineral County, Montana, 1970.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an albic horizon from 1 to 13 inches (E1 and E2 horizons); a glossic horizon from 13 to 43 inches (E/Bt1, E/Bt2 and Bt/E horizons); a lithic contact at 43 inches (R horizon). Coldcreek soils have a frigid temperature regime and a udic moisture regime.