LOCATION CHEREETE MT
Established Series
Rev. EMR/JMS/JCK
06/2012
CHEREETE SERIES
The Chereete series consists of very deep, excessively drained soils that formed in outwash, alluvium, or colluvium. These soils are on outwash fans, drainageways, and escarpments. Slopes are 1 to 45 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 368 mm, and mean annual air temperature is about 6 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed, frigid Typic Haplustepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Chereete gravelly coarse sandy loam, in rangeland on a 25 percent slope at 1,030 meters elevation (colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
A--0 to 13 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many fine and medium irregular pores; 15 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.3); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 15 cm thick)
Bw--13 to 36 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly coarse sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many fine irregular pores; 15 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 32 cm thick)
C1--36 to 64 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very gravelly loamy coarse sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common fine interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); gradual smooth boundary. (22 to 136 cm thick)
C2--64 to 152 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) very gravelly coarse sand, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common fine interstitial pores; 45 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Hamilton North quadrangle, Ravalli County, Montana; 140 meters north and 235 meters east of the SW corner of section 19, T. 7 N., R. 20 W. UTM NAD 83 Zone 11: 719142e, 5136137n.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature - 5 to 8 degrees C
Depth to cambic horizon - 8 to 15 cm
Depth to sandy-skeletal material - 23 to 47 cm
A horizon
Value: 4 to 6 dry; 2 to 4 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3 dry or moist
Texture: coarse sandy loam or sandy loam
Clay content: 5 to 18 percent
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent--10 to 35 percent gravel, 0 to 25 percent cobbles, 0 to 10 percent stones
Reaction: pH 6.0 to 7.2
Bw horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry; 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture: coarse sandy loam or sandy loam
Clay content: 4 to 14 percent
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent--10 to 35 percent gravel, 0 to 10 percent cobbles
Reaction: pH 6.0 to 7.0
C horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 6 or 7 dry; 4, 5, or 6 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist
Texture: loamy coarse sand or coarse sand
Clay content: 0 to 10 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 70 percent--20 to 60 percent gravel, 10 to 25 percent cobbles, 0 to 25 percent stones
Reaction: pH 5.6 to 7.0
COMPETING SERIES:
Kallis (MT) - have more than 35 percent rock fragments in the surface horizon and upper part of the subsoil; have subangular rock fragments
Losthorse (MT) - have an E horizon; are strongly acid to moderately acid
Totelake (MT) - are neutral to slightly alkaline
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform - outwash fans, drainageways, and escarpments
Elevation - 975 to 1,765 meters
Slope - 1 to 45 percent
Parent material - outwash, alluvium or colluvium
Climate - long, cold winters; moist springs; warm summers
Mean annual precipitation - 330 to 432 mm
Mean annual air temperature - 4 to 7 degrees C
Frost-free period - 80 to 115 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: None listed.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Excessively drained; moderately rapid permeability to a depth of 36 centimeters and rapid and very rapid below.
USE AND VEGETATION: Chereete soils are used mainly for rangeland, irrigated pasture, and hayland.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Chereete soils are of small extent in the intermountain valleys of western Montana. MLRA 44A.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Ravalli County (Bitterroot Valley Soil Survey), Montana, 1959.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon from 0 to 13 cm (A horizon)
Cambic horizon from 13 to 36 cm (Bw horizon)
Particle-size control section from 25 to 100 cm (part of the Bw, C1, and part of the C2 horizons).
Chereete soils have a frigid temperature regime and an ustic moisture regime.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.