LOCATION DAYSCHOOL MTInactive Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, frigid Aridic Ustorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Dayschool fine sandy loam, in rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 3 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine roots; slightly effervescent; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
AC--3 to 12 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak coarse and medium prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; disseminated lime; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
C1--12 to 25 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loamy fine sand, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; disseminated line; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 40 inches thick)
C2--25 to 60 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) fine sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; single grain; soft, loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; disseminated lime; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Chouteau County, Montana; 985 feet east and 150 feet north of the SW corner of sec. 4, T.23 N., R.7 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil temperature: 42 to 47 degrees F.
Depth to loamy fine sand or
fine sand: 10 to 20 inches
A1 horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value, dry: 5 or 6
Value, moist: 4
Chroma: 2
Texture, F2 mm: fine sandy loam, sandy loam
Clay content: 5 to 15 percent
Reaction: pH 6.6 to 7.8
AC horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value, dry: 5 or 6
Value, moist: 4
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture, F2 mm: fine sandy loam
Clay content: 5 to 15 percent
Reaction: pH 7.8 to 8.4
C horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value, dry: 5 or 6
Value, moist: 4 or 5
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture, F2 mm: loamy fine sandy, fine sand
Clay content: 0 to 10 percent
Rock fragments (pebbles): 0 to 10 percent
Reaction: pH 7.4 to 8.4
NOTE: Some pedons have gravelly or very gravelly sand lenses below a depth of 40 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Vible series and the closely similar Tusler, Zeona, and Yetull soils. Vible soils are noncalcareous above a depth of 40 inches. Yetull soils are sandy in all subhorizons below a depth of 10 inches. Tusler soils have a paralithic contact at a depth of 20 to 40 inches. Zeona soils are noncalcareous above a depth of 36 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Dayschool soils are on uplands. Elevations are 2,000 to 4,000 meters. Slopes are 15 to 70 percent. The climate is cool, with long cold winters and moist springs and hot dry summers. Mean annual precipitation is 10 to 14 inches, most of which falls as rain in spring and early in summer. Mean annual temperature is 41 to 45 degrees F. The frost-free season is 105 to 125 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Hillon, Neldore, Chinook, Busby, and Fleak soils. Hillon soils are fine-loamy, Neldore soils are clayey and shallow to paralithic shale, Chinook soils are coarse-loamy and have a mollic epipedon, Busby soils are coarse-loamy, and Fleak soils are shallow to sandstone.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; medium runoff; rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Dayschool soils are used mainly as rangeland. Potential native vegetation is mainly needleandthread, prairie junegrass, Indian ricegrass, prairie sandreed, threadleaf sedge, blue grama, Sandberg bluegrass, and some forbs and shrubs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central Montana. Dayschool soils are of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES PROPOSED: Chouteau County, Montana, 1980.