LOCATION FINDON                  MT

Tentative Series
Rev. SPV/EMM
07/2012

FINDON SERIES

The Findon series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils formed in colluvium from mixed rock sources over residuum weathered from shale and siltstone. These soils occur on hills and mountain slopes. Slopes are 4 to 65 percent. The average annual precipitation is about 530 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 4 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive Ustic Haplocryalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Findon gravelly loam, forested. (Colors are for air dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

Oi--0 to 1 cm; slightly decomposed pine needles, grasses, forbs, shrub leaf stems, and roots. (0 to 6 cm thick)

A--1 to 13 cm; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) gravelly loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine and few medium roots; common very fine and few fine pores; 15 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles and 2 percent stones; finely disseminated carbonates; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 15 cm thick)

Btk1--13 to 25 cm; red (2.5YR 4/6) gravelly silty clay loam, reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; moderately hard, very firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, fine, and medium and few coarse roots; common fine pores; 15 percent prominent clay films on faces of peds; 20 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; finely disseminated carbonates, 2 percent fine carbonate masses; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary.

Btk2--25 to 69 cm; red (2.5YR 4/6) parachannery silty clay, reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate and coarse angular blocky structure; very hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine, fine and medium and few coarse roots; few fine pores; 75 percent prominent clay films on faces of peds; 5 percent gravel and 10 percent parachanners; 20 percent fine carbonate masses; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (combined thickness of the Btk horizons is 35 to 80 cm thick)

BCk--69 to 90 cm; red (2.5YR 4/6) parachannery silty clay loam, reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine, fine, medium and coarse roots; few very fine pores; 5 percent gravel and 20 percent parachanners; 30 percent fine carbonate masses; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 25 cm thick)

Cr--90 cm; red (2.5YR 4/8) semi consolidated calcareous shale; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0)

TYPE LOCATION: Meagher County, Montana; located about 5,100 feet west and 1,970 feet south from the northeast corner of section 21 T 10N., R 11E.; Mud Creek topographic quadrangle; UTM 12T, 0549414E, 5162489N, NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature - 1 to 4 degrees C.
Depth to paralithic contact - 50 to 100 cm.
Depth to argillic horizon - 5 to 15 cm.

A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR to 2.5YR, dry or moist
Value: 4 or 5 dry; 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 to 5, dry or moist
Texture: loam or silt loam
Clay content: 15 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent - 15 to 25 percent gravel, 0 to 10 percent cobbles and stones
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 3 to 15 percent
Reaction: pH 7.7 to 8.0

Btk1 horizon
Hue: 7.5YR to 2.5YR, dry or moist
Value: 4 to 6, dry or moist
Chroma: 4 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam
Clay content: 25 to 35 percent
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent - 15 to 25 percent gravel, 0 to 10 percent cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 10 to 25 percent
Reaction: pH 7.9 to 8.2

Btk2 horizon
Hue: 7.5YR to 2.5YR dry or moist
Value: 4 to 6, dry or moist
Chroma: 4 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: clay, silty clay, clay loam, or silty clay loam
Clay content: 35 to 50 percent
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent - 15 to 25 percent parachanners, 0 to 10 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 30 percent
Reaction: pH 8.0 to 8.4

BCk horizon
Hue: 7.5YR to 2.5YR dry or moist
Value: 4 to 6 dry or moist
Chroma: 4 to 8 dry or moist
Texture: clay loam or silty clay loam
Clay content: 28 to 40 percent
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent - 15 to 25 percent parachanners, 0 to 10 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 30 percent
Reaction: pH 8.2 to 8.4

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Katlon and Sicklesteets soils.

Katlon (NM) - are very deep
Sicklesteets (MT) - are very deep

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform - hills and mountain slopes.
Elevation - 1,600 to 2,300 meters.
Slope - 4 to 65 percent.
Parent material - colluvium from mixed sedimentary rock sources over shale or siltstone residuum.
Climate - long, cold winters; moist springs and warm summers
Mean annual precipitation - 380 to 610 mm.
Mean annual air temperature - 1 to 4 degrees C.
Frost free period - 50 to 70 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Woodhall series. Woodhall soils have a mollic epipedon, do not have carbonates, and are loamy-skeletal. Woodhall soils are on convex slope positions on mountain slopes.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; high runoff; low permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Findon soils are used for forestry, rangeland, and understory grazing. Native vegetation is blue bunch wheatgrass, rough fescue, and Idaho fescue. Forested areas are dominated by Douglas-fir and sometimes have lesser amounts of ponderosa pine with an understory of grasses, snowberry, gooseberry, and common juniper.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Findon series are of small extent in central and western Montana. MLRA's 43B and 46.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES PROPOSED: Meagher County, Montana, 2011. Findon is named after the historic area of Findon in eastern Meagher County.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 13 cm (A horizon).
Argillic horizon - the zone from 13 to 69 cm (Btk1 and Btk2 horizons).
Calcic horizon - the zone from 13 to 90 cm (Btk1, Btk2 and BCk horizons).
Paralithic contact - 90 cm (Cr).
Particle size control section - the zone from 13 to 63 cm (Btk1 and part of the Btk2 horizons).

Findon soils have a cryic temperature regime and an ustic moisture regime.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.