LOCATION FLOWEREE MTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, frigid Aridic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Floweree silt loam, in cropland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted)
Ap--0 to 6 inches, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) moist; moderate fine and very fine granular structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; many very fine roots; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
Bw1--6 to 8 inches, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silty clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist coatings on faces of prisms; strong medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium blocky; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
Bw2--8 to 13 inches, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) silty clay loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist coatings on faces of prisms; strong medium prismatic structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine pores; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
Bk1--13 to 20 inches, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) silty clay loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate coarse blocky; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine pores; few fine masses of lime; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); gradual smooth boundary. (6 to 18 inches thick)
Bk2--20 to 36 inches, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) silty clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak coarse blocky; hard, very friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine pores; common fine masses and threads of lime; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 20 inches thick)
BCky--36 to 60 inches, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) silty clay loam stratified with thin layers of silt loam, and very fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few roots; few pores; few seams of gypsum; few fine masses of lime; disseminated lime; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6). (0 to 26 inches thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Cascade County, Montana; 840 feet north and 50 feet east of the SW corner of sec. 10, T. 22 N., R. 5 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil temperature - 42 to 47 degrees F.
Moisture control section - between 4 and 12 inches.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 7 to 16 inches thick. May include the upper part of all the Bw1 horizon.
Depth to Bk horizon - 11 to 25 inches.
Soil phases - A calcareous phase is recognized. It has approximately 5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and an electrical conductivity of less than 4 mmhos/cm.
Some pedons have a CB horizon or a C horizon.
Ap horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 or 5 dry; 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Textures: silt loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or silty clay loam
Clay content: 10 to 35 percent
Effervescence: none to strongly
Reaction: pH 6.6 to 8.4
Bw1 horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 or 5 dry; 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Textures: silt loam or silty clay loam
Effervescence: none to strongly
Clay content: 20 to 35
Reaction: pH 6.6 to 8.4
Bw2 horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4, 5, or 6 dry; 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2, 3, or 4
Textures: silt loam or silty clay loam
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent
Effervescence: none to strongly
Reaction: pH 7.4 to 8.4
Bk1 horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5, 6, or 7 dry; 4, 5, or 6 moist
Chroma: 2, 3, or 4
Texture: silt loam or silty clay loam
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent
Reaction: pH 7.9 to 9.0
Bk2 horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5, 6, 7, or 8 dry; 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2, 3, or 4
Textures: loam, silt loam or silty clay loam
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent
Electrical conductivity: 0 to 4 mmhos/cm
Reaction: pH 7.9 to 9.0
BCky horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5, 6, 7, or 8 dry; 4, 5, or 6 moist
Chroma: 2, 3, or 4
Texture: silty clay loam, silt loam or loam consisting of thin strata of silt loam, very fine sandy loam and/or clay loam
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent
Gypsum: 2 to 10 percent
Electrical conductivity: 0 to 4 mmhos/cm
SAR: 0 to 13
Reaction: pH 7.9 to 9.0
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Floweree soils are on alluvial fans and stream terraces. Elevations are 1,900 to 5,000 feet. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. These soils formed in alluvium, glacial meltwater deposits, and in eolian deposits. The climate is characterized by long, cold winters; moist springs; and early, hot and dry summers. Mean annual precipitation is 10 to 14 inches most of which falls as rain in the spring and early summer. Mean annual air temperature is 40 to 45 degrees F. The frost-free period is 90 to 135 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cambeth, Lambeth, Lonna and Vanstel soils. These soils do not have a mollic epipedon. In addition, Cambeth soils have a calcic horizon and Vanstel soils have an agrillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; negligible to medium runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: The Floweree soils are used mainly for irrigated crops and dry farmed crops. Some areas are used for range. The potential native vegetation is mainly bluebunch wheatgrass, green needlegrass, western wheatgrass, needleandthread and some forbs and shrubs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Floweree soils are of moderate extent in Montana, east of the Rocky Mountains.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cascade County, Montana, 1975.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - (mixed) from the soil surface to 7 inches (Ap, Bw1 horizons); cambic horizon - from 6 to 13 inches (Bw1, Bw2 horizons); horizons of lime accumulation - from 13 to 36 inches (Bk1, Bk2 and BCky horizons); particle-size control section - from 10 to 40 inches (Bw2, Bk1, Bk2, BCky horizons).
ADDITIONAL DATA: S57MONT-11-5, S70MT-013-001.