LOCATION KERL MTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Calcic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Kerl loam, cultivated (colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
Ap--0 to 7 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; many fine pores; 5 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (7 to 12 inches thick)
Bw1--7 to 14 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; many fine pores; 5 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); clear irregular boundary. (5 to 11 inches thick).
Bw2--14 to 20 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; common fine pores; 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
Bk--20 to 60 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; violently effervescent; common masses and threads of lime; 15 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Lake County, Montana; 500 feet south and 300 feet east of the NW corner of sec. 24, T. 22 N., R. 21 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil temperature - 43 to 47 degrees F.
Moisture control section - between 4 and 12 inches.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 7 to 16 inches.
Depth to Bk horizon - 14 to 26 inches.
Ap horizon - Value: 4 or 5 dry; 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: silt loam or loam
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent--0 to 5 percent cobbles, 0 to 10 percent gravel
Reaction: pH 6.6 to 7.3
Bw1 horizon - Value: 5 or 6 dry; 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loam or silt loam
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 25 percent--0 to 5 percent cobbles; 0 to 20 percent gravel
Reaction: pH 6.6 to 7.8
Bw2 horizon - Value: 5, 6, or 7 dry; 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: loam or silt loam
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 25 percent--0 to 5 percent cobbles; 0 to 20 percent gravel
Reaction: pH 6.6 to 8.4
Bk horizon - Value: 6 or 7 dry; 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loam, silt loam, or clay loam
Clay content: 18 to 30 percent
Rock fragments: 10 to 25 percent--0 to 5 percent cobbles; 10 to 20 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent
Reaction: pH 7.9 to 9.0
COMPETING SERIES:
Araveton (ID) - has a calcic horizon; has 15 percent or more stones and flagstones in the cambic horizon.
Causey (UT) - has 15 to 65 percent soft gravel in the horizons of carbonate accumulation; formed in material derived from volcanic activity such as tuffaceous sandstone, siltstone, and limestone with a high phosphate content.
Kuvasz (ID) - is moderately deep to a lithic contact.
Picayune (UT) - has more than 27 percent clay and 20 to 50 percent cobbles and gravel in the B2 horizon.
Revis (OR) - depth to carbonates more than 40 inches; has a discontinuity at a depth of 17 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform- dissected alluvial fans, stream terraces, and till plains.
Elevation - 2,800 to 3,600 feet.
Slope - 0 to 20 percent.
Parent material - glaciofluvial material and alluvium.
Climate - long, cold winters; moist falls and springs; warm, dry summers.
Mean annual precipitation - 14 to 18 inches.
Mean annual temperature - 41 to 45 degrees F.
Frost-free period is 90 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Niarada, Polson, and Belton soils. Niarada soils are loamy-skeletal and have calcic horizons. Polson and Belton soils have natric horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Kerl soils are used as nonirrigated and irrigated cropland and rangeland. The potential native vegetation is rough fescue, bluebunch wheatgrass, Idaho fescue, forbs, and shrubs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Kerl soil is moderately extensive in the intermountain valleys of western Montana. MLRA 44A and 46.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lake County, Montana, 1991; proposed in Lake County, Montana, 1980.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - 0 to 14 inches (AP and Bw1 horizons);
Cambic horizon - 14 to 20 inches (Bw2 horizon);
Accumulation of secondary carbonates - 20 to 60 inches (Bk horizon).
Particle-size control section - 10 to 40 inches (Bw1, Bw2, and Bk horizons).
Kerl soils have a frigid temperature regime and a xeric moisture regime.
Soil interpretation record: MT0742, MT0743.