LOCATION LITTLETABLE MT
Established Series
REV. KTS-RJS
01/2012
LITTLETABLE SERIES
The Littletable series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in sodium affected lacustrine deposits. These soils occur on lakebeds. Slopes are 0 to 4 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 410 mm, and the mean annual air temperature is about 3 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic Ustic Haplocryalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Littletable silt loam, in rangeland on a 1 percent slope at an elevation of 2021 meters (colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
A--0 to 11 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine and medium granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine and medium roots; many very fine and fine irregular pores; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 15 cm thick)
E--11 to 20 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate medium and thick platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; many very fine and fine irregular pores; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 15 cm thick)
Btn--20 to 33 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) silty clay, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; strong fine and medium columnar structure; extremely hard, extremely firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common fine tubular pores; 60 percent prominent continuous clay films on all faces of peds; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.4); gradual wavy boundary. (12 to 35 cm thick)
Btkn--33 to 59 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) silty clay loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; moderate medium and fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; 5 percent faint patchy clay films on all faces of peds; finely disseminated calcium carbonate and 5 percent fine, distinct, irregular soft masses of calcium carbonate; strongly effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6); gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 30 cm thick)
C--59 to 152 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) silty clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; common, medium, distinct, brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) mottles; massive; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; finely disseminated calcium carbonate; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8).
TYPE LOCATION: Beaverhead County, Montana; located about 95 meters east and 375 meters north of the southwest corner of sec. 14, T. 14S., R. 5W; Corral Creek topographic quadrangle; UTM 12T, 405853e, 4941039n, NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature - 2 to 5 degrees C.
Depth to natric horizon - 10 to 20 cm
Depth to secondary calcium carbonates - 20 to 40 cm
Mottles - relic redoximorphic features
Particle size control section clay content - averages 35 to 50 percent clay
Note: Some pedons may have a Bk or BC horizon.
A horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry; 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3; dry or moist
Clay content: 15 to 25 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 1 percent
Electrical conductivity: 0 to 1 mmhos/cm
Sodium adsorption ratio: 0 to 8
Reaction: pH 6.8 to 7.4
E horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry; 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3; dry or moist
Texture: fine sandy loam or loam
Clay content: 12 to 25 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 1 percent
Electrical conductivity: 0 to 1 mmhos/cm
Sodium adsorption ratio: 8 to 20
Reaction: pH 7.9 to 9.0
Btn horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y; dry or moist
Value: 4 to 6 dry; 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4; dry or moist
Texture: clay loam, silty clay loam, silty clay or clay
Clay content: 35 to 50 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 1 percent
Electrical conductivity: 0 to 4 mmhos/cm
Sodium adsorption ratio: 25 to 75
Reaction: pH 9.0 to 11.0
Btkn horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y; dry or moist
Value: 6 or 7 dry; 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4; dry or moist
Texture: clay loam, silty clay loam, silty clay or clay
Clay content: 27 to 45 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 3 to 15 percent
Electrical conductivity: 0 to 4 mmhos/cm
Sodium adsorption ratio: 25 to 75
Reaction: pH 9.0 to 11.0
C horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y; dry or moist
Value: 6 or 7 dry; 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3; dry or moist
Texture: clay loam, silty clay loam, silty clay or clay
Clay content: 27 to 45 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent
Electrical conductivity: 0 to 4 mmhos/cm
Sodium adsorption ratio: 13 to 25
Reaction: pH 8.5 to 9.6
COMPETING SERIES:
Asperson (WY) - do not have a natric horizon
Goldpark (CO) - do not have a natric horizon
Hatch (UT) - do not have a natric horizon
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform - lakebeds
Elevation - 1980 to 2135 meters
Slope - 0 to 4 percent
Parent material - sodium affected lacustrine deposits
Climate - long, cold winters; moist springs; short warm summers
Mean annual precipitation - 380 to 485 mm
Mean annual air temperature - 1 to 4 degrees C.
Frost-free period - 50 to 70 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: None listed.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Littletable soils are used mainly for rangeland. The vegetation is mainly greasewood, threetip sagebrush, rubber rabbitbrush, inland saltgrass, mat muhly, squirreltail, basin wildrye, thickspike wheatgrass, POA (species) and miscellaneous forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Littletable soils are of small extent in southwestern Montana. MLRA - 44B.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Horse Prairie-South Valley Area - Part of Beaverhead County, Montana, 2011; proposed in Beaverhead County, Montana, 2010.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - from 0 to 20 cm (A, E horizons)
Natric horizon - from 20 to 59 cm (Btn, Btkn horizons)
Particle-size control section - from 20 to 59 cm (Btn, Btkn horizons)
Littletable soils have a cryic temperature regime and an ustic moisture regime.
Taxonomic version: Eleventh Edition, 2010.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.