LOCATION MANHATTAN          MT

Established Series
Rev. JT
12/2001

MANHATTAN SERIES

The Manhattan series includes Brown soils developed in fine-sandy lacustrine deposits. The original material consisted of wind-blown fine or very fine sand which fell into a former lake, forming what is known as the Bozeman Lake Beds. These soils differ from those of the Amsterdam series in having less silt in their composition. They resemble Greeley soils but are on old lake beds and high alluvial colluvial benches instead of stream terraces. Their parent materials have been reworked more by wind than have those of the Greeley soils.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Calciustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Manhattan - fine sandy loam.

A1--0 to 3 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) dry, to very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; friable fine sandy loam; macro-prismatic; firm but not compact; mildly alkaline; in places calcareous. (3 to 5 inches thick)

A3--3 to 8 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) dry and moist; fine sandy loam; usually calcareous; structure like 1. (3 to 6 inches thick)

B1--8 to 15 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) dry, to dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; calcareous fine sandy loam or loam. (5 to 10 inches thick)

C1--15 to 42 inches; pinkish gray (7.5YR 7/2) dry, or light gray (10YR 7/2) dry, to grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; very strongly calcareous fine sandy loam. This is the horizon of maximum lime-carbonate accumulation. (20 to 30 inches thick)

C2--42 to 53 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) dry, to light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) moist; loamy fine sand or very fine sand; calcareous. (12 inches to several feet thick)

TYPE LOCATION: Gallatin County, Montana.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Chief variations are in the thickness of the darker surface layers, and in the character of the substrata. Gravelly layers underlie these soils at a depth of 15 to 24 inches in some places.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Tryvar series. Tryvar soils are loam or silt loam with 18 to 27 percent clay in the upper part of the particle-size control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Undulating to rolling high bench lands. The surface is out by drainage channels or modified by wind erosion in many places.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Surface runoff, medium; permeability, moderate to rapid.

USE AND VEGETATION: A small part of these soils is irrigated and produces high yields of alfalfa and other forage crops, small grains, and vegetables. The greater part is used only for grazing land. Thin stand of grasses, chiefly grama and associated species.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central and southeastern Montana.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Gallatin Valley Area, Montana, 1931.

---

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.