LOCATION MATSINGALE MT
Established Series
REV. EAW-RJS
01/2012
MATSINGALE SERIES
The Matsingale series consists of very deep, poorly drained soils that formed in sodium affected lacustrine deposits. These soils occur on lakebeds. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 460 mm, and the mean annual air temperature is about 3 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic Sodic Endoaquerts
TYPICAL PEDON: Matsingale silty clay, in shrubland on a slope of less than 1 percent at an elevation of 2013 meters (colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted).
E--0 to 5 cm; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silty clay, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) dry; moderate thin and medium platy structure; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine irregular pores; finely disseminated calcium carbonate; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); gradual wavy boundary. (2 to 10 cm thick)
Bss--5 to 47 cm; very dark gray (2.5Y 3/1) silty clay, dark gray (2.5Y 4/1) dry; strong coarse angular blocky structure; extremely hard, extremely firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common fine tubular pores; few slickensides with intersecting surfaces 10 to 60 degrees from horizontal; finely disseminated calcium carbonate; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); gradual wavy boundary. (25 to 50 cm thick)
Bssg--47 to 86 cm; dark gray (2.5Y 4/1) silty clay, gray (2.5Y 5/1) dry; 1 percent fine prominent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) redox concentrations; strong coarse angular blocky structure; very hard, extremely firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; common fine tubular pores; common slickensides with intersecting surfaces 10 to 60 degrees from horizontal; finely disseminated calcium carbonate; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); gradual wavy boundary. (25 to 50 cm thick)
Bg--86 to 104 cm; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silty clay, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) dry; 1 percent fine prominent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) redox concentrations; strong medium sub-angular blocky structure; very hard, extremely firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; finely disseminated calcium carbonate; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 50 cm thick)
Cg--104 to 152 cm; olive gray (5Y 5/2) clay, light gray (5Y 7/2) dry; 1 percent fine prominent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) redox concentrations; massive; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; finely disseminated calcium carbonate; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Beaverhead County, Montana; located about 2400 feet east and 1300 feet north of the southwest corner of sec. 6, T. 14S, R. 2W; Metzel Creek topographic quadrangle; UTM 12T, 429174e, 4943389n, NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Temperature regime - cryic
Mean annual soil temperature - 2 to 5 degrees C.
Depth to a seasonal high water table - 30 to 60 cm
Depth to slickensides - 5 to 30 cm
Particle-size control section - averages 40 to 55 percent clay
Note: Some pedons may have an organic layer at the surface that is less than 15 cm thick.
E horizon
Hue: 2.5Y or 5Y; dry or moist
Value: 6 or 7 dry; 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2; dry or moist
Texture: silty clay loam or silty clay
Clay content: 30 to 45 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent
Sodium adsorption ratio: 13 to 25
Electrical conductivity: 4 to 15 mmhos/cm
Reaction: pH 8.5 to 9.2
Bss horizon
Hue: 2.5Y or 5Y; dry or moist
Value: 4 or 5 dry; 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2; dry or moist
Clay content: 40 to 60 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 35 percent
Sodium adsorption ratio: 13 to 35
Electrical conductivity: 4 to 15 mmhos/cm
Reaction: pH 8.5 to 9.6
Bssg horizon
Hue: 2.5Y or 5Y; dry or moist
Value: 4 or 5 dry; 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2; dry or moist
Clay content: 40 to 60 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 35 percent
Sodium adsorption ratio: 13 to 35
Electrical conductivity: 4 to 15 mmhos/cm
Reaction: pH 8.5 to 9.6
Bg horizon
Hue: 2.5Y or 5Y; dry or moist
Value: 5 to 7 dry; 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2; dry or moist
Texture: silty clay loam or silty clay
Clay content: 35 to 50 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 35 percent
Sodium adsorption ratio: 5 to 12
Electrical conductivity: 4 to 15 mmhos/cm
Reaction: pH 8.2 to 9.0
Cg horizon
Hue: 2.5Y or 5Y; dry or moist
Value: 5 to 7 dry; 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2; dry or moist
Texture: silty clay loam, silty clay or clay
Clay content: 35 to 55 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent
Sodium adsorption ratio: 3 to 12
Electrical conductivity: 4 to 15 mmhos/cm
Reaction: pH 8.0 to 8.6
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform - lakebeds
Elevation - 2010 to 2020 meters
Slope - 0 to 2 percent
Parent material - sodium affected lacustrine deposits
Climate - long, cold winters; moist springs; short cool summers
Mean annual precipitation - 400 to 510 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: Poorly drained; slow permeability. In addition, soils may be ponded early in the growing season or during periods of heavy precipitation.
USE AND VEGETATION: Matsingale soils are used mainly for rangeland and wildlife. The vegetation is mainly inland saltgrass, alkali bluegrass, Baltic rush, Nuttall's saltgrass, basin wildrye, foxtail barley, suaeda and greasewood.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Matsingale 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, 2011.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - from 0 to 5 cm (E horizon)
Vertical cracks - from 0 to 86 cm (E, Bss, Bssg horizons)
Slickensides - from 5 to 86 cm (Bss, Bssg horizons
Aquic features - chromas of 2 or less throughout the profile and redox concentrations from 47 to 152 cm (Bssg, Bg, Cg horizons)
Particle-size control section - from 25 to 100 cm (part of Bss, Bssg, part of Bg horizons)
Matsingale soils have a cryic temperature regime and an aquic moisture regime.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.