LOCATION NOONEY MT
Tentative Series
REV. PHO-JMS-RJS
03/2017
NOONEY SERIES
The Nooney series consists of deep, well drained soils that formed in colluvium or till over residuum derived from metasedimentary rock. These soils occur on moraines, mountain slopes and cirque headwalls. Slopes are 30 to 80 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 1,825 mm and the mean annual air temperature is about 2.0 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive Typic Haplocryepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Nooney very gravelly sandy loam, in coniferous forest. This profile was described on a 60 percent slope at an elevation of 1,993 meters (colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
Oi--0 to 2 cm; slightly decomposed forest litter.
A--2 to 18 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/3) very gravelly sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine, and few medium and coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; 40 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.6); gradual wavy boundary.
Bw1--18 to 46 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, fine, and few medium and coarse roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; 40 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.6); gradual wavy boundary.
Bw2--46 to 78 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/4) extremely gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and common fine roots; common fine tubular pores; 55 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); gradual wavy boundary.
C--78 to 125 cm; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) extremely gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 50 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4).
R--125 cm; metasedimentary bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Glacier County Area, Montana; located about 193 meters north and 84 meters east from the southwest corner of section 23 T 36N.,R 16W; Many Glacier topographic quadrangle; Longitude - 48 degrees, 51 minutes, 29 seconds north; Latitude - 113 degrees, 40 minutes, 24 seconds west, NAD 1983.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature -- 1.0 to 4.5 degrees C.
Depth to a lithic contact -- 100 to 150 cm
Oi horizon
Thickness: 2 to 6 cm
A horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR; dry or moist
Value: 3 to 5 dry; 2 to 4 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4; dry or moist
Clay content: 8 to 20 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent - 30 to 50 percent gravel, 5 to 10 percent cobbles, 0 to 5 percent stones
Reaction: pH 5.2 to 6.5
Thickness: 5 to 20 cm
Bw1, Bw2 horizons
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR; dry or moist
Value: 5 to 7 dry; 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4; dry or moist
Texture (less than 2 mm): loam, sandy loam or sandy clay loam
Clay content: 10 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 75 percent - 35 to 60 percent gravel, 5 to 15 percent cobbles, 0 to 5 percent stones
Reaction: pH 5.2 to 6.5
Thickness (Bw1, Bw2 combined): 35 to 80 cm
C horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR; dry or moist
Value: 4 to 6; dry or moist
Chroma: 2 or 4; dry or moist
Texture (less than 2 mm): loam, sandy loam or sandy clay loam
Rock fragments: 40 to 75 percent - 35 to 60 percent gravel, 5 to 15 percent cobbles, 0 to 5 percent stones
Clay content: 10 to 25 percent
Reaction: pH 6.0 to 7.0
Thickness: 40 to 80 cm
COMPETING SERIES:
Basaltlake (AK) -- are very deep
Butchlake (AK) -- are very deep
Cuberant (UT) -- are moderately deep to a lithic contact
Enentah (CO) -- are very deep
Garlet (MT) -- are very deep
Holokukfamily (AK) -- are very deep
Kegsprings (MT) -- are very deep
Mountedith (MT) -- are very deep
Soakpak (AK) -- have a permafrost layer
Storm (CO) -- are very deep
Targhee (ID) -- are moderately deep to a lithic contact
Telay (AK) - are very deep
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform -- moraines, mountain slopes and cirque headwalls
Elevation -- 1,600 to 2,800 meters
Slope -- 15 to 80 percent
Parent material -- colluvium or till over residuum derived from metasedimentary rock
Climate -- long, cold winters; moist springs; short warm summers.
Mean annual precipitation -- 1,150 to 2,600 mm
Mean annual air temperature -- -1.0 to 4.0 degrees C.
Frost-free period -- 15 to 50 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: None listed.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained and moderate permeability (5 to 50 um/sec).
USE AND VEGETATION: Nooney soils are used for recreation and wildlife habitat. Vegetation is dominated by beartongue, silverleaf phacelia, mountain agoseris, columbine, rockcress, alpine smelowskia, Scouler's St. johnswort, sitka valerian, shortstalk sedge, dwarf fireweed and spike trisetum.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Nooney soils are of small extent in northwestern Montana. MLRA 43A and 43B.
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana.
SERIES PROPOSED: Glacier National Park area in Glacier County, Montana, 2015.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon -- 0 to 18 cm (Oi, A horizons)
Cambic horizon -- 18 to 78 cm (Bw1, Bw2 horizons)
Lithic contact - 125 cm (R horizon)
Particle-size control section - 27 to 102 cm (part of the Bw1, Bw2, part of C horizons)
Nooney soils have a cryic temperature regime and an udic moisture regime.
Taxonomic version: Twelfth Edition, 2014.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.