LOCATION RINGLING MT+ND WYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal over fragmental, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Ringling channery loam, in woodland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted)
Oi--0 to 2 inches; partly decomposed pine needles and twigs.
A--2 to 7 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) channery loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common medium fine and very fine roots; 30 percent channers; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 14 inches thick)
Bw--7 to 19 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) very channery loam, dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) moist; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common medium, fine, and very fine roots; 50 percent channers and 5 percent flagstones; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 15 inches thick)
2Ck--19 to 44 inches; pale red (10R 6/3) highly fractured baked sandstone and shale with less than 5 percent fine material in the voids; few medium, fine, and very fine roots along faces of fragments mainly in the upper part; lime casts on rock fragments mainly in the upper part; gradual wavy boundary.
2C--44 to 62 inches; pale red (10R 6/3) highly fractured baked sandstone; less than 3 percent fine material in the voids.
TYPE LOCATION: Rosebud County, Montana; 2600 feet west and 700 feet south of the northeast corner of sec. 22, T. 3 S., R. 42E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil temperature - 41 to 47 degrees F.
Moisture control section - approximately between the depths of 8 and 24 inches
Mollic epipedon thickness - 7 to 14 inches thick
Depth to fragmental material - 12 to 20 inches
A horizon - Hue: 7.5YR, 5YR, 2.5YR or 10R
Value: 4 or 5 dry; 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Clay content: 10 to 25 percent
Rock fragments: 10 to 80 percent--0 to 15 percent flagstones, 10 to 65 percent channers or shale
Reaction: pH 6.6 to 7.8
Bw horizon - Hue: 7.5YR, 5YR, 2.5YR or 10R
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2, 3 or 4
Clay content: 10 to 25 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 80 percent--5 to 25 percent flagstones, 30 to 55 percent channers and shale
Reaction: pH 6.6 to 7.8
2Ck horizon -
Clay content: 0 to 5 percent
Rock fragments: 95 to 100 percent--90 to 95 percent flagstones, 5 to 10 percent channers and shale
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 10 percent
Reaction: pH 6.6 to 8.4
2C horizon -
Clay content: 0 to 5 percent
Rock fragments: 95 to 100 percent--90 to 95 percent flagstones, 5 to 10 percent channers and shale
Reaction: pH 6.6 to 8.4
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform - sedimentary plains and hills
Elevation - 2,000 to 4,800 feet
Slope- 2 to 90 percent
Parent material - material derived from argillite, porcelanite, or from burned shale or burned sandstone
Climate - long, cold winters; moist springs; warm summers.
Mean annual precipitation - 13 to 19 inches much of which falls as snow and as rain in spring, early summer and late fall.
Mean annual air temperature - 39 to 45 degrees F.
Frost-free period - 90 to 135 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Brandenburg, Dogtooth, Janesburg and Searing soils. Brandenburg soils occur higher on the landscape. They do not have a mollic epipedon. Dogtooth, Janesburg and Searing soils occur lower on the landscape. Dogtooth and Janesburg soils have a natric horizon. Searing soils have shattered porcelanite at depths of 20 to 40 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Excessively drained; permeability is moderately rapid above the fragmental material and rapid in the fragmental material.
USE AND VEGETATION: Ringling soils are used mainly as rangeland. Some limited use as forest land. The potential native vegetation is mainly Bluebunch wheatgrass, little bluestem, needleandthread, western wheatgrass, rough fescue, shrubs and forbs. The forest vegetation is mainly ponderosa pine. Dense stands are mainly on the north slopes but trees can occur on all aspects.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Ringling soils are of moderate extent on eastern Montana and western North Dakota.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Reconnaissance Soil Survey of Central Montana, 1946.
REMARKS: Soil Interpretations Record: MT0016 and MT1100.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - from the top of the mineral soil surface (2 inches) to 9 inches after mixing (A and Bw horizons); cambic horizon - from 9 to 19 inches (Bw horizon); fragmental material - from 19 to 62 inches (2Ck and 2C horizons); particle-size control section - from 12 to 42 inches (Bw and 2Ck horizons).
Ringling soils have a frigid temperature regime and an ustic moisture regime.