LOCATION SIPPLE MTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Sipple loam, in cropland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 6 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and very fine roots; few pebbles; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 7 inches thick)
Bt--6 to 13 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; strong medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many fine and very fine roots; many fine and very fine pores; faint continuous clay films on faces of peds; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) organic stains on faces of peds; few pebbles; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 11 inches thick)
Bk1--13 to 22 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and very fine roots; many fine and very fine pores; few pebbles; pebbles undercoated with lime; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Bk2--22 to 34 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1) light clay loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine and very fine roots; many fine and very fine pores; few pebbles; many threads of lime; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 15 inches thick)
Bk3--34 to 52 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) and very pale brown (10YR 8/2) clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate very fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; many fine and very fine pores; 10 percent limestone pebbles; many fine masses and threads of lime; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (15 to 25 inches thick)
2C--52 to 66 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very gravelly loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common fine and very fine pores; 45 percent pebbles, 10 percent cobbles; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Fergus County, Montana; about 295 feet west and 197 feet north of the SE corner of sec. 16, T. 14 N., R. 16 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil temperature: 41 to 45 degrees F.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 11 to 16 inches
Rock fragments: mainly limestone and other rocks that have high lime content
Depth to k horizon: 15 to 25 inches
Depth to gravelly material: 40 to 60 inches
Ap horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5YR
Value, dry: 3 or 4
Value, moist: 2 or 3
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: loam
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent
Cobbles: 0 to trace
Pebbles: 0 to 10 percent
Reaction: pH 6.1 to 7.8
Bt horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value, dry: 4 or 5
Value, moist: 3 or 4
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: clay loam or silty clay loam
Clay content: 27 to 35 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent
Cobbles: 0 to trace
Pebbles: 0 to 10 percent
Reaction: pH 6.1 to 7.8
Bk1 and Bk2 horizons:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value, dry: 5 to 7
Value, moist: 4 to 6
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: clay loam, silty clay loam, or loam
Clay content: 15 to 35 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent
Cobbles: 0 to trace
Pebbles: 0 to 15 percent
Reaction: pH 7.4 to 8.4
Bk3 horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value, dry: 6 to 8
Value, moist: 5 to 6
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam
Clay content: 15 to 35 percent
Rock fragments: 5 to 30 percent
Cobbles: 0 to trace
Pebbles: 0 to 30 percent
Reaction: pH 7.9 to 8.4
2C horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value, dry: 6 to 8
Value, moist: 5 to 6
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: loam or sandy loam
Clay content: 7 to 25 percent
Rock fragments: 50 to 75 percent
Cobbles: 5 to 10 percent
Pebbles: 45 to 55 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 25 to 45 percent
Reaction: pH 7.9 to 9.0
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Absarook, Archmesa, Beartooth, Beeno, Bielenberg, Bookcliff, Burtoner, Clancy, Clasoil, Dooley, Doughty, Empedrado, Fairfield, Farnuf, Farside, Felor, Greenway, Gurney, Hangdo, Hoppers, Hyalite, Jeffcity, Kokoruda, Livona, Martinsdale, Maudlin, Meagher, Moen, Moento, Pianohill, Placerton, Reeder, Reedwest, Snakejohn, Sponseller, Trag, Tragmon, Trazuni, Trujillo, Ulrant, Vida, Watne, Watrous, Williams, and Yegen series. The Absarook, Archmesa, Burtoner, Gurney, Hoppers, Jeffcity, Maudlin, Moen, Moento, Pianohill and Watrous soils are moderately deep to a lithic contact. Beartooth soils have 35 to 60 percent rock fragments in the Bk horizons. The Beeno, Reeder, and Reedwest soils are moderately deep to a paralithc contact. The Bielenberg, Bookcliff, Clancy, Placerton, Snakejohn, and Ulrant soils are deep to a lithic contact. The Clasoil, Farside, Hangdo, Hyalite, Kokoruda, Sponseller, Trag, Tragmon, and Trazuni soils do not have horizons of secondary carbonate accumulation. The Dooley, Doughty, Felor, Livona, and Meagher soils are moderately deep to a lithologic discontinuity. The Empedrado, Fairfield, Farnuf, Martinsdale, Trujillo, Vida, Watne, Williams, and Yegen soils do not have lithologic discontinuities. The Greenway soils have a lithologic discontinuity at 15 to 25 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sipple soils are on terraces and fans. Elevations are 4,000 to 4,800 feet. Slopes are 0 to 4 percent. These soils formed in calcareous loamy alluvium. The climate is cool with long cold winters and moist springs and summers. Mean annual precipitation is 17 to 22 inches. Mean annual temperature is 39 to 43 degrees F. The growing season is 90 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the Doughty, Judith, and Windham series. Judith and Windham soils lack argillic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Sipple soils are used mainly as cropland. Small areas are used for pasture and as rangeland. The potential native vegetation is mainly bluebunch wheatgrass, western wheatgrass, Idaho fescue, and bluegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Montana. The series is of limited extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Reconnaissance Soil Survey of Central Montana, 1942.