LOCATION SLUICE MTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive Inceptic Haplocryalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Sluice gravelly loam - native grass part in conifer timber. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 3 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine crumb structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many very fine roots and fine interstitial pores; 20 percent gravel; noncalcareous; abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
A2--3 to 5 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) gravelly loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine plates that separate to moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine roots and fine interstitial pores; 20 percent gravel; noncalcareous; clear wavy boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
AB--5 to 7 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) gravelly clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium and fine angular blocky structure; hard, very friable, sticky, plastic; many very fine roots and fine tubular pores; common uncoated silt grains on thin patchy clay film on faces of peds; 20 percent gravel; noncalcareous; clear boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Bt--7 to 10 inches; light red (2.5YR 6/6) gravelly clay loam, red (2.5YR 4/6) moist; weak coarse prisms that separate to strong medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky, plastic; common very fine roots and fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel; thick organic staining of dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3), dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) moist on clay film on peds; noncalcareous; abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
BC--10 to 13 inches; light red (2.5YR 6/6) gravelly clay loam, red (2.5YR 4/6) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common very fine roots and fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel; weakly calcareous; clear boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Ck1--13 to 23 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 7/6) gravelly loam, yellowish red (5YR 5/6) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common very fine roots and fine tubular pores; 40 percent gravel; thick lime coatings on undersides of pebbles; very strongly calcareous; abrupt boundary.
C2--23 to 55 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) gravelly loam, yellowish red (5YR 5/6) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few very fine roots; 40 percent gravel; weakly calcareous; gradual boundary.
TYPE LOCATION: Granite County, Montana; 1,650 feet south and 700 feet east of N1/4 corner of sec. 8, T.6N., R.15W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Volume of gravel increases with increased depth, ranging from 10 to 30 percent in A and B horizons and from 30 to 60 percent in C horizons. Depth to the Ck horizon is 12 to 16 inches. Mean annual soil temperature is 44 to 47 degrees F. and average summer soil temperature is 55 to 59 degrees F. The hue is 10YR through 5YR in the A horizon and 5YR through 10R in the B and C horizons.
The A1 horizon has value of 4 or 5 dry and 2 or 3 moist and chroma of 2 or 3.
The A2 and Bt horizons have value of 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist and chroma of 4 through 6.
The Bt horizon is clay loam or gravelly clay loam to clay or gravelly clay with 35 to 50 percent clay.
The Ck horizon has an estimated 5 to 10 percent CaC03 equivalent. Clay content is 18 to 27 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Strongly rolling uplands in a grassland-timber-tension zone at elevations ranging from 4,800 to 5,500 feet. These soils formed in materials weathered from ash cemented conglomerates. Mean annual precipitation is 16 to 20 inches and mean annual temperature is 40 to 44 degrees F. Mean summer temperature is 58 to 64 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Maukey and Sicklesteets soils and the Marcetta and Pintlar soils. Marcetts and Pintlar soils have mollic epipedons and noncalcareous pedons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Grazing on grassland with some open stands of Douglas-fir and lodgepole pine. Principal grasses are bluebunch wheatgrass, Sandberg bluegrass, Idaho fescue and rough fescue.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Valleys of western Montana where the series is inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Granite County (Philipsburg-Drummond Area), Montana, 1972.