LOCATION SAGEDALE MT+COEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, frigid Typic Haplustepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Sagedale silty clay loam, in grassland (colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
A--0 to 4 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) silty clay loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine roots; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)
Bw--4 to 11 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) silty clay loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; moderate medium and coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (7 to 12 inches thick)
Bk1--11 to 21 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) silty clay loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky; very hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine pores; common fine masses of lime; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary.
Bk2--21 to 30 inches; variegated light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) and dark gray (N 4/) silty clay loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) and very dark gray (N 3/) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure; extremely hard, very firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine pores; few pressure cutans; common fine masses of lime; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of Bk horizons is 7 to 45 inches)
Bky--30 to 36 inches; variegated light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) and dark gray (N 4/) silty clay loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) and very dark gray (N 3/) moist; massive; extremely hard, very firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine pores; few pressure cutans; common fine and medium masses of lime and gypsum; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 16 inches thick)
BC--36 to 60 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) silty clay loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) moist; massive; extremely hard, very firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist mottles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Big Horn County, Montana; 1,850 feet east and 700 feet south of the NW corner of sec. 22, T. 5 S., R. 39 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil temperature - 42 to 47 degrees F.
Moisture control section - between 4 and 12 inches.
Depth to Bk horizon - 10 to 18 inches.
Some pedons do not have mottles below 36 inches.
A horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5 or 6 dry
Chroma: 2, 3, or 4
Texture: silty clay loam, silty clay, or clay loam
Clay content: 30 to 45 percent
Reaction: pH 7.4 to 8.4
Bw horizons - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5 or 6 dry
Chroma: 2, 3, or 4
Texture: silty clay loam, silty clay, or clay loam
Clay content: 32 to 45 percent
Reaction: pH 7.4 to 8.4
Bk1 horizons - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5, 6 or 7 dry, 4, 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 2, 3, or 4
Texture: clay loam, silty clay loam or silty clay
Clay content: 35 to 45 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent
Reaction: pH 7.4 to 8.4
Bk2 horizon - Hue: 2.5Y or N
Value: 4, 5, 6, or 7 dry; 3, 4, 5, or 6 moist
Chroma: 2, 3, or 4
Texture: clay loam, silty clay loam or silty clay
Clay content: 35 to 45 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent
EC: less than 4 mmhos/cm
Reaction: pH 7.4 to 8.4
Bky horizon - Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y, 5Y, or N
Value: 4, 5, 6 or 7 dry; 3, 4, or 5 moist
Chroma: 2, 3, or 4
Texture: silty clay loam, clay, silty clay, or clay loam
Clay content: 35 to 45 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 10 percent
EC: less than 4 mmhos/cm
Gypsum: 1 to 7 percent
Reaction: pH 7.9 to 9.0
By or BC horizon - Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y
Value: 5, 6, or 7 dry; 4, 5, or 6 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: silty clay loam or silty clay
Clay content: 35 to 45 percent
EC: less than 4 mmhos/cm
Gypsum: 1 to 6 percent
Reaction: pH 7.4 to 9.0
COMPETING SERIES:
Widen (MT) - has a paralithic contact at 20 to 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform - sedimentary plains, alluvial fans, stream terraces, drainageways, and hills.
Elevation - 2,900 to 6,000 feet.
Slope - 0 to 45 percent.
Parent material - colluvium or in alluvium derived from semiconsolidated shale.
Climate - cool with cold winters; moist springs; warm, dry summers.
Mean annual precipitation - 13 to 19 inches.
Mean annual air temperature - 39 to 45 degrees F.
Frost-free period - 85 to 135 days.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Sagedale soils are used mainly as rangeland. The potential native vegetation is western wheatgrass, green needlegrass, Idaho fescue, and some forbs and shrubs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Montana. Sagedale soils are inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Rosebud County, Montana, 1987.
REMARKS: Soil interpretation record: MT0682. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: an ochric epipedon from the soil surface to 7 inches (mixed) (A, Bw horizons); a cambic horizon from 4 to 11 inches (Bw horizon); horizons of secondary carbonate accumulation (Bk1, Bk2 horizons); a horizon of gypsum accumulation (Bky horizon); a particle-size control section from 10 to 40 inches (Bw, Bk1, Bk2, Bky, and part of BC horizons). Sagedale soils have a frigid temperature regime and an ustic moisture regime.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Laboratory sample S75MT-087-229.