LOCATION TELSTAD MTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Aridic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Telstad loam, cultivated (colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
Ap--0 to 7 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; many fine and medium pores; neutral (pH 7.2); clear irregular boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
Bt1--7 to 10 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine prismatic structure parting to moderate medium and fine blocky; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; many fine roots; common fine pores; continuous faint very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) clay films on faces of peds and in pores; neutral (pH 7.2); clear boundary.
Bt2--10 to 14 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine prismatic structure parting to moderate medium and fine blocky; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common fine roots; few to common fine and very fine pores; continuous faint dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) clay films on faces of peds and in pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear boundary. (Combined thickness of Bt horizons is 6 to 16 inches.)
Btk--14 to 18 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium blocky; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common fine roots; common fine pores; discontinuous faint clay films; few to common masses of lime; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 9 inches thick)
Bk1--18 to 32 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) clay loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; moderate medium and coarse prismatic structure parting to weak medium blocky; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few fine roots; common fine and medium pores; few fine pebbles; common fine masses of lime; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 25 inches thick)
Bk2--32 to 45 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) clay loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; weak very coarse prismatic structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots in upper part; common pores; few fine pebbles; few fine masses of lime; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
BC--45 to 60 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; massive; hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; disseminated lime; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Blaine County, Montana; 600 feet south and 75 feet east of the NW corner of sec. 27, T. 37 N., R. 23 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil temperature - 42 to 47 degrees F.
Moisture control section - between 4 and 12 inches; dry in all parts between four-tenths and five-tenths of the cumulative days per year when the soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is 41 degrees or higher.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 7 to 15 inches.
Depth to secondary carbonates - 10 to 20 inches.
A Bky or By horizon is allowed.
A horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loam or clay loam
Clay content: 18 to 32 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 25 percent--0 to 5 percent cobbles, 0 to 20 percent pebbles
Reaction: pH 6.6 to 7.8
Bt horizons - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4, 5, or 6 dry; 3, 4, or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loam or clay loam
Clay content: 25 to 35 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent--0 to 2 percent cobbles, 0 to 8 percent pebbles
Reaction: pH 6.6 to 8.4
Btk, Bk1 horizons - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5, 6, or 7 dry; 4, 5, or 6 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loam or clay loam
Clay content: 20 to 32
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent--0 to 2 percent cobbles, 0 to 8 percent pebbles
EC: 2 to 4 mmhos/cm
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent
Reaction: pH 7.9 to 8.4
Bk2 horizon - Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y
Value: 5, 6, or 7 dry; 4, 5, or 6 moist
Chroma: 2, 3, or 4
Texture: loam or clay loam
Clay content: 20 to 32 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent--0 to 2 percent cobbles, 0 to 8 percent pebbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 3 to 12 percent
EC: 2 to 4 mmhos/cm
Bulk density air dry: 1.7 or more
Reaction: 7.9 to 9.0
BC horizon - Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2, 3, or 4
Texture: loam or clay loam
Clay content: 20 to 32 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent--0 to 2 percent cobbles, 0 to 8 percent pebbles
EC: 2 to 4 mmhos/cm
Gypsum: 0 to 3 percent
Air dry bulk density: 1.7 or more
Reaction: pH 7.4 to 9.0
COMPETING SERIES:
Assinniboine (MT) - does not have high bulk density till above 60 inches.
Berlake (CO) - noncalcareous to a depth of 40 inches or more.
Bostwick (CO) - noncalcareous to a depth of 40 inches or more.
Cheeseman (CO) - bedrock at a depth of 20 to 40 inches.
Crittenden (MT) - sandy-skeletal below a depth of 25 inches.
Duffson (CO) - bedrock at a depth of 20 to 40 inches.
Eapa (SD) - formed in alluvium or colluvium; does not have the high bulk density till above a depth of 60 inches.
Emlin (CO) - calcic horizon.
Evanot (CO) - formed in eolian deposits; does not have high bulk density till above a depth of 60 inches.
Evanston (WY) - does not have the high bulk density till above a depth of 60 inches.
Jarre (CO) - noncalcareous to depths of 40 inches or more.
Joplin (MT) - base of the argillic horizon is less than 10 inches deep.
Kenilworth (MT) - has a discontinuity above a depth of 40 inches.
Kevin (MT) - has 35 to 45 percent clay in the argillic horizon.
Marmarth (ND) - bedrock at a depth of 20 to 40 inches or more.
Morval (NM) - has a calcic horizon.
Notter (UT) - has a loamy-skeletal C horizon.
Nuley (MT) - has a calcic horizon; has sandy discontinuity.
Perrypark (CO) - noncalcareous to a depth of 40 inches or more.
Peyton (CO) - noncalcareous to a depth of 40 inches or more.
Reicess (WY) - has the base of the argillic horizon deeper than 24 inches; does not have carbonates above a depth of 20 inches; did not form in till.
Sugakool (WY) - hues redder than 10YR in the argillic horizon; the base of the argillic horizon is deeper than 10 inches.
Turret (CO) - noncalcareous to a depth of 40 inches or more.
Varney (MT) - has a calcic horizon.
Villa Grove (CO) - has 5 to 20 percent exchangeable sodium in the surface and in the argillic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform - till plains; hills.
Elevation - 2,000 to 4,000 feet.
Slope- 0 to 15 percent.
Parent material - till.
Climate - long, cold winters; moist springs; warm summers.
Mean annual precipitation - 10 to 14 inches.
Mean annual air temperature - 40 to 45 degrees F.
Frost-free period - 100 to 130 days.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderately slow permeability above the till, and slow permeability in the till.
USE AND VEGETATION: Telstad soils are used mainly for dryland farming, small grain, and rangeland. Potential native vegetation is mainly western wheatgrass, needleandthread, green needlegrass, bluebunch wheatgrass, prairie junegrass, winterfat, needleleaf sedge, forbs, and shrubs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Telstad soils are extensive on the glaciated plains in northern Montana.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Valley County, Montana, 1976.
REMARKS: Soil interpretations record: MT0233, MT1174.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - from the soil surface to 7 inches (Ap horizon); argillic horizon - from 7 to 14 inches that is also the particle-size control section (Bt1, Bt2 horizons); horizons of secondary carbonate accumulation - from 14 to 45 inches (Btk, Bk1, Bk2 horizons); till from 32 to 60 inches (Bk2, BC horizons). Telstad soils have a frigid temperature regime and an ustic moisture regime that borders on aridic.