LOCATION TONGUE RIVER WY+MT

Established Series
Rev. PSD-JJU-RJS
09/2011

TONGUE RIVER SERIES

Tongue River soils consist of moderately deep, that formed in colluvium and/or slide deposits over residuum weathered from interbedded shale, siltstone and sandstone. Tongue River soils are on escarpments, hills, mountain slopes and landslides. Slopes are 2 to 60 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 24 inches, and the mean annual air temperature is about 34 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive Eutric Haplocryalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Tongue River silt loam, forested (colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated).

Oi--0 to 4 inches; organic material, mainly twigs, bark, and needles.

Oe--4 to 6 inches; organic material, partially decomposed organic material, needles, bark, and small twigs.

E--6 to 11 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; moderate thin platy structure parting to moderate fine granular; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine, and few coarse roots; 5 percent channers; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear irregular boundary. (1 to 8 inches thick)

Bt1--11 to 15 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silty clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, fine, and few coarse roots; many faint clay films on faces of peds; 10 percent channers and 5 percent parachanners (soft shale chips); slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)

Bt2--15 to 26 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) channery silty clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, fine, and few coarse roots; continuous faint clay films on faces of peds; 15 percent channers and 5 percent parachanners (soft shale chips); slightly acid (pH 6.1); gradual smooth boundary. (7 to 16 inches thick)

Bt3--26 to 34 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) and light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) channery silty clay loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) and olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; few fine and coarse roots; few faint clay films on faces of peds; 20 percent channers and 5 percent parachanners (soft shale chips); slightly acid (pH 6.4); gradual smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)

Cr--34 to 60 inches; soft sandstone interbedded with shale and siltstone.

TYPE LOCATION: Sheridan County, Wyoming; approximately 1/2 mile west of the southeast corner of sec. 19, T. 55N, R. 88W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature - ranges from 32 to 40 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature - ranges from 42 to 47 degrees F.
Depth to paralithic contact - ranges from 20 to 40 inches

Note: Some pedons may have an A, BC and/or C horizon.

A horizon (when present)
Hue: 2.5Y, 10YR or 7.5YR; dry or moist
Value: 4 or 5 dry; 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4; dry or moist
Texture: silt loam, loam or sandy loam
Clay content: 12 to 27 percent clay
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent gravel or channers
Reaction: pH 5.6 to 7.3

E horizon
Hue: 2.5Y, 10YR or 7.5YR; dry or moist
Value: 5 to 7 dry; 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6; dry or moist -- low moist values are due to the lithochromic mineral color, not organic carbon
Texture: silt loam, loam or sandy loam
Clay content: 12 to 27 percent clay
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent gravel or channers
Reaction: pH 5.6 to 7.3

Bt1, Bt2, Bt3 horizons
Hue: 5Y, 2.5Y or 10YR; dry or moist
Value: 4 to 7 dry; 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6; dry or moist
Texture: silty clay loam, clay loam, loam or sandy clay loam
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent clay
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent gravel or channers
Parafragments: 0 to 50 percent (soft shale chips)
Reaction: pH 5.6 to 7.3

BC, C horizons (when present)
Hue: 5Y, 2.5Y or 10YR; dry or moist
Value: 5 to 7 dry; 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 3 to 8; dry or moist
Texture: silty clay loam, clay loam, loam, sandy clay loam or sandy loam
Rock fragments: 5 to 45 percent gravel or channers
Parafragments: 0 to 45 percent parachanners (soft shale chips)
Reaction: pH 5.6 to 7.8

Cr horizon -- Consists of weakly or moderately cemented, interbedded sandstone, siltstone and shale.
Note: Thin, discontinuous strata of strongly cemented sandstone and shale may occur and serve as the parent source for the rock fragments in the soil.

COMPETING SERIES:
Graysill - are moderately deep to a lithic contact
Haviland - are very deep
Hierro - are very deep
Jaegie - are very deep
Sapphire - are moderately deep to a lithic contact
Trapper - are very deep

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform - escarpments, hills, mountain slopes and landslides
Elevation - 5,500 to 9,500 feet
Slope - 2 to 60 percent
Parent material - colluvium and/or slide deposits over residuum weathered from interbedded shale, siltstone and sandstone
Mean annual precipitation - 19 to 35 inches
Mean annual air temperature - 32 to 38 degrees F.
Frost-free period - 30 to 70 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Buffork, Clayburn, Inchau, Mayoworth, and Uinta series. The Buffork, Clayburn, Inchau, and Mayoworth soils have a mollic epipedon. Because of the micro relief these soils can occur in complex patterns with the Tongue River or as associated soils on contiguous landforms.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Woodland, wildlife habitat, and recreation. Native vegetation is Engelmann spruce, Douglas-fir and lodgepole pine, with an understory of pinegrass, columbine, huckleberry, snowberry and russet buffaloberry.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The series is of moderate extent in the mountain areas of Wyoming and south central Montana. MLRA - 43B.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana.

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sheridan County, Wyoming; 1932.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - from 0 to 11 inches (Oi, Oe, E horizons)
Argillic horizons - from 11 to 34 inches (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3 horizons)
Paralithic contact - at 34 inches (Cr horizon)
Particle-size control section - from 11 to 31 inches (Bt1, Bt2, part of Bt3 horizons)

Tongue River soils have a cryic temperature regime and an udic moisture regime.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.