LOCATION WILDE MTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Haplustepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Wilde very channery loam, in rangeland (colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
A--0 to 5 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very channery loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate medium granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many fine and very fine roots; many fine and very fine interstitial pores; 10 percent flagstone and 30 percent channers; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
Bw1--5 to 21 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) extremely channery loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many fine and very fine roots; many fine and very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 10 percent flagstones and 60 percent channers; neutral (pH 6.8); gradual irregular boundary.
Bw2--21 to 34 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely channery loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many fine and very fine roots; many fine and very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 10 percent flagstones and 65 percent channers; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of Bw horizons is 16 to 35 inches).
R--34 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) hard fractured shale.
TYPE LOCATION: Jefferson County, Montana; 150 feet south and 2,740 feet west of the NE corner of section 19, T.2 N., R.3 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Annual soil Temperature - 38 to 44 degrees F.
Moisture control section - between 4 and 12 inches.
Depth to bedrock - 20 to 40 inches.
Surface stones or boulders - 0 to 0.1 percent.
A horizon:
Value: 5 or 6 dry; 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2, 3 or 4
Clay content: 15 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: 25 to 50 percent--0 to 10 percent flagstones, 15 to 40 percent channers
Reaction: pH 6.6 to 7.3
The surface when mixed to a depth of 7 inches, does not meet the requirements of a mollic epipedon.
Bw1 horizon:
Value: 5 or 6 dry; 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loam or sandy loam
Clay content: 15 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 75 percent--5 to 15 percent flagstones, 30 to 60 percent channers
Reaction: pH 6.6 to 7.3
Bw2 horizon:
Value: 5, 6 or 7 dry; 4, 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: loam or sandy loam
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 80 percent--5 to 15 percent flagstones, 30 to 65 percent channers
Reaction: pH 6.6 to 7.3
COMPETING SERIES:
Kadygulch (MT) - does not have a lithic contact.
Kingspoint (MT) - does not have a lithic contact; has horizons of secondary carbonate accumulation; formed in glacial till.
Lamedeer (MT) - does not have a lithic contact; has horizons of secondary carbonate accumulation; has hues of 7.5YR and redder; formed in material from scoria.
Mowbray (MT) - does not have a lithic contact; has horizon of secondary carbonate accumulation.
Repkie (MT) - does not have a lithic contact; has less than 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
Repp (MT) - does not have a lithic contact; has albic horizons; has horizons of secondary carbonate accumulation.
Specie (CO) - does not have a lithic contact.
Wildgen (MT) - does not have a lithic contact; has horizons that contain lamellae; has albic horizons.
Wilspring (MT) - has horizons of secondary carbonate accumulation.
Winkler (MT) - does not have a lithic contact; has horizon that contains lamellae; has albic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform - escarpments, ridges and sideslopes of hills.
Elevation - 4,400 to 6,500 feet.
Slope- 2 to 70 percent.
Parent material - residuum, slope alluvium and colluvium derived from hard brown shale or argillite.
Climate - long, cold winters; moist springs; warm summers.
Mean annual precipitation - 15 to 19 inches.
Mean annual air temperature - 36 to 42 degrees F.
Frost-free period - 70 to 95 days.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Wilde soils are primarily used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is mainly bluebunch wheatgrass, Idaho fescue, needleandthread, Sandberg bluegrass, western yarrow, big sagebrush and common juniper. Areas with forest canopy cover have an overstory of Douglas-fir and limber pine and an understory of Rocky Mountain juniper, big sagebrush, Idaho fescue and bluebunch wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Wilde soils are of small extent in southwestern Montana.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Jefferson County, Montana, 1998.
REMARKS: Soil interpretation record: MT1589. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: an ochric horizon from the soil surface to 7 inches (A and Bw horizons); a cambic horizon from 5 to 34 inches (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons); a particle size control section from 10 to 34 inches (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons); lithic contact to hard, fractured shale bedrock at 34 inches (R horizon). Wilde soils have a frigid temperature regime and an ustic moisture regime.