LOCATION WOLF POINT NDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, calcareous, frigid Torrertic Ustifluvents
TYPICAL PEDON: Wolf Point clay - in native grass. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated)
A1--0 to 1 inch; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silty clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; platy structure; soft, friable, sticky and plastic; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary.
A2--1 to 5 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay, very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) moist; weak medium and fine angular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; neutral; gradual wavy boundary.
A3--5 to 10 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; moderate very fine angular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; slightly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined A horizons 3 to 12 inches thick)
C1--10 to 18 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few masses of lime; slightly alkaline; diffuse wavy boundary.
C2--18 to 29 inches; olive gray (5Y 5/2) clay, olive gray (5Y 4/2) moist; weak fine blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; many segregations of gypsum and lime; slightly alkaline; diffuse wavy boundary.
C3--29 to 60 inches; olive gray (5Y 5/2) silty clay, olive (5Y 5/3) moist; massive; very hard, very sticky and very plastic; common segregations of gypsum and lime; slight effervescence; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Bowman County, North Dakota; about 4 miles south and 3 miles west of Marmarth; 160 feet south and 825 feet east of the northwest corner of sec. 25, T. 132 N., R. 107 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soil ranges from neutral in the upper horizons to moderately alkaline in the lower horizons. Depth to carbonates ranges from 0 to 10 inches. Some pedons are stratified and may have one or more buried A horizons.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6 and 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is silty clay loam, silty clay or clay.
The C horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 5 to 7 and 4 to 6 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is silty clay loam, silty clay or clay. Some pedons have coarser textures below depths of 40 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in the same family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wolf Point soils are on flood plains and low terraces. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. The soil formed in calcareous clayey alluvium. The climate is cool, semiarid with long cold winters and short warm summers. The mean annual temperature ranges from 39 to 45 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation ranges from 12 to 16 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bowdoin and Havre soils on similar landscapes. Bowdoin soils contain more clay and Havre soils are fine-loamy.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well and moderately well drained. Runoff is medium. Slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are cropped to small grains and used for pasture, hay, and range. Native vegetation is western wheatgrass, blue grama, and sagebrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western North Dakota. The series is inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Roosevelt County, Montana, 1969.