Soil Order: Vertisol
Great Group: Vertisol
Subgroup:
Soil Series:
Classification Code:
Soil Horizons Present: Ah, Bv, Bss, Css
Diagnostic Horizon 1: Bv
Diagnostic Horizon 2: Bss
Diagnostic Horizon 3: Cv
Diagnostic Horizon 4: Css

Land Form: Glacial till/lacustrine
Parent Material: Glacial till/basalt
Elevation (m): 600
Topography: Level
Affected by Glaciation: Yes

Climate Zone: Semi-arid
Mean Annual Temperature (C): 9
Minimum Annual Temperature (C): 3.3
Maximum Annual Temperature (C): 14.4
Mean Annual Precipitation (mm): 270

Current Land Use: Rangeland
Original Vegetation: Giant wildrye, foxtail barley, saltgrass, red glasswort, bluebunch wheatgrass, big sage
Current Vegetation: Giant wildrye, foxtail barley, saltgrass, red glasswort, bluebunch wheatgrass, big sage

The soil at this grassland site is in the Vertisolic Order. Vertisols are heavy textured soils (with �� 60% clay) with shrink-swell characteristics. They lack the horizon development diagnostic of other horizons due to dynamic mixing. The resulting horizons are often inverted of material, or can even be displaced along a crack resulting in a smooth polished surface called a slickenslide. Diagnostic characteristics of the Vertisols are vertic horizons (Bv, Cv) and/or slickenslide horizons (Bss, Css). This site has lacustrine parent material (derived from glacial till and basalt). The soil at this site falls into the Vertisol ��Great Group. The A horizon (<10 cm) can be difficult to distinguish from the B or C horizons. These soil textures range from clay loam to clay and are poorly drained. PDF with details: No further details

Soil Texture of Diagnostic Horizon or Prevailing Texture: Fine silt and clay
Soil texture horizons: >60% clay (Css)
Soil structure horizons: Fine granular (Ah), Angular blocky (Bv), Wedge shape (Bss), Massive (Css)
Forest Humus Form:
Presence of Charcoal:
Presence of Coatings:

Primary Soil Process Group: Translocation
Primary Soil Process: Movement of material by clay shrink and swell
Secondary Soil Process: Losses-leaching of Ca,Mg