Then again, it s not my place to challenge soil terminology. Perhaps Montanans should simply accept Scobey series and learn to associate it with the best the state has to offer. To properly evaluate this political candidate, it is helpful to understand some basics of pedology and become acquainted with Montana s soils heritage. These five Factors of Soil Formation combine to form Montana s soils. The figures vary wildly.
Deeper layers form more slowly.
And just because a soil has formed doesn t mean it has stopped forming. Though this is peanuts compared to the great sweeps of time geologists deal with, it is humbling to think that a few billion people derive their daily sustenance from this thin film that typically takes centuries to form. Although soils do not migrate, they may receive raw materials from far away. Most surface deposits of volcanic ash in northwestern Montana derive from the monumental eruptions of Oregon s Mount Mazama whose caldera nestles the famous Crater Lake 6,500 years ago. In 1980, Mount St. Helens added a fresh layer of crop-nourishing ash to northwestern Montana s soils.