M332Eh Beaverhead Mountains

Landscape Characteristics:

Fault block mountains that formed in Belt metasedimentary rocks. These mountains have been modified by alpine glaciation. Elevations range from 6800 to 10600 feet. Drainage density is moderate.

Climate:

Mean annual precipitation ranges from 20 to 30 inches, about 35 percent falling as snow. The soil temperature and moisture regimes are cryic and typic ustic.

Potential Vegetation:

Douglas-fir forest/Western spruce-fir forest/Alpine meadows and barren

Relationships of Dominant Map Unit Components:

Landform Geology Soil Taxa
Troughs/terraces/valley floors Outwash/alluvium Cryaquepts/Cryofibrists/Cryoborolls/Cryochrepts
Mountainsides/ridges/moraines Till/quartzite/argillite Cryorthents/Cryochrepts/Cryoborolls/Cryoboralfs
Cirquelands Till/quartzite Cryochrepts/Cryorthents

Disturbance and Land Use:

The primary natural disturbance is fire. Land use is predominantly livestock grazing, mining, and timber harvest.