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M332Bk Rattlesnake/Blackfoot/South Swan Mountains

Landscape Characteristics:

Mountains and moraines that formed in quartzite, argillite, and till. Elevations range from 5000 to 8500 feet. Drainage density is moderate to high. Lakes occur in the glacial knob and kettle topography. Some high elevation cirque lakes also occur.

Climate:

Mean annual precipitation ranges from 35 to 80 inches, about 60 percent falling as snow. The soil temperature and moisture regimes are cryic (frigid at the lower elevations) and typic ustic/udic.

Potential Vegetation:

Western ponderosa forest/Douglas-fir forest

Relationships of Dominant Map Unit Components:

Landform Geology Soil Taxa
Mountainsides/ridges Quartzite/argillite Cryochrepts/Cryoboralfs
Moraines/knob and kettle topography Till/outwash Eutroboralfs/Eutrochrepts

Disturbance and Land Use:

The primary natural disturbance is fire. Land use is predominantly timber harvest and recreational development.