M332Cb Middle Rocky Mountain Front

Landscape Characteristics:

Thrust faulted and folded mountains that formed from mudstone, sandstone, and lesser amounts of limestone and dolomite. Elevations range from 5000 to 9000 feet. Drainage density is high.

Climate:

Mean annual precipitation ranges from 20 to 60 inches, about 50 to 70 percent falling as snow. The soil temperature and moisture regimes are cryic and typic ustic. Chinook winds are common along the mountain front.

Potential Vegetation:

Douglas-fir forest/Western spruce-fir forest with Foothills prairie on drier south and west lower slopes.

Relationships of Dominant Map Unit Components:

Landform Geology Soil Taxa
Mountainsides/moraines/outwash terraces Mudstone/sandstone/till Cryochrepts/Cryoboralfs/Cryoborolls
Cirquelands Mudstone/sandstone Cryorthents

Disturbance and Land Use:

The primary natural disturbance is fire. Land use is predominantly recreational activities.