M331Aa Absaroka/Gallatin Mountains

Landscape Characteristics:

Steep, dissected mountains that formed in Tertiary volcanic flows and associated pyroclastic deposits. Islands of gneiss and schist also occur. Elevations range from 6500 to 10600 feet. Drainage density is moderate. Lakes occur in high elevation cirques.

Climate:

Mean annual precipitation ranges from 50 to 110 inches, about 65 percent falling as snow. The soil temperature and moisture regimes are cryic and typic ustic.

Potential Vegetation:

Douglas-fir forest/Western spruce-fir forest with Alpine meadows and barren at the highest elevations.

Relationships of Dominant Map Unit Components:

Landform Geology Soil Taxa
Mountainsides/ridges Rhyolite/basalt/andesite Cryochrepts/Cryoboralfs/Cryoborolls

Disturbance and Land Use:

The primary natural disturbances are fire, insects, disease and mass wasting. Land use is predominantly recreation with some grazing, timber harvest, and mining.