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• Soil Characteristia All but one of the soils in the mine permit area belong to the soil order Mollisols. Some general chazacteristia of the Mollisols are that they are mainly the very dark colored, base-rich soils of the steppes. Neazly all of them have a mollic epipedon. Many also have an argillic or a natric horizon or a calcic horizon. A few have an albic horizon while some mollisols also have a duripan or a petrocalcic horizon. Many of the mollisols have had a grass vegetation at some time, although many apparently have been forested at an earlier time. Mollisols may have any of the defined moisture or temperature regimes, but enough available moisture [o support perennial grasses seems to be essential (1). The following soil series loated on the mine permit azea are included in the mollisol soil order. Soil Series Classifiation Routt Loam Cryic Paleboroll; fine, montmorillonitic Skylick Loam Pachic Paleboroll; fine-loamy, mixed, cryic Lymanson Argic Cyoboroll; fine-loamy, mixed Splitro Lithic Cryoboroll; loamy, mixed Winevada Pachic Cryoboroll; fine-loamy, mixed All of the above mollisoils belong to the ruborder Borolls. • rolls Borolls are she cool to cold, more or less freely drained Mollisols of regions that have continental climates. They aze very extensive on the northern Great Plains of North Ameria and moderately eztensive in the high mountains of the western states. The soil temperature regime of Borolls is frigid or cryic, but some have a pergelic temperature regime. The moisture regime is commonly udic or ustic but never xeric unless the temperature regime is cryic. Borolls were formerly classified as Chernoum, Chestnut, and Brown soils in the 2938 classifiation. A few were Classified as Solonetz and Soloth soils (1). P rolls Paleborolls are Borolls that have an argillic horizon at greater than normal depth. In most of them, the argillic horizon hu evidence of destruction in the form of thick skeletons or tongues that appear to be lazgely stripped of clay. The mollic epipedon may be chin or thick, but in most of these soils there is an eluvial horizon between the mollic epipedon and the argillic horizon. In some of the soils the eluvial horizon is an albic horizoq but commonly the chroma is too high for an albic horizon. These soils do not ordinarily have a horizon of arbonate or of salt auvmulation. In the United States these soils are principally in the high mountains of the western states. Their temperature regime is frigid or ayic. Vegetation wmmonly includes aspen trees, wnifers and grasses. • Paleborolls are not eztensive and they are relatively inaccessible. They are used princpally for grazing or u water catchments. Snowfall is generally high. They were vuiously included with Chernoums, 56