LOCATION LAFE AR+LA MO
Established Series
Rev. LBW
10/2018
LAFE SERIES
The Lafe series consists of very deep, somewhat poorly drained, very slowly permeable soils that formed in silty sediments. These soils are on Pleistocene terraces in the Lower Mississippi Valley; MLRA 134. Slopes are 0 to 5 percent.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, active, thermic Glossaquic Natrudalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Lafe silt loam--idle land. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 4 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) silt loam; weak coarse granular structure; friable; many very fine continuous vertical and oblique inped tubular pores; common fine roots; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 12 inches thick)
B/E1--4 to 10 inches; (Btn) yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silty clay loam; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to strong medium and coarse blocky structure; very firm; common distinct dark brown (10YR 3/3) clay films on faces of many peds; common micro and very fine continuous vertical inped tubular pores; common fine roots; common medium distinct light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) iron depletions in matrix; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) manganese accumulations lining some root channels; (Eg) many distinct light gray (10YR 7/2) clay depletions, tongues and interfingers between prisms and on some vertical ped faces making up about 25 percent of the total volume; structureless, massive; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary.
B/E2--10 to 16 inches; (Btn) yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silty clay loam; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium blocky structure; very firm; common distinct dark brown (10YR 3/3) clay films on faces of many peds; many micro and very fine continuous vertical inped tubular pores; common fine roots; common fine distinct light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) iron depletions and common fine yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) iron accumulations in matrix; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) manganese accumulations lining some root channels; (Eg) common distinct light gray (10YR 7/2) clay depletions, tongues and interfingers between prisms and on some vertical ped faces making up about 15 percent of the total volume; structureless, massive; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
B/E3--16 to 29 inches; (Btn) brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very firm; common distinct dark brown (10YR 3/3) clay films on faces of many peds; many micro and very fine continuous vertical inped tubular pores; few fine roots; common medium distinct light brownish gray (10YR 6/2), yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and brown (10YR 4/3) iron accumulations in matrix; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) manganese accumulations lining some root channels; common fine brown-black Fe-Mn concretions; (Eg)common light gray (10YR 7/2) clay depletions, tongues and interfingers between prisms and on some vertical ped faces making up about 15 percent of the total volume; structureless, massive; moderately alkaline; clear irregular boundary. (Combined thickness of the B/E horizon ranges from 20 to 50 inches thick.)
Btn1--29 to 39 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; very firm; few distinct dark brown (10YR 3/3) clay films on faces of some peds and lining root channels; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) manganese accumulations on faces of some peds; many micro and very fine continuous vertical inped tubular pores; few fine roots; many medium distinct light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) iron depletions and many medium dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) iron accumulations in matrix; few distinct light gray (10YR 7/2) clay depletions about 1 inch wide in upper few inches of horizon decreasing in width with depth; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
Btn2--39 to 53 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) silt loam; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; common distinct dark brown (10YR 3/3) clay films on faces of some peds; common micro, very fine and few fine continuous vertical inped tubular pores; few light gray distinct (10YR 7/2) clay depletions on faces of some peds; common very dark gray (10YR 3/1) manganese accumulations on faces of some peds; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
Btn3--53 to 68 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) silt loam; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; firm; few distinct brown (10YR 4/3) clay films along some vertical faces of peds, lining some pores and root channels; common very fine continuous vertical imped tubular pores; many medium distinct brown (10YR 5/3) iron depletions in matrix; few distinct white (10YR 8/1) clay depletions on some horizontal and vertical faces of peds; few distinct gray (5Y 6/1) clay depletions 1/16 to 1/4 inch in diameter in matrix; common very dark gray (10YR 3/1) manganese accumulations on faces of some peds and few fine brown-black Fe-Mn concretions; few medium and coarse carbonate concretions; strongly alkaline; calcareous; clear wavy boundary.
Btn4--68 to 80 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) silt loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; firm; few distinct brown (10YR 4/3) clay films in voids and on some vertical faces of peds; common very fine continuous vertical inped tubular pores; common medium distinct light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) iron depletions in matrix; few fine brown-black Fe-Mn concretions; few 1/2 to 1 inch wide vertical gray (5Y 6/1) clay depletions in matrix; few medium and coarse carbonate concretions; moderately alkaline; calcareous. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon ranges from 36 to more than 80 inches.)
TYPE LOCATION: Monroe County, Arkansas; 4-1/2 miles south of Brinkley; 210 feet west of Brinkley-Monroe Road; 1140 feet north and 210 feet west of SE corner of section 36; NE1/4SE1/4SE1/4, sec. 36, T. 3 N., R. 2 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 40 to more than 80 inches. Depth to horizon with sodium saturation of 15 percent or more range from 3 to 12 inches. Reaction ranges from strongly acid through slightly acid in the A and E horizons and mildly alkaline through strongly alkaline in the B, BC and C horizons. Some pedons are calcareous in the lower part of the solum and substratum.
The A horizon has hue 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 or 3. Texture is silt or silt loam.
The E horizon, where present, and E part of the B/E horizon, has hue of 10YR, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is silt or silt loam. Iron accumulations are in shades of brown.
The B horizon, and B part of the B/E horizon, has hue of 10YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 3 to 6. Iron accumulations and depletions are in shades of gray and brown. Clay depletions are in shades of gray or white. Texture is silt loam or silty clay loam.
The BC horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 2 to 6, or hue of 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 or 6. Iron accumulations and depletions are in shades of brown and gray. Texture is silt loam or silty clay loam.
The C horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 1 to 3, or value of 5, and chroma of 4 or 6, or hue of 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 or 6. Iron accumulations and depletions are in shades of gray and brown. Texture is fine sandy loam, silt loam, silty clay loam, or silty clay.
COMPETING SERIES: There is no other series in the same family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Lafe soils are on late Pleistocene terraces of the lower Mississippi Valley; MLRA 134. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent. These soils formed in loess or silty sediments from loess. The average annual temperature ranges from about 60 to 65 degrees F. and average annual precipitation ranges from about 48 to 55 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Amagon,
Bonn,
Bosket,
Calhoun,
Calloway,
Dubbs,
Dundee,
Foley,
Henry,
Jackport, McCrory and
Tuckerman soils. Amagon soils occur on similar landscapes, are poorly drained and do not have natric horizons. Bonn soils occur on similar landscapes and are poorly drained. Bosket, Dubbs and Dundee soils occur on higher positions in the landscape and do not have natric horizons. Calhoun, Calloway and Henry soils occur on adjacent higher terraces and do not have natric horizons. Foley soils occur on similar landscapes and have natric horizons at depths of more than 12 inches. Jackport soils occur on higher terraces; are in very-fine family class and do not have a natric horizon. McCrory soils occur on lower terraces; are in a fine-loamy family and have natric horizons at depths of more than 12 inches. Tuckerman soils occur on lower terraces; are in a fine-loamy family and do not have natric horizons
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; slow runoff; very slow permeability. These soils have a seasonally high water table that is within 1 to 2 feet or the soil surface in late winter and spring most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most cleared areas are idle. Some are cultivated or grazed but yields are very low and grazing limited to short periods in the spring. Native vegetation is open stands of post oak, honey locust, hawthorn, and winged elm with an understory of grasses such as threeawns, dropseeds, and sedges.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Mississippi Valley of Arkansas, Louisiana, and possibly Missouri, Mississippi and Tennessee. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: AUBURN, ALABAMA
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Perkins Road Experiment Station, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana; 1948.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon--zone from the surface to 4 inches
Glossic horizon--zone from 4 to 29 inches
Natric horizon--zone from 4 to 80 inches
Redoximorphic features - 4 to 80 inches.
Lafe soils were formerly classified in the solodized-Solonetz great soil group.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization of the typical pedon by the Universtiy of Arkansas Soil Characterization Laboratory. Pedon 74MN01.
Horizon Depth %Sand %Silt %Clay %BS %Na Sat.
Ap 0-4 3.2 75.4 21.4 75 10
Btn/Eg1 4-10 2.1 67.7 30.2 65 21
Btn/Eg2 10-16 2.7 67.8 29.5 81 35
Btn/Eg3 16-29 2.6 71.0 26.4 88 41
Btn1 29-39 2.0 74.8 23.4 83 41
Btn2 39-53 3.4 76.8 19.8 81 40
Btn3 53-68 7.1 72.0 20.9 Calcareous
Btn4 68-80 11.5 68.0 20.5 Calcareous
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.