LOCATION LAVERKIN UT
Established Series
Rev. VLM/RSJ/MJD/WWJ
09/2015
LAVERKIN SERIES
The Laverkin series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately permeable soils that formed in alluvium dominantly from sandstone, shale, and limestone. Laverkin soils are on alluvial flats and fans. Slopes are 1 to 5 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 9 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 62 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Haplocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Laverkin fine sandy loam - rangeland (Colors are for air dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 3 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) fine sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky, nonplastic; common fine roots; strongly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 14 inches thick)
Bw1--3 to 16 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) fine sandy loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; very weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common fine and medium roots; few fine pores; strongly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 14 inches thick)
Bk1--16 to 30 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) sandy clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky, slightly plastic; few fine and medium roots; common fine and few medium pores; strongly effervescent, carbonates occurs mostly as veins; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 18 inches thick)
Bk2--30 to 42 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) sandy clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky, slightly plastic; few fine and medium roots; common fine pores; strongly effervescent, carbonates occurs mostly as veins; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (12 to 15 inches thick)
Bk3--42 to 60 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) sandy clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots; common fine pores; strongly effervescent, carbonates occurs as veins; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Washington County, Utah; about 2 miles southwest of Bloomington; 1,200 feet north and 1,200 feet east of the southwest corner of sec. 23, T.43S., R.6W; St. George Quadrangle; lat. 37 degrees 1 minutes 35 seconds N. and long. 113 degrees 37 minutes 11 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soils are dry in all parts of the moisture control section 75 to 85 percent of the time the soil temperature is above 41 degrees unless irrigated. The soil moisture regime is typic aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 59 to 67 degrees F.
Depth to the calcic horizon: 16 to 40 inches
The control section is most commonly stratified with layers of loam, fine sandy loam, and sandy clay loam. It averages between 18 and 27 percent clay and from 45 to 60 percent fine and coarser sand. The soils contain from 5 to 20 percent gravel throughout the profile. In some pedons, the gravel content increases to 30 percent below a depth of 40 inches.
A horizon
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 through 6
Texture: fine sandy loam, but is silty clay loam where irrigation water has deposited silty sediments
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline
Effervescence: slightly to strongly effervescent.
Bw horizon
Hue: 5YR or 2.5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry
Chroma: of 4 through 6
Bk horizon
Hue: 5YR or 2.5YR
Value: 4 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist
Chroma: 3 through 6
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline
Effervescence: strongly to violently effervescent
Gypsum: Small gypsum flecks and crystals are in the lower horizons of some pedons. Gypsum ranges from 0 to 10 percent below 40 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Bridge,
Chutum,
Deltajo,
Sotim, and
Turney series. A potential competitor that does not yet have CEA class is the
Weedpatch series. Bridge soils are moderately deep over tuff and ash, and have hue of 10YR or 7.5YR in the 10 to 40 inch control section. Chutum soils have a mean annual soil temperature of 69 to 72 degrees F. Deltajo soils are moderately deep to bedrock. Turney soils have noncontinuous weakly cemented calcic horizons. Weedpatch soils have soils temperatures above 47 degrees F. in January and February. In addition, Weedpatch soils are in the
San Joaquin
Valley (MLRA 17) receive mostly winter precipitation and are usually dry from April through November.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Laverkin soils are on alluvial flats and fans at elevations of 2,650 to 3,300 feet. Slopes range from 1 to 5 percent. These soils formed in mixed alluvium from sandstone, shale, and limestone. The mean annual temperature is 57 to 67 degrees F., and the mean summer temperature is 80 to 84 degrees F. The average annual precipitation is 8 to 11 inches. The frost-free period ranges from 190 to 195 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Hantz,
Isom,
Junction,
Leeds,
Nikey,
St. George, and
Tobler soils. Hantz soils have more than 35 percent clay in the control section and lack calcic horizons. Isom soils have loamy-skeletal control sections and lack calcic horizons. Nikey soils have coarse-loamy control sections. Junction and Tobler soils have fine sandy loam control sections and lack calcic horizons. Leeds and St. George soils lack calcic horizons, and have stratified loam, silt loam, and light sandy clay loam control sections.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for rangeland and where irrigation water is available soils are cropped to alfalfa, barley, sorghum, and sugar beets for seed. Native vegetation is creosotebush, galleta grass, filaree, and cholla cactus.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Utah, These soils are inextensive. MLRA 30.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: PHOENIX, ARIZONA
SERIES ESTABLISHED: The Virgin River Valley Area, 1942.
REMARKS: The diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to 3 inches. (A horizon)
Calcic horizon - the zone of carbonate accumulation from 16 to 42 inches. (Bk1, Bk2, and Bk3 horizons)
A classification change on this soil was made on 9/94 from a Typic Calciorthids to a Typic Haplocalcids.
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999
Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 9/2015. The last revision to the series was 6/2005. ET
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.