LOCATION LEEPER                  MS+AL AR

Established Series
Rev: JLB-CRN-AMS
09/2018

LEEPER SERIES

The Leeper series consists of very deep, somewhat poorly drained soils that formed in clayey alluvium. Leeper soils are on flood plains of the Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas Blackland Prairie. Slopes range from 0 to 3 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 1400 millimeters (55 inches), and the mean annual temperature is about 18 degrees C (64 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, nonacid, thermic Vertic Epiaquepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Leeper silty clay loam, in a cultivated field at an elevation of 70 meters (230 feet). (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted).

Ap1--0 to 10 centimeters (0 to 4 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silty clay loam; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable; sticky, plastic; few fine roots; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.

Ap2--10 to 20 centimeters (4 to 8 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silty clay; moderate fine and medium angular blocky structure; firm; very sticky, very plastic; few fine roots; few streaks of dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silty clay loam; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. [Combined thickness of the Ap horizons ranges from 10 to 41 centimeters (4 to 16 inches thick)].

Bw--20 to 86 centimeters (8 to 34 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silty clay; moderate coarse angular blocky structure parting to fine and medium angular blocky; firm; very plastic, very sticky; few fine roots; distinct pressure faces on surfaces of some peds; common thin streaks of very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) silty clay loam in old root channels and cracks; common fine distinct gray (10YR 5/1) iron depletions on faces of peds; common fine brown (10YR 5/3) and black (10YR 2/1) concretions of iron and manganese; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. [41 to 127 centimeters thick (16 to 50 inches).]

Cg--86 to 165 centimeters (34 to 65 inches); gray (5Y 5/1) clay; massive; firm; very plastic, very sticky; few fine roots; faint and distinct pressure faces on surfaces of some aggregates; many fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of oxidized iron within the matrix; common fine brown (10YR 5/3) and black (10YR 2/1) concretions of iron and manganese; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Lee County, Mississippi. Approximately 3.2 kilometers (2.0 miles) east of Shannon and 82 meters (270 feet) south of Connewah Canal. SW1/4, SW1/4 Sec. 15, T. 11 S., R. 6 E. USGS Shannon Quadrangle; Lee County, Mississippi. Latitude: 34 degrees 07 minutes 16.19 seconds North; Longitude: 88 degrees 39 minutes 55.2 seconds West; WGS84; UTM 346426 East, 3776846 North, zone 16S.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is: 10 to 30 centimeters (4 to 12 inches).
Depth to base of soil development: 0 to 165 centimeters (0 to 65 inches)
Thickness of the Ochric epipedon 15 to 25 centimeters (6 to 10 inches)
If a value and chroma of 3 or less is present, the Ap or A must be less than 18 centimeters (7 inches) thick to avoid a Mollic epipedon.
Depth to Cambic horizon: 18 to 99 centimeters (7 to 39 inches)
Depth to masses of oxidized iron: 10 to 200 centimeters (4 to 79 inches)
Depth to iron and manganese concretions: 10 to 200 centimeters (4 to 79 inches)
Depth to iron depletions: 25 to 50 centimeters to 200 centimeters (10 to 20 inches to 79 inches)
Redox features: Masses of oxidized iron in shades of brown, yellow, or olive ranges from few to many. Concretions of iron and manganese range from few to many. Iron depletions in shades of gray range from few to many and occur on faces of peds or in root channels.

Ap or A horizons:
Hue: 10YR to 2.5Y
Value: 3 to 5
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: silty clay loam, silty clay, clay loam, or clay
Clay content: 28 to 60 percent
Sand content: 0 to 30 percent
Reaction: moderately acid to moderately alkaline
Some pedons near stream channels have an overwash of coarser textured material that is less than 25 centimeters (10 inches) thick.
If a value and chroma of 3 or less is present, the Ap or A must be less than 18 centimeters (7 inches) thick to avoid a Mollic epipedon.

Bw horizon:
Hue: 10YR to 2.5Y
Value: 4 or 5
Chroma: 2 or 3
Some pedons have no dominant matrix color and are multicolored in shades of brown, yellow, olive and gray.
Texture: silty clay loam, silty clay, clay loam, or clay
Clay content: 35 to 60 percent
Sand content: 0 to 30 percent
Reaction: moderately acid to moderately alkaline
A thin strata of coarser textured material occurs in most pedons.

Bg or Bssg horizon, where present:
Hue: 10YR to 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 1 or 2
Some pedons have no dominant matrix color and are multicolored in shades of brown, yellow, olive and gray.
Texture: silty clay loam, silty clay, clay loam, or clay
Clay content: 35 to 60 percent
Sand content: 0 to 30 percent
Reaction: moderately acid to moderately alkaline
A thin strata of coarser textured material occurs in most pedons.

C or Cg horizons:
Hue: 10YR to 5Y
Value: 5 to 7
Chroma: 1 or 2
Some pedons have no dominant matrix color and are multicolored in shades of brown, yellow, olive and gray.
Texture: silty clay loam, silty clay, clay loam, or clay
Clay content: 35 to 60 percent
Sand content: 0 to 30 percent
Reaction: moderately acid to moderately alkaline
A thin strata of coarser textured material occurs in most pedons.

COMPETING SERIES:
Openlake soils range up to strongly acid in the subsoil and formed in recent clayey alluvium in slackwater areas of the Southern Mississippi River Alluvium Major Land Resource Area (MLRA 131A).

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent Material: 0 to 200 centimeters (0 to 79 inches) clayey alluvium
Landscape: Coastal plains (Blackland Prairie)
Landform: flood plains
3D surface morphometry: talf
Slopes: 0 to 3 percent
Elevation: 43 to 112 meters (140 to 370 feet)
Mean annual air temperature: 10 to 25 degrees C (50 to 77 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation: 1120 to 1625 millimeters (44 to 64 inches)
Frost free duration: 202 to 246 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Catalpa soils are somewhat poorly drained to moderately well drained on floodplains and stream terraces.
Houlka soils are in similar positions on flood plains and are acid throughout the solum.
Marietta soils are moderately well drained and are on slightly higher positions on natural levees.
Sucarnoochee soils are in similar positions to the Leeper soils and have intersecting slickensides.
Tuscumbia soils are poorly drained and are on similar or slightly lower positions.
Una soils are poorly drained and are in depressions and sloughs.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class: Somewhat poorly drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat): very slow
Water features: No free water has been observed in these soils except on slickenside faces or in large root channels. The dark surface, subsurface and low chroma matrix colors are derived from the colors of the parent material and hydrology.
Flooding frequency: occasional or frequent
Flooding duration: brief or very brief
Ponding frequency and Duration: None

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Leeper soils have been cleared and used for pasture. Some areas are planted in cotton, corn, grain sorghum and soybeans. Forested areas are composed of mixed hardwoods.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Major Land Resource Area (MLRA): Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas Blackland Prairie MLRA 135A.
Extent: Moderate extent

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama.

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Oktibbeha County, Mississippi; 1950.

REMARKS:
Particle-size control section: 25 to 100 centimeters (10 to 39 inches) (Bw and Cg horizons)

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon: Ochric epipedon: 0 to 20 centimeters (0 to 8 inches) (Ap1 and Ap2 horizons)

Cambic horizon: 20 to 86 centimeters (8 to 34 inches) (Bw horizon)

Vertic features: pressure faces on surfaces of peds and aggregates along with evidence of cracking to a depth of 86 centimeters (34 inches Bw and C horizons). LE value: 6.0 centimeters or more between the mineral soil surface and a depth of 100 centimeters

Iron and manganese concretions: 20 to 165 centimeters (8 to 65 inches)

Masses of oxidized iron: 20 to 165 centimeters (8 to 65 inches)

Iron depletions: 20 to 165 centimeters (8 to 65 inches)

Soil classified according to the 12th Edition of the Keys to Soil Taxonomy.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Laboratory data is available on the National Soil Survey website at: http://ncsslabdatamart.sc.egov.usda.gov/querypage.aspx

Laboratory data was provided by Auburn University, Soil Characterization Laboratory, Auburn AL, and the National Soil Survey Laboratory, Lincoln, NE.

OSD User Site ID: 2014MS081501

OSD User Pedon ID: 2014MS081501

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.