LOCATION LEMBOS UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Xeric Argidurids
TYPICAL PEDON: Lembos loam--rangeland. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 4 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak thin platy structure parting to weak fine granular; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine vesicular pores; slightly calcareous; carbonates are disseminated; 5 percent pebbles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
Bt--4 to 10 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, fine and few medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds; slightly calcareous; carbonates are disseminated; 5 percent pebbles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 11 inches thick)
Bk--10 to 18 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; moderately calcareous; visible soft powdery carbonates in the matrix; 5 percent pebbles; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Bqk--18 to 23 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) cobbly loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; strongly calcareous; visible soft powdery carbonates in the matrix; common moderately thick silica coatings on the underside of rock fragments; 20 percent cobbles, 5 percent pebbles and 5 percent pan fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 17 inches thick)
Bqkm--23 inches; indurated duripan, laminar caps 1/4 to 1/2 inches thick; extremely hard but fractured allowing some root penetration; fractures are greater than 4 inches apart; strongly calcareous.
TYPE LOCATION: Box Elder County, Utah; about 2.5 miles south of Rosette; 1,600 feet west and 1,700 feet north of the southeast corner of section 10, T. 12 N., R. 14 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Soil moisture - Usually dry, but is moist in some part 25 to 35 percent of the time the soil temperature is above 41 degrees F. It is dry in all parts for 45 to 60 consecutive days following the summer solstice. Soil temperature - 48 to 53 degrees F.
Particle-size control section - 12 to 18 percent clay with more than 15 percent coarser than very fine sand. Depth to duripan - 20 to 40 inches. Sodium adsorption ratio is 0 to 10 in the surface and 20 to 60 in the B horizons.
The A horizon has value of 5 or 6 dry and 3 or 4 moist and chroma of 2 or 3. However, it is not darker than value of 5.5 dry and 3.5 moist, both broken and crushed. The horizon is slightly calcareous or moderately calcareous and moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
The Bt horizon has value of 5 to 7 dry and 4 to 6 moist, and chroma of 3 or 4. Textures is loam or silt loam. Pebbles range form 0 to 10 percent. It is slightly calcareous to strongly calcareous and slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline.
The Bk horizon has value of 6 to 8 dry and 5 or 6 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4. Pebbles range from 5 to 30 percent but commonly are less than 10 percent. It is moderately calcareous or strongly calcareous and moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline.
The Bqk horizon has value of 5 or 6 moist and chroma of 3 or 4. Rock fragments range from 0 to 20 percent cobbles, 5 to 10 percent pebbles and 0 to 15 percent pan fragments with the combined rock fragment total not exceeding 35 percent. Textures is cobbly loam or gravelly loam. It is moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Lembos soils are on linear to slightly convex fan terraces derived from mixed alluvium of tuffaceous sandstone and limestone. Slopes are 1 to 5 percent. Elevation ranges from 4,800 to 5,500 feet. The average annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches and the freeze-free period is 120 to 160 days. The mean annual temperature is 47 to 51 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Acana, Declo, and the proposed Kunzler and Tarnach soils. The Acana soils are shallow to a duripan. The Declo and Kunzler soils lack a duripan. The Tarnach soils are shallow to bedrock and are on pediments and hillslopes.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for rangeland. The potential vegetation is Wyoming big sagebrush, Indian ricegrass, Nevada bluegrass and bluebunch wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Lembos soils are located in northwestern Utah and are moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Box Elder County, Utah - Western Part, 1985.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons or features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 4 inches (A horizon).
Argillic horizon and particle size control section - the zone from 4 to 10 inches (Bt horizon).
Duripan - an indurated layer of silica and lime at a depth of about 20 to 40 inches. (Bqkm horizon)
Xeric feature - the moisture regime borders on Xeric (the precipitation comes when the soils are cool or cold)
ADDITIONAL DATA: This soil has been characterized and sampled by the National Soil Survey Laboratory, Lincoln, Nebraska. The laboratory sample number is S82UT003003.