LOCATION LIBBINGS UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, mesic Gypsic Aquisalids
TYPICAL PEDON: Libbings silty clay loam. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Az1--0 to 0.5 inch; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silty clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; moderate thick platy parting to moderate fine granular structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine vesicular pores; strongly calcareous; very strongly saline; thin salt crust on surface; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); abrupt smooth boundary; (1/2 to 1 inch thick)
Az2--0.5 to 2 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silty clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine vesicular pores; strongly calcareous; very strongly saline; very fine salt grains; strongly alkaline (pH 8.9); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
Cz--2 to 9 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) silty clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; very hard, very firm, moderately sticky and very plastic; few fine and very fine roots; few fine and very fine discontinuous pores; strongly calcareous; very strongly saline; effloresced salt on some peds and in pores; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
Czy1--9 to 25 inches; gray (2.5Y 6/1) silty clay, dark gray (2.5Y 4/1) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, moderately sticky and very plastic; few medium and fine roots; few very fine discontinuous pores; strongly calcareous; very strongly saline; many salt and gypsum nodules; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); gradual smooth boundary. (5 to 16 inches thick)
Czy2--25 to 34 inches; gray (2.5Y 6/1) silty clay, dark gray (2.5Y 4/1) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine discontinuous pores; strongly calcareous; numerous soft gypsum nodules 5 to 15 mm in diameter; 5 to 10 percent shale fragments; strongly saline; strongly alkaline (pH 8.7); clear smooth boundary. (7 to 10 inches thick)
Cr--34 to 44 inches; soft platy shale. Roots and water concentrated between shale plates.
TYPE LOCATION: Emery County, Utah; about 2 miles south of Elmo, 1/4 mile west of Elmo-Cleveland Road; located about 330 feet south and 160 feet east of the northwest corner of sec. 8, T. 17 S., R. 10 E. Salt Lake Meridian; Cleveland USGS quad; lat. 39 minutes 21 minutes 69 seconds N. and long. 110 degrees 49 minutes 59 seconds W. NAD 83
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is affected by precipitation that peaks from July to October and falls evenly throughout the remainder of the year; typic aquic moisture regime
Mean annual soil temperature: 49 to 53 degrees F.
Depth to paralithic contact: 20 to 40 inches
Depth to high water table: 10 to 30 inches
Salt content above 20 inches: 2 to 5 percent
ESP: Highest near the surface, 50 to 65, and decreases with depth below 20 inches.
Reaction: Strongly alkaline to very strongly alkaline
Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: Greater than 35
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR to 5Y
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2, dry or moist
C horizon:
Hue: 1Y to 5Y
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2, dry or moist
Gypsum: 2 to 15 percent more than the underlying shale
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series. The Cache, Lodalley, Parran and Saltair series are in different but similar families. Cache soils are very deep and lack gypsum accumulations. Lodalley and Saltair soils are in a fine-silty family. Parran soils have montmorillonitic mineralogy.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Libbings soils are on the footslopes of low rolling hills and drainageways. Elevation is 4,000 to 6,500 feet. Slopes range from 0 to 3 percent. They are developed in residuum and alluvium from saline marine shale in areas where irrigation water or seepage from canals has caused salts to accumulate. The climate is semiarid, with mean annual temperature of 45 to 53 degrees. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 6 to 11 inches with peak periods in July to October and evenly distributed throughout the remainder of the year. Freeze-free period ranges from 110 to 160 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Killpack, Chipeta, Persayo, Billings, and the competing Cache and Saltair soils. Killpack soils lack very strong salt horizons above 20 inches. Chipeta and Persayo are less than 20 inches deep over shale and lack very strong salt horizons. Billings soils are very deep and lack very strong salt horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained; runoff is medium; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Native range is the only use of this soil. The potential vegetation is alkali sacaton, alkali bluegrass, saltgrass, pickleweed and greasewood.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Utah. Libbings soils are extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Carbon County, Utah, 1982.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric horizon: The zone from 0 to 2 inches. (A horizons)
Gypsic horizon: The zone from 9 to 34 inches. (y horizons)
Salic Horizon: The zone from 0 to 34 inches. (z horizons)
Paralithic contact: The contact with shale at 34 inches. (Cr horizons).
All pH values were determined of soil paste. The name is coined.
Taxonomic Version: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, eleventh edition, 2010