LOCATION LIBERAL MO+OK

Established Series
Rev. DKP-RGC
09/2018

LIBERAL SERIES

The Liberal series consists of deep, moderately well drained soils that formed in residuum from shale of Pennsylvanian age and lenses of sandstone or siltstone. These soils are on upland ridgetops and mounds. Slope ranges from 2 to 20 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 1070 mm (42 inches), and mean annual temperature is about 16 degrees C (60 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, thermic Aquollic Hapludalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Liberal silt loam, on a 3 percent slope in native grasses at an elevation of 269 meters (882 feet) above mean sea level. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 18 cm (0 to 7 inches); very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) silt loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; moderate very fine granular structure; friable; many fine roots; many fine and medium strongly cemented iron-manganese concretions; 3 percent sandstone gravel; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. [15 to 25 cm (6 to 10 inches) thick]

BA--18 to 28 cm (7 to 11 inches); brown (10YR 4/3) silty clay loam; moderate very fine granular and subangular blocky structure; friable; many fine roots; many fine and medium strongly cemented iron-manganese concretions in the lower part; many worm channels and many very dark grayish brown casts; 5 percent sandstone gravel; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. [0 to 15 cm (0 to 6 inches) thick]

Bt1--28 to 41 cm (11 to 16 inches); brown (10YR 4/3) silty clay loam; moderate very fine subangular blocky structure; firm; common fine roots; few faint clay films on faces of peds; few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation in ped interiors; common fine and medium strongly cemented iron-manganese concretions; 5 percent sandstone gravel; many worm channels and casts; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.

Bt2--41 to 56 cm (16 to 22 inches); brown (10YR 5/3) silty clay; moderate medium and fine angular blocky structure; very firm; few fine roots; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; common coarse distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and common fine prominent yellowish red (5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; few faint grayish brown (10YR 5/2) iron depletions on faces of peds; many fine and medium strongly cemented iron-manganese concretions; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.

Bt3--56 to 79 cm (22 to 31 inches); mixed olive gray (5Y 5/2), light olive gray (5Y 6/2), and gray (5Y 6/1) clay; weak coarse angular blocky structure; very firm; few fine roots; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; many coarse prominent red (2.5YR 5/6) and dark red (2.5YR 3/6) and few fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation in ped interiors; few fine and medium strongly cemented iron-manganese concretions ; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. [Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 30 to 76 cm (12 to 30 inches) thick]

BC--79 to 109 cm (31 to 43 inches); gray (5Y 6/1) clay; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very firm; few fine roots; common coarse prominent red (2.5YR 4/6) iron accumulations in ped interiors: few fine and medium weakly cememted iron-manganese concretions; common slickensides; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. [0 to 50 cm (0 to 20 inches) thick]

Cr--109 to 183 cm (43 to 72 inches); gray (5Y 5/1) shale, thinly interbedded with sandstone; very strongly acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Barton County, Missouri; 1 mile north and 2 miles west of Liberal; 155 feet south and 1,960 feet east of the northwest corner of sec. 34, T. 33 N., R. 33 W.; USGS Liberal, Missouri topographic quadrangle; lat. 37.579167 degrees and long. -94.543736 degrees, WGS84.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to base of argillic horizon: 50 to 100 cm (20 to 40 inches)
Depth to paralithic contact: 100 to 152 cm (40 to 60 inches)

A or Ap horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 2 or 3
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: silt loam, loam, silty clay loam
Reaction: very strongly acid to neutral

BA horizon (where present):
Hue: 7.5YR to 2.5Y
Value: 4 or 5
Chroma: 3 or 4
Redoximorphic features: common shades of brown, yellow, or red
Texture: silt loam, loam, silty clay loam
Reaction: extremely acid moderately acid

Bt horizon:
Hue: 10YR to 5Y
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 1 to 6
Redoximorphic features: common shades of gray, brown, yellow, or red
Texture: silty clay loam, silty clay, clay
Reaction: very strongly acid to slightly acid

BC and Cr horizons:
Reaction: very strongly acid to slightly alkaline
Notes: variable in color

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Barden and Moyers series. Barden soils are more than 60 inches to a paralithic contact. The Cr horizon in the Moyers soils do not have interbedded shale and sandstone and the Cr in the Liberal soils is not tilted.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Liberal soils are on upland ridgetops. Slope ranges from 2 to 20 percent. The soils formed in residuum from shale Pennsylvanian age with lenses of sandstone or siltstone. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 890 to 1140 mm (35 to 45 inches). Mean annual temperature ranges from 15 to 17 degrees C (59 to 62 degrees F).

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Barden soils and the Barco, Bates, Collinsville, and Parsons soils. Barden soils are very deep and are on less sloping positions. Barco and Bates soils are fine-loamy and are moderately deep over sandstone and are on similar positions. Collinsville soils are less than 50 cm (20 inches) to bedrock and are on similar positions. Parsons soils have an abrupt textural change, are very deep and are on higher more level positions.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Moderately well drained. Potential for surface runoff is medium to rapid. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high (1.4 to 14 micrometers per second) in the upper part and moderately low (0.4 to 1.4 micrometers per second) in the lower part. Permeability is slow. In undisturbed areas, a perched water table has an upper limit of 60 to 90 cm (2.0 to 3.0 feet) during November to March in most years.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used mostly for hay and pasture. A few areas are cultivated. Native vegetation is tall prairie grasses.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRAs 112, 116A and 116B in west-central Missouri and northeast Oklahoma. The type location is in MLRA 112. The series is moderately extensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Barton County, Missouri, 1969.

REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this series are:
Ochric epipedon--the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 18 cm (7 inches) (A horizon)
Argillic horizon--the zone from approximately 18 to 109 cm (7 to 43 inches) (BA, Bt1, Bt2, Bt3 and BC horizons)
Paralithic contact--109 cm (43 inches)

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.