LOCATION LIEBERMAN CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Sodic Haplocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Lieberman sandy loam--on a 1 percent slope under shadscale and black greasewood at 4,010 feet elevation--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described on April 1, 1981, the soil was nearly dry throughout.).
A1--0 to 4 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) sandy loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; weak thick platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; slightly effervescent; E.C. is 1; SAR is 4; calcium carbonate equivalent is 3 percent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6) clear wavy boundary.
A2--4 to 12 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) sandy loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; strongly effervescent; E.C. is 1.4; SAR is 2.3; calcium carbonate equivalent is 3 percent; strongly alkaline pH 8.6) clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizons is 5 to 12 inches).
Bkq--12 to 20 inches; pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) clay loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; 10 percent 10 to 14 mm durinodes; secondary carbonates segregated as few fine filaments; violently effervescent; E.C. is 1; SAR is 10; 20 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 13 inches thick)
2C1--20 to 36 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) fine sand, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; many very fine tubular and interstitial pores; one 1/4 inch pale yellow (2.5Y 8/2) discontinuous fractured lense of tufa at upper horizon boundary, very pale brown (10YR 7/4) moist; strongly effervescent; E.C. is 4; SAR is 30; 8 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 30 inches thick)
2C2--36 to 54 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) fine sand, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; many very fine tubular and interstitial pores; few thin (1 to 5 mm) discontinuous tufa lenses; few 1 to 3 mm iron-manganese concretions; slightly effervescent; E.C. is 9; SAR is 170; 10 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
2C3--54 to 72 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) stratified sand and fine sand, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; massive, slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; no roots; many very fine interstitial pores; common fine faint pale yellow (2.5Y 8/2) mottles, distinct olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; few thin strata of loam and clay loam, slightly effervescent; E.C. is 16; SAR is 50; 11 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Lassen County, California; in Honey Lake Valley on the Sierra Army Depot; about 1/4 mile south of the northeast corner of section 22, T. 27 N., R. 16 E.; USGS Herlong 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 40 degrees 11 minutes 03 seconds north latitude and 120 degrees 09 minutes 03 seconds west longitude, NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - These soils are dry in all parts of the moisture control section (8 to 16 inches) from April 15 to November 15 (215 days) and moist in all parts from December 15 to Mach 15. The soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F from March 1 to December 1 (275 days) and exceeds 47 degrees F from April 15 to November 15; Typic aridic moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature - 53 to 56 degrees F.
Ochric epipedon thickness - 5 to 12 inches.
Depth to base of calcic horizon - 20 to 34 inches.
Depth to strongly contrasting sandy material - 20 to 34 inches.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 18 to 27 percent in the upper part and 0 to 5 percent in the contrasting lower part.
A horizons - Dry color: 10YR 7/2, 8/2; 2.5Y 6/2, 7/2 or 8/2.
Moist color: 10YR 4/2, 4/3, 5/3 or 2.5Y 4/2.
Texture: Sandy loam or loam.
Clay content: 5 to 10 percent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Effervescent: Slightly effervescent through violently effervescent.
Salinity (EC): 0.5 to 4 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 1 to 4.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 3 to 8 percent.
Bkq horizon - Dry color: 10YR 7/3; 2.5Y 7/2, 7/4 or 8/2.
Moist color: 10YR 5/3; 2.5Y 4/2, 4/4, 5/3, 5/4 or 6/4.
Texture: Clay loam, loam, or sandy clay loam.
Clay content: 20 to 30 percent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Identifiable secondary carbonates: Few to many, filaments or masses.
Durinodes: 2 to 15 percent.
Salinity (EC): 1 to 8 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 5 to 15.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 25 percent.
2C horizons - Dry color: 2.5Y 7/2 or 7/3; 5Y 7/2 or 7/3.
Moist color is 2.5Y 4/4, 6/2; 5Y 4/3 or 5/3.
Texture: Stratified sand to fine sand.
Clay content: 0 to 5 percent.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent through violently effervescent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Salinity (EC): 4 to 16 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 30 to 200.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 7 to 11 percent.
Other features: Thin fractured lenses of tufa range from 1/8 to 1/4 inches thick.
COMPETING SERIES: There are currently no other series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Lieberman soils are on lake terraces. These soils formed in lacustrine deposits derived from mixed sources. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. Elevation ranges from 4,000 to 4,050 feet. The climate is arid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 6 to 9 inches, the mean annual temperature is 49 to 52 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 100 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Epot and Herlong soils. Epot soils are fine-silty and have natric horizons. Herlong soils are shallow to lithic contacts on indurated tufa.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium surface runoff; moderately slow permeability in the upper part over rapid permeability in the strongly contrasting lower part.
USE AND VEGETATION: Lieberman soils are used for rangeland. The vegetation is mainly shadscale, bud sagebrush, and spiny hopsage.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern California. These soils are not extensive with about 3,900 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRA 27.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lassen County (Susanville Area Soil Survey), California, 2000.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 12 inches (A1 and A2 horizons).
Calcic horizon and durinodes - The zone from 12 to 20 inches (Bkq horizon).
Major lithologic discontinuity - The abrupt change to sandy material at about 20 inches (2C1, 2C2, and 2C3 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 40 inches (Bkq, 2C1, and 2C2 horizons and parts of the A2 and 2C3 horizons).