LOCATION LABETTE KS

Established Series
Rev. CEW, JLG, BKN
07/2020

LABETTE SERIES

The Labette series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in residuum from interbedded limestone and clayey shale. Labette soils are on nearly level to moderately sloping hillslopes on uplands in Bluestem Hills, in MLRA 76. Slopes range from 0 to 12 percent. The mean annual precipitation is 790 millimeters (31 inches) and the mean annual air temperature is 13 degrees C (56 degrees F), at the type location.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, mesic Udic Argiustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Labette silty clay loam - on a southwest facing, concave 1 percent slope in native grasslands at an elevation of 454 meters (1489 feet). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 23 centimeters (0 to 9 inches); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) silty clay loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; strong fine and medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly plastic and slightly sticky; few tubular pores; many fine roots; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (15 to 30 centimeters (6 to 12 inches) thick.)

BA--23 to 38 centimeters (9 to 15 inches); very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) silty clay loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; strong fine and very fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly plastic and slightly sticky; many tubular pores; many fine roots; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 20 centimeters (0 to 8 inches) thick.)

Bt1--38 to 56 centimeters (15 to 22 inches); brown (7.5YR 4/2) silty clay, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist, brown (7.5YR 4/4) crushed moist; moderate fine blocky structure; very hard, firm, very plastic and very sticky; many fine roots; few fine pores partially filled with clay films; distinct clay films cover nearly all faces of peds; few fine black concretions; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary.

Bt2--56 to 76 centimeters (22 to 30 inches); brown (7.5YR 5/4) silty clay, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very plastic and very sticky; few fine roots; distinct clay films cover most faces of peds; few fine black concretions; neutral; gradual wavy boundary. (Range in thickness of the Bt horizon is 25 to 61 centimeters (10 to 24 inches).)

C--76 to 91 centimeters (30 to 36 inches); brown (7.5YR 5/4) silty clay, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; very hard, firm, very plastic and very sticky; about 6 percent of yellow (10YR 8/6) soft, weathered limestone fragments 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 25 centimeters (0 to 10 inches) thick.)

R--91 centimeters (36 inches); hard jointed limestone that has little displacement of large fragments.

TYPE LOCATION: Chase County, Kansas; about 6.4 kilometers (4 miles) west of Matfield Green, 405 meters (1,330 feet) north and 405 meters (1,330 feet) west of southeast corner, sec. 3, T. 22 S., R. 7 E. (Public Land Survey location); Homestead USGS quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees, 9 minutes, 43 seconds N., and longitude 96 degrees, 39 minutes, and 12 seconds W., WGS84.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture regime: ustic bordering on udic
Soil temperature regime: mesic
Mollic epipedon thickness: 25 to 49 centimeters (10 to 20 inches)
Depth to lithic contact with limestone or cherty limestone: 50 to 100 centimeters (20 to 40 inches)
Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is intermittently moist in some parts from March through October; driest in November through February
Mean annual soil temperature: 13 to 14 degrees C (55 to 59 degrees F)
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 35 to 60 percent
Sand content: 1 to 15 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 34 percent limestone or cherty limestone channers.

A or BA horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2 dry or moist
Texture: silty clay loam, silty clay, or their gravelly or channer counterparts.
Clay content: 28 to 45 percent
Sand Content: 1 to 15 percent
Fragments: 0 to 34 percent limestone channers
Reaction: moderately acid or slightly acid.

Bt horizon
Hue: 7.5YR to 2.5YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6 dry or moist
Texture: silty clay loam, clay, or silty clay and their gravelly and channer counterparts
Clay content: 35 to 60 percent
Sand content: 1 to 15 percent
Fragments: 0 to 34 percent limestone channers
Reaction: moderately acid to slightly alkaline.

C horizon
Hue: 10YR to 2.5YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry or moist
Chroma: 4 to 8 dry or moist
Texture silty clay loam, silty clay, and their gravelly and channer counterparts
Clay content: 38 to 60
Sand content: 0 to 10
Fragments: 0 to 34 percent limestone channers
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 5 percent
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES:
The Edalgo series is the only series in the family.
Edalgo soils have sandstone fragments occurring within the profile.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent Material: residuum from limestone with thin beds of clayey shale
Landform: hillslopes on uplands
Slope: 0 to 12 percent
Elevation: 300 to 505 meters (980 to 1650 feet)
Mean annual air temperature: 12 to 14 degrees C (53 to 58 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation: 790 to 960 millimeters (31 to 38 inches)
Precipitation pattern: Precipitation is usually evenly distributed throughout the year with the exception of November through February being the driest months and May and June being the wettest months. Summer precipitation occurs during intense summer thunderstorms.
Frost-free period: 175 to 200 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
These series are the Dwight, Florence, Irwin, and Tully soils.
Dwight soils are in open depressions and have a sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) of more than 13 (natric horizon).
Florence soils are generally lower on the slope and are clayey-skeletal with lithic contact greater than 100 centimeters (40 inches)
Irwin soils are in slightly higher positions on broad ridgetops and do not have a lithic contact within a depth of 100 centimeters (40 inches).
Tully soils are on foot slopes and do not have a lithic contact within a depth of 100 centimeters (40 inches).

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage: Well
Runoff: medium or high
Saturated hydraulic conductivity: moderately low

USE AND VEGETATION: About half is cropped, mostly to wheat and sorghums; the remainder is native range. Native vegetation is tall grasses.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Land Resource Region H, Central Great Plains Winter Wheat and Range Region and M Central Feed Grains and Livestock Region; MLRA 74, Central Kansas Sandstone Hills; MLRA 76, Bluestem Hills; MLRA 106 Nebraska and Kansas Loess-Drift Hills; and MLRA 112 Cherokee Prairies. The series is of extensive.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Salina, Kansas

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Labette County, Kansas, 1926. The name is from the county.

REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section: The zone from 38 to 76 centimeters (15 to 30 inches) (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)
Mollic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 38 centimeters (0 to 15 inches) (A and BA horizons)
Argillic horizon - the zone from 38 to 76 centimeters (15 to 30 inches) (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)
Lithic contact - The contact at 91 centimeters (34 inches) (R horizon)

The assignment of the cation-exchange activity class is based on lab data of nearby sample 83KS017001.

Keys to Taxonomy: Twelfth Edition, 2014.

1/2012 JLG Up-dated to meet MO5 Soil Technical Note-1 (Revision 3); Placed in semi-tab format, added activity class to the taxonomy class, conversion from English to metric; added the following: longitude and latitude to typical pedon, particle-size control section, sand and clay ranges in characteristics, elevation, saturated hydraulic conductivity, Land Resource Region, Major Land Resource Area, Taxonomic Version, precipitation pattern, a couple of diagnostic features, and soil moisture.

1/2012 JLG Based on lab data there is a possibility that this series could be pachic. Further investigation is needed. Saturated hydraulic conductivity needs to be reviewed. With the high clay content in the argillic horizon and based on geographically associated soils ksat's, it may be low instead of moderately low.

06/2020 BKN Updated site information for Typical Pedon and added USGS QUAD to Type Location. Updated Keys to Soil Taxonomy to Twelfth Edition.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.