LOCATION SHIBAH NDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Torriorthentic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Shibah loam, in rangeland (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described the soil was dry throughout.)
A--0 to 4 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots throughout; common very fine low continuity tubular pores; 19.0 percent clay; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 5 inches)
Bw--4 to 8 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots throughout; common very fine low continuity tubular pores; 19.0 percent clay; 20 percent limestone-sandstone gravel and 5 percent limestone-sandstone cobbles; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches)
Bk--8 to 13 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) very cobbly loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots throughout; 19.0 percent clay; common irregular fine masses of lime; few carbonate coats on rock fragments; common fine irregular masses of lime pedogenic throughout; violently effervescent throughout (HCL, 1 normal); 20 percent limestone-sandstone gravel and 20 percent limestone-sandstone cobbles; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches)
BCk--13 to 18 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) very cobbly loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots throughout; 18.0 percent clay; few carbonate coats on rock fragments; violently effervescent throughout (HCL, 1 normal); 30 percent limestone-sandstone cobbles and 20 percent limestone-sandstone gravel; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 8 inches)
C--18 to 80 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) very cobbly loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots throughout; 18.0 percent clay; few carbonate coats on rock fragments; violently effervescent throughout (HCL, 1 normal); 30 percent limestone-sandstone cobbles and 20 percent limestone-sandstone gravel; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Golden Valley County, North Dakota; 2,500 feet north and 150 feet west of the southeast corner of sec. 17, T. 139 N., R. 103 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil temperature - 40 to 45 degrees F.
Mollic thickness - 7 to 10 inches
Depth to carbonates - 7 to 10 inches
Depth to gravelly material - less than 10 inches
A horizon - Hue 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 (3 or 4 moist)
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture loam or silt loam
Percent rock fragments: 0 to 30
Reaction - slightly acid or neutral
Some pedons have an AC horizon.
Bw horizon: Hue 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 6 (3 to 5)
Chroma: 3
Texture: loam
Percent rock fragments: 20 to 50
Reaction - neutral or slightly alkaline
Bk horizon: Hue 2.5Y or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 (4 moist)
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loam or silt loam
Percent rock fragments: 30 to 55
Reaction - slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
C horizon: Hue 2.5Y or 10YR
Value: 5 to 7 (4 or 5 moist)
Chroma: 2 to 4 (3 or 4 moist)
Texture: loam, sandy loam or sandy clay loam
Percent rock fragments: 35 to 70
Reaction - slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Some pedons have a 2C horizon.
COMPETING SERIES:
There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform - fans, terraces, sideslopes, or ridges of dissected terraces or fans.
Elevation - 2,500 to 3,000 feet.
Slope- 3 to 50 percent.
Parent material - alluvium.
Climate - long, cold winters; moist springs; hot dry summers.
Mean annual precipitation - 13 to 16 inches.
Mean annual air temperature - 40 to 45 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Boxwell, Bulltop, Cabbart, Fleak, Kremlin, Lonna, Maltese, Scairt and Tanna soils. Boxwell soils are on side slopes of uplands. They have soft bedrock at depths of 20 to 40 inches. Bulltop soils are intermixed with the Shibah soils. They have a cambic horizon. Cabbart and Fleak soils are on knobs and ridges. They have soft bedrock at depths of 20 to 40 inches. Kremlin and Lonna soils are intermixed. They have less than 5 percent rock fragments in the particle-size-control-section. Maltese and Scairt soils are on flats. They have a natric horizon. Tanna soils are on toe slopes and flats. They have soft bedrock at depths of 20 to 40 inches and have an argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderate in the upper part and rapid in the underlying material.
USE AND VEGETATION: Shibah soils are used for rangeland. The potential native vegetation is mainly blue grama and needleandthread.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern North Dakota. Shibah soils are of small extent.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Billings County, North Dakota, 1998.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon: mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 8 inches (A and Bw horizons); accumulation of carbonates - the zone from 8 to 18 inches (Bk and BCk horizons); particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches (Bk, BCk and C horizons).