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.)
A1z--0-1/2 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, sticky and 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)
A2z--1/2 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, sticky and 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, 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, 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, sticky and 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 inches; soft platy shale. Roots and water concentrated between shale plates.
TYPE LOCATION: Emery County, Utah; 330 feet south and 160 feet east of the northwest corner of sec. 8, T. 17 S., R. 10 E.; about 2 miles south of Elmo, 1/4 mile west of Elmo-Cleveland Road.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to bedrock ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Depth to high water tables ranges from 10 to 30 inches. Salt content above 20 inches ranges from 2 to 5 percent. Exchangeable sodium is highest near the surface, 50 to 65 percent, and decreases with depth below 20 inches. Reaction is strongly alkaline to very strongly alkaline. The particle-size control section (10 to 40 inch depth) is dominantly silty clay, but ranges from heavy silty clay loam to clay more than 35 percent clay. Mean annual soil temperatures ranges from 49 to 53 degrees F.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR through 5Y with dry values of 5 or 6, moist values of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2.
The C horizon has hue of 1Y through 5Y, with dry values of 5 or 6, moist values of 4 or 5, and chromas of 1 or 2. Gypsum accumulation ranges from few to many, but there is typically 2 to 7 percent more gypsum in this horizon than in the underlying shale.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Cache series in the same family and Lodalley, Parran and Saltair series in different 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.
GEOGRAPHICAL SETTING: Libbings soils are on the footslopes of low rolling hills. Elevation is 5,400 to 5,500 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 47 to 49 degrees. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 6 to 11 inches. Freeze-free period ranges from 110 to 140 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 PEREMABILITY: 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 OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Lakewood, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Carbon County, Utah, 1982.
REMARKS: All pH values were determined of soil paste. The name is coined.