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2.7: Tabulated Values of Typical Soil Properties

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    Data for soil properties are available from various sources. For example, in the U.S., county-level Soil Survey Reports normally list many of the soil properties described in this chapter. These reports are available electronically for application with geographic information systems and on the internet such as the Web Soil Survey [Website]. An example listing is shown in Table 2.2. Generalized values of AWC, θfc, and θwp for a range of soil textures are given in Table 2.3.

    Table 2.2 Examples of soil properties for Platte County, Nebraska (USDA, 1988).
    Soil Name Soil Depth (in) USDA Texture Bulk Density (g/cm3) Permeability (in/hr) Available Water Capacity (cm3/cm3, in/in, or m/m)
    Geary

    0-11

    Silty clay loam

    1.30-1.40

    0.6-2.0

    0.18-0.23

    11-34 Silty clay loam/ clay loam 1.35-1.50 0.2-2.0 0.17-0.20
    34-60 Silty clay loam/clay loam/silt loam 1.30-1.40 0.6-2.0 0.15-0.19
    Hobbs

    0-8

    Silt loam

    1.20-1.40

    0.6-2.0

    0.21-0.24
    8-60 Silt loam/silty clay loam/very fine sandy loam 1.20-1.40 0.6-2.0 0.18-0.22
    Gothenburg

    0-4

    Sandy loam

    1.40-1.50

    2.0-6.0

    0.13
    4-60 Sand and gravel 1.70-1.90 >0 0.22
    Boel

    0-12

    Fine sandy loam

    1.50-1.70

    2.0-6.0

    0.16-0.18
    12-60 Fine sand, loamy fine sand, coarse sand 1.50-1.60 6-20 0.05-0.10
    Inavale

    0-6

    Loamy fine sand

    1.50-1.60

    6-20

    0.10-0.12
    6-18 Fine sand, loamy sand/loam fine sand 1.50-1.60 6-20 0.06-0.11
    18-60 Fine sand, loamy sand/loam fine sand 1.50-1.60 6-20 0.05-0.10
    Valentine

    0-11

    Fine sand

    1.70-1.90

    6-20

    0.07-0.09
    11-60 Fine sand, loamy fine sand, loamy sand 1.70-1.90 6-20 0.05-0.11
    Table 2.3 Example values of soil water characteristics for various soil textures. [a]
    Soil Texture

    θfc

    (cm3/cm3, in/in, or m/m)

    θwp

    (cm3/cm3, in/in, or m/m)

    AWC

    (cm3/cm3, in/in, or m/m)
    Coarse sand 0.10 0.05 0.05
    Sand 0.15 0.07 0.08
    Loamy sand 0.18 0.07 0.11
    Sandy loam 0.20 0.08 0.12
    Loam 0.25 0.10 0.15
    Silt loam 0.30 0.12 0.18
    Silty clay loam 0.38 0.22 0.16
    Clay loam 0.40 0.25 0.15
    Silty clay 0.40 0.27 0.13
    Clay 0.40 0.28 0.12
    [a] Example values are given. You can expect considerable variation from these values within each soil texture.

    2.7: Tabulated Values of Typical Soil Properties is shared under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.