LOCATION OLATHE                  CO

Tentative Series
Rev. RK-GB-KLS
03/2023

OLATHE SERIES

The Olathe series consists of shallow, well drained soils that formed in residuum from sandstone. Olathe soils are on plateau and mesa tops with slopes of 1 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 640 mm and the mean annual air temperature is about 3 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive Lithic Haplocryepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Olathe fine sandy loam, spruce-fir woodland (colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

Oe--0 to 5 cm; partially decomposed organic material mainly needles, bark, twigs and leaves.

A--5 to 15 cm; pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; 5 percent gravel, 5 percent cobble; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear smooth boundary (3 to 13 cm thick).

Bw--15 to 30 cm; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; 5 percent gravel, 5 percent cobble; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary (13 to 25 cm thick).

C--30 to 43 cm; pink (7.5YR 7/4) cobbly fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; 5 percent gravel, 10 percent cobble; moderately acid (pH 5.8); clear wavy boundary (10 to 20 cm thick).

Cr--43 to 48 cm; strongly weathered sandstone.

R--48 cm; hard sandstone.

TYPE LOCATION: Montrose County, Colorado, the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter in sec. 20, T. 47 N., R. 12 W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--2 to 4 degrees C
Mean summer soil temperature--6 to 8 degrees C
Depth to lithic contact--15 to 50 cm

Particle-size control section:
Rock fragment content--0 to 20 percent and are mainly gravel and cobbles

A horizon
Hue--10YR through 7.5YR
Value--5 or 6, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma--2 through 4
Reaction--pH 6.1 to 7.3

Bw horizon
Hues--10YR or 5YR
Value--6 or 7, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma--3 through 6
Clay content--10 to 20 percent
Reaction--pH 6.1 to 7.3

C horizon, when present
Hues--10YR or 5YR
Value--7 or 8, 6 or 7 moist
Chroma--3 through 6
Texture--cobbly fine sandy loam, sandy loam or cobbly sandy loam
Reaction--pH 5.6 to 7.3

COMPETING SERIES: Currently there are no competing series in this family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform--plateau and mesa tops
Elevation--2750 to 3050 meters
Slope--1 to 15 percent
Parent material--residuum derived from sandstone
Mean annual precipitation--610 to 710 mm
Mean annual air temperature--1 to 4 degrees C

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: None listed.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; moderately rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: The soil is used for timber production and range. Vegetation is Engelmann spruce-Subalpine fir woodland with an understory of elk sedge, slender wheatgrass, nodding bromegrass, meadow rue and snowberry.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Olathe soils are of small extent on the Uncompahgre Plateau of western Colorado; MLRA 35.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES PROPOSED: Uncompahgre Area, Colorado, Soil Survey Area #8676, 1982.

REMARKS: Converted to metric and O horizons were updated to start at zero. Competing series section was not updated. 02/2023

---

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.