LOCATION OLENTANGY OH+MI NY

Established Series
Rev. DRM-LAT
11/2021

OLENTANGY SERIES

The Olentangy series consists of very deep, very poorly drained soils formed in coprogenous earth and underlain by lake sediments or till at a depth of 61 to 127 cm (24 to 50 inches). These soils are in depressions on lakebeds and till plains. Slope ranges from 0 to 2 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 914 mm (36 inches), and mean annual air temperature is about 11 degrees C (51 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, active, nonacid, mesic Histic Humaquepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Olentangy mucky silt loam, on a nearly level area in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 36 cm (0 to 14 inches); black (10YR 2/1) mucky silt loam coprogenous earth, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; strong medium granular structure; very friable; many fine roots; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. [15 to 38 cm (6 to 15 inches) thick]

C1--36 to 51 cm (14 to 20 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) mucky silt loam coprogenous earth; weak medium prismatic structure; firm; many fine roots; many fine faint brown (10YR 4/3) and distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) streaks; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) coatings on faces of peds in the upper part; many fine very dark brown (10YR 2/2) plant remains; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.

C2--51 to 71 cm (20 to 28 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam coprogenous earth; common medium distinct gray (5Y 5/1) mottles; weak thick platy structure; firm; common fine roots; many fine faint brown (10YR 4/3) and distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) streaks; many fine very dark brown (10YR 2/2) plant remains; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary.

Cg1--71 to 102 cm (28 to 40 inches); dark gray (10YR 4/1) silt loam coprogenous earth; massive; friable; few coarse distinct dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) streaks; olive (5Y 5/6) plant leaf impressions; slightly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. [Combined thickness of the C and Cg horizons is 38 to 112 cm (15 to 44 inches).]

2Cg2--102 to 152 cm (40 to 60 inches); dark gray (5Y 4/1) silt loam; 10 percent fibers, 3 percent rubbed; massive; friable; few medium gray (5Y 5/1) secondary lime deposits; olive (5Y 5/6) plant leaf impressions; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Wyandot County, Ohio; about 1 1/2 miles north of Upper Sandusky, in Crane Township; 900 feet west and 2,600 feet north of the southeast corner of sec. 19, T. 2 S., R. 14 E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Thickness of the coprogenous earth: 61 to 127 cm (24 to 50 inches)
Depth to lake sediments or till: 61 to 127 cm (24 to 50 inches)
Special features: gypsum crystals are evident in some pedons; shell fragments are in the lower part of the coprogenous earth and underlying material in some pedons

A or Ap horizon, and C horizon (coprogenous earth):
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, or is neutral
Value: 2, 2.5 or 3; 4 is permitted in the C horizon (3 to 5 dry)
Chroma: 0 to 2
Texture: silt loam or mucky silt loam coprogenous earth; but are muck (sapric material) in some pedons to a maximum depth of 38 cm (15 inches)
Reaction: extremely acid to slightly alkaline

C horizon, below a depth of 38 cm (15 inches) and to 61 cm (24 inches) or more:
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR
Value: 3 to 5
Chroma: 2 to 4
Redox features: concentrations, streaks, or pipe stems of strong brown to dark reddish brown

Cg horizon:
Hue: 2.5Y, 5Y, or 5GY, or is neutral
Value: 3 to 5
Chroma: 0 to 2
Texture: coprogenous earth dominantly is mineral; silt loam, silty clay loam, or the mucky analogs of these textures
Structure: prismatic or platy structure or massive
Reaction: extremely acid to slightly alkaline in the upper part and strongly acid to slightly alkaline in the lower part; however, a reaction of strongly acid or less (pH of 5.5 or less in water or less than 5.0 in calcium chloride) is not permitted in the lower part of the control section

2Cg horizon:
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y, 5Y, 5GY or 5G, or is neutral
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 0 to 2
Texture: silt loam, silty clay loam, clay loam, or loam
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Bergen series. Bergen soils do not have substantial layers of limnic sediments. McGuffey and Roundhead series are in closely related families. McGuffey soils have illitic clay mineralogy and average more than 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Roundhead soils have carbonates in the upper part of the series control section and are not formed in coprogenous earth.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Olentangy soils are in depressional areas associated with glacial lakes on till plains of Wisconsinan age. Slope ranges from 0 to 2 percent. The soils formed in limnic sediments (coprogenous earth) 61 to 127 cm (24 to 50 inches) thick and are underlain by lacustrine material or till. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 787 to 1016 mm (31 to 40 inches). Mean annual air temperature ranges from 9 to 12 degrees C (48 to 54 degrees F).

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bono, Carlisle, Linwood, Luray, Muskego, and Toledo soils. Bono, Luray, and Toledo soils formed entirely in lake sediments and are on adjacent lake plains. Carlisle and Linwood soils are on similar landscape positions. Carlisle soils formed entirely in organic materials. Linwood soils formed in organic materials but are underlain by loamy material. Muskego soils are on similar landscape positions but have thicker organic materials overlying the coprogenous earth.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Very poorly drained. Potential for surface runoff is negligible. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high throughout the coprogenous material and moderately low in the mineral substratum. Permeability is moderate throughout the coprogenous material and slow in the mineral substratum.

USE AND VEGETATION: The Olentangy soils are used for cropland and habitat for wetland wildlife. Drained areas are used for corn and soybeans and specialty crops such as potatoes, onions, and beans. Native vegetation is marshy types, namely grasses, reeds, sedges with some shrubs, and hardwoods.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central and western Ohio, Michigan, and New York in MLRAs 98, 99, 111B, and 144A. The series is of small extent.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: AMHERST, MASSACHUSETTS

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Crawford County, Ohio, 1975.

REMARKS: Problems remain in the classification of this series. Soil Taxonomy does not adequately accommodate soils formed in coprogenous earth. This problem is under study.

Diagnostic horizons or features recognized in this pedon are:
Histic epipedon: from the surface to a depth of 36 cm (A horizon).
Limnic materials (coprogenous earth): from the surface to a depth of 102 cm (Ap, C, Cg1 horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: Refer to sample number 74OH-33-1 for results of laboratory data of a pedon in Crawford County, Ohio.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.