LOCATION OLICAL WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Calcic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Olical silt loam - cultivated. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted)
Ap1--0 to 7 inches; dark grayish brown (120YR 4/2) silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine and medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots, many very fine irregular pores; mildly alkaline (pH 7.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 9 inches thick)
Ap2--7 to 10 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; common very fine irregular and common very fine tubular pores; mildly alkaline (pH 7.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
Bw--10 to 17 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; common very fine irregular and common very fine tubular pores; mildly alkaline (pH 7.5); clear wavy boundary. (7 to 24 inches thick)
Bk1--17 to 25 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular and common irregular pores; common fine lime coatings in pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 15 inches thick)
Bk2--25 to 60 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; few fine spheroidal lime aggregates; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 40 inches thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Asotin County, Washington; 550 feet north and 550 feet west of the southeast corner of sec. 36, T. 10 N., R. 44 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 49 to 55 degrees F. These soils are usually moist, but are dry in all parts between 4 and 12 inches for 90 to 105 consecutive days. Depth to the Bk horizon is 15 to 44 inches, but is dominantly 15 to 24 inches. Depth to a lithic contact with basalt is 40 to more than 60 inches. The particle-size control section averages 10 to 18 percent clay in the fine earth fraction. The mollic epipedon is 8 to 20 inches thick.
The A horizons have a value of 4 or 5 when dry, 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3 when dry or moist. It is neutral or mildly alkaline.
The Bw horizon has value of 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4 dry or moist. Reaction is mildly alkaline to strongly alkaline.
The Bk horizon has value of 5 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 when moist, and chroma of 2 through 4 dry or moist. It is silt loam or loam and averages 0 to 40 percent pebbles and cobbles. It is moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline, contains few medium to common very fine or fine lime segregations, and has less than 15 percent calcium carbonate equivalent.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Bundy and Oliphant series. Bundy soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to a lithic contact. Oliphant soils have a calcic horizon and a mollic epipedon 20 to 30 inches thick.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Olical soils are on plateaus and hillslopes at elevations of 690 to 2,700 feet. Slopes are 0 to 30 percent. Olical soils formed in loess. Summers are warm and dry, winters are cool and moist. The average annual precipitation is 12 to 16 inches. The average July temperature is 68 to 73 degrees F. The average January temperature is 22 to 32 degrees F. The mean annual air temperature is 47 to 52 degrees F. The frost-free season is 110 to 170 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Anders, Asotin, Bakeoven, Chard, Nims, Spofford, Walla Walla, and Weissenfels soils. Anders, Asotin, Nims, and Weissenfels soils have lithic contact with basalt at depths of 20 to 40 inches. Bakeoven soils have a lithic contact at 4 to l0 inches. Chard soils are coarse- loamy. Spofford soils have a natric horizon. Walla Walla soils lack a Bk horizon within 44 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow or medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Principal uses are nonirrigated cropland, irrigated cropland, rangeland and wildlife habitat. Winter wheat and barley are common crops. Used mostly for dryland cropland. Some is used for rangeland and some for irrigated cropland. Winter wheat is the common crop. Native vegetation is bluebunch wheatgrass, Sandberg bluegrass, and small amounts of Idaho fescue.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Washington. Series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Asotin County, Washington, 1984.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are a mollic epipedon from the surface to 10 inches, a cambic horizon from 10 to 17 inches, and a zone of calcium carbonate accumulation from 17 to 60 inches.