LOCATION OLIVER OR
Tentative Series
SCW/KLM
02/2025
OLIVER SERIES
Landscape--mountains, plateaus
Landform--plateaus, fan remnants, mountain slopes
Slope--2 to 50 percent
Parent Material--residuum derived from serpentine with a minor influence of volcanic ash in the surface
Mean annual precipitation--about 380 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about 8 degrees C
Depth class--shallow
Drainage class--well drained
Soil moisture regime--xeric
Soil temperature regime--mesic
Soil moisture subclass--typic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey, magnesic, mesic Lithic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Oliver ashy loam, rangeland, on a 7 percent slope at an elevation of 1150 m (When described on October 27, 2015, the soil was dry throughout.)
A--0 to 3 cm; ashy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist,; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few fine and many very fine roots; few fine and common very fine irregular pores; 5 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary (3 to 10 cm thick)
2Bt1--3 to 15 cm; clay loam, gray (10YR 5/1) dry, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; many faint clay films on ped faces; 10 percent fine gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.7); clear wavy boundary
2Bt2--15 to 38 cm; clay, brown (7.5YR 4/2) dry, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, very sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; many distinct clay films on ped faces; 10 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt wavy boundary
2Cr--38 to 46 cm; weathered serpentine; can be broken in hand
2R--46 cm; hard, unweathered serpentine
TYPE LOCATION: Grant County, Oregon, about 2.25 km west of the town of Canyon City; about 460 m south and 570 m west of the NE corner of section 3, T. 14 S., R. 31 E.
Latitude-- 44.38459
Longitude-- -118.97848
Datum--WGS84 (coordinates determined with a GPS)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--8 to 10 degrees C
Soil moisture--usually moist, but are dry between 10 and 30 cm for 70 to 90 consecutive days during the four months following the summer solstice
Depth to paralithic contact--25 to 40 cm
Depth to lithic contact--35 to 50 cm
Mollic epipedon--18 to 40 cm thick
Argillic horizon--15 to 40 cm thick
Volcanic ash surface:
3 to 10 cm thick
Volcanic glass content--20 to 40 percent
Ammonium oxalate Al plus Fe--0.4 to 1.0 percent
Particle size control section:
Clay content--35 to 50 percent
Total rock fragment content--0 to 15 percent
Rock fragment type--serpentine, or other ultramafic
A horizon
Value--3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma--1 or 2 dry or moist
Fine earth texture-- ashy loam
Clay content--15 to 25 percent
Total rock fragments--0 to 10 percent
Gravel--0 to 10 percent
Reaction--neutral or slightly alkaline
2Bt horizons
Value--4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma--1 to 3 dry or moist
Fine earth texture-- clay loam, or clay
Clay content--35 to 50 percent
Total rock fragments--0 to 15 percent
Gravel--0 to 15 percent
Reaction-- neutral or slightly alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--790 to 1220 m
Climate--cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers
Mean annual precipitation--305 to 455 mm
Mean annual air temperature 8 to 10 degrees C
Frost-free period--80 to 120 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Grell--average less than 35% clay and more than 35% rock fragments in the control section; occur on very steep south facing slopes
Lemonex--frigid temperature regime, and 50 to 100 cm to serpentine bedrock
Overholt--frigid temperature regime; less than 25 cm to serpentine bedrock, and average less than 35% clay and more than 35% rock fragments in the control section
Rockly--occur on basalt knolls and ridges; less than 25 cm to lithic bedrock
Widows--frigid temperature regime; average more than 35% fragments in the control section; 25 to 50 cm to serpentine bedrock
Wymer--frigid temperature regime; 50 to 100 cm to serpentine bedrock
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage--well drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--high in in ash influenced horizons, moderately low in argillic horizons
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--livestock grazing, wildlife habitat
Vegetation--bluebunch wheatgrass, Idaho fescue, rubber rabbitbrush, western juniper
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
East-central Oregon; MLRA 9; small extent
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES PROPOSED:
Grant County, Oregon 2/2016; The name is a local historical family name.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon are:
Particle size control section--3 to 38 cm
Mollic epipedon--0 to 38 cm
Volcanic ash--0 to 3 cm
Argillic horizon--3 to 38 cm
Xeric moisture regime
ADDITIONAL DATA:
Partial lab data is available for the Lemonex soils which shares many of the same characteristics as the Oliver soil. Reference samples from the Lemonex soils (S97OR-023-023) were sent from Grant County to the NSSL in Lincoln, NE. Sampling was done on August 26, 1997.
Additional sampling of other nearby serpentine soils was performed in October, 2014.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.