LOCATION OLLEI PW+PBEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, parasesquic, isohyperthermic Humic Lithic Dystrudepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Ollei silt loam in a 14 percent southwest-facing convex slope in an anthropic savannah. When described (1/2/80), the soil was moist throughout. (Colors are for moist soil.)
A1--0 to 7 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) silt loam; moderate fine granular structure; friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots and common medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores; common fine and medium very dark brown (10YR 2/2) and black (10YR 2/1) wormcasts; 5 percent hard basalt fragments .2 to .4 inch by .4 to .9 inch in size; strongly acid (pH 5.4, 1:1 water); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
B2--7 to 11 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) very gravelly loam; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine, and medium roots; common very fine and few fine and medium tubular and interstitial pores; 40 percent angular platy rock fragments horizontally oriented, .1 to .3 inch by .8 to 2.3 inches in size; strongly acid (pH 5.1, 1:1 water); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 14 inches thick)
C--11 to 17 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) extremely flaggy loam; massive; friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and medium roots within soil material and following fracture faces; 90 percent thick platy rock with soil material in horizontal beds between rock; strongly acid (pH 5.1, 1:1 water); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
R--17 inches; hard, slightly weathered tuff with fractures primarily in the horizontal plane.
TYPE LOCATION: Aimeliik Municipality, Babelthuap Island, Palau, Western Caroline Islands; about 16 feet inland from the midway point of the SW. shore of Bkurengel or about 174 feet E. and 125 feet S. of the western most tip of Bkurengel; lat. 7 degrees 26 minutes 37.5 seconds N. and long. 134 degrees 28 minutes 13 seconds E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to lithic contact ranges from 10 to 20 inches. The solum is 8 to 16 inches thick.
The A horizon has moist color of 10YR 2/2, 3/2, or 3/3. It has an apparent field texture of silt loam or gravelly silt loam. By volume, the A horizon is 5 to 25 percent hard basalt and indurated tuff fragments, .2 to 2 inches in size and 0 to 10 percent cobbles. Reaction in 1:1 water is strongly acid or medium acid.
The B horizon has moist color of 7.5YR 3/4, 4/4, or 4/6 or of 10YR 3/4, 4/3, 4/4, or 4/6. It has an apparent field texture of loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam and is very gravelly. Clay content, as calculated by the product of 2.5 times the 15-bar water percentage, is more than about 70 percent. By volume, the B horizon is 35 to 60 percent pebbles and 0 to 10 percent cobbles.
The C horizon has moist color of 10YR 4/3, 4/4, or 5/2 or of 5Y 5/1. The apparent field texture is extremely flaggy loam or extremely flaggy silt loam. Exfoliated and partially weathered, hard, tuffacious flagstones range from .4 to 1 inch thick by 3 to 8 inches thick across. Pedons overlying breccia contains pebbles and cobbles ranging from 1 to 6 inches in size. Coarse fragments range from 70 to 90 percent by volume.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Dolokei, Dolen, Peleliu, and Tolonier series. Dolokei, Dolen, and Tolonier soils are deeper than 20 inches to bedrock. Peleliu soils have a base saturation (ammonium acetate) greater than 50 percent throughout.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ollei soils are on coastal benches, hills, and ridgetops. Slopes are 12 to 75 percent. The soils formed in residuum from andesitic and basaltic breccia and tuff. Elevation ranges from 6 to 656 feet. The mean annual rainfall is about 145 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 81 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Aimeliik, Nekken, Ngardok, and Palau soils. Aimeliik, Ngardok, and Palau soils are very deep, non-skeletal and have a high aluminum saturation. Ngardok and Palau soils also have anoxic horizon. Nekken soils have an argillic horizon and are moderately deep to a lithic contact.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium through very rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for watershed, recreation, and a minor amount of timber harvesting for village use. The vegetation is mainly Dimera sp., Ischaemum chlordatum, Cyperus Javanicus, Machaerina mariscoides, Pennisetum purpureum and few Pandanus sp. in anthropic savannahs or tropical rain forests.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Ollei soils are inextensive in Palau on the island of Babelthuap.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Aimeliik Municipality, Babelthuap Island, Palau, Western Caroline Islands, 1981.