LOCATION OLNEY CO+MT NE WY
Established Series
Rev. RHM-GB
04/2012
OLNEY SERIES
The Olney series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in eolian deposits. Olney soils are on plains, hills, and ridges in the Upper Arkansas Valley Rolling Plains MLRA 69. Slopes range from 0 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is 13 inches (330 mm) and the mean annual air temperature is 52 degrees F. (11 degrees C.)
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Ustic Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Olney loamy sand, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 13 cm (0 to 5 inches); pale brown (10YR 6/3) loamy sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 6 inches thick)
Bt1--13 to 30 cm (5 to 8 inches); brown (10YR 5/3) sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granular; slightly hard, very friable; few faint clay films on faces of peds; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
Bt2--30 to 41 cm (8 to 16 inches); brown (10YR 5/3) sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, friable, common faint clay films on faces of peds; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 24 inches thick)
Btk--41 to 56 cm (16 to 22 inches); pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist, weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak medium and coarse subangular blocky; hard, friable; few faint clay films on faces of peds; 3 percent gravel; common fine distinct threads of carbonate masses and carbonate coatings on the sand and pebble fragments in matrix; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)
Bk1--56 to 61 cm (22 to 24 inches); very pale brown (10YR 7/3) sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable; common fine distinct threads of carbonate masses in matrix; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual irregular boundary. (10 to 16 inches thick)
Bk2--61 to 200 cm (24 to 79 inches); pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable; few fine distinct carbonate masses in matrix; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2). (Several feet thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Crowley County, Colorado; approximately 300 feet west and 100 feet north of the SE corner of Sec. 18, T. 21 S., R. 59 W.; latitude 38 degrees, 12 minutes, 52.4 seconds north and longitude 104 degrees, 2 minutes, 40.7 seconds west; USGS Fowler topographical quadrangle, NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean soil temperature: 9 to 12 degrees C. (49 to 54 degrees F.)
Soil moisture control section: moist March through May, intermittently moist June through August. The soil is driest December through February.
Soil moisture regime: aridic bordering on ustic
Depth to secondary calcium carbonate: 25 to 71 cm (10 to 28 inches)
Depth to the base of the Bt horizon: 36 to 100 cm (14 to 40 inches)
Organic carbon in the upper 15 inches averages about .7 to .8 percent and ranges from .3 to 2.0 percent.
Particle size distribution (weighted average)
Clay: 20 to 30 percent
Sand: 50 to 65 percent, dominantly fine sand and coarser
Silt: 10 to 20 percent
The A horizon:
Hue: 2.5Y through 7.5YR
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4
Clay content: 8 to 25 percent
Texture: loamy sand, sandy loam, or sandy clay loam
Rock fragment content: typically 0 but can range up to 5 percent fine gravel
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline
Bt horizon:
Hue: 2.5Y through 7.5YR
Value: 4 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4
Texture: sandy clay loam, clay loam, loam or sandy loam
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent
Sand content: 40 to 75 percent sand, with more than 35 percent fine sand or coarser.
Rock fragment content: 0 to 5 percent, dominantly fine gravel.
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline
Btk horizon:
Hue: 2.5Y through 7.5YR
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4
Texture: sandy loam, fine sandy loam, clay loam or sandy clay loam
Clay content: 15 to 35 percent
Sand content: 40 to 75 percent sand, with more than 35 percent fine sand or coarser.
Calcium Carbonate content: 1 to 5 percent
Rock fragment content: 0 to 10 percent, dominantly fine gravel.
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Bk horizons:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: sandy loam, loamy sand, fine sandy loam, sandy clay loam, or loam
Clay content: 3 to 25 percent
Rock fragment content: 0 to 15 percent, dominantly fine gravel
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline
Calcium carbonate content: 1 to 14 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These include the
Balon (AZ),
Blancot (NM),
Bowbac (WY),
Buckle (NM),
Cambria (WY),
Cerropelon (NM),
Chilerojo (NM),
Chilojo (NM),
Cumacho (NM),
Cushman (WY),
Decolney (WY),
Doakum (NM),
Forkwood (WY),
Fort (CO),
Gaddes (AZ),
Gapmesa (CO),
Hagerman (NM),
Hagerwest (NM),
Hiland (WY),
Mentmore (NM),
Oelop (NM),
Palacid (NM),
Penistaja (NM),
Pokeman (WY),
Potts (WY),
Pugsley (WY),
Quagwa (AZ),
Redpen (T)(NM),
Spangler (WY),
Sundance (CO),
Tamarindo (NM),
Teckla (WY), and
Yenlo (CO) series.
Balon soils: average more than 15 percent rock fragments in the PSCS
Blancot soils: are dry in the moisture control section April to July.
Bowbac,
Cerropelon, and
Cushman soils: have a paralithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches.
Buckle soils: have less than 40 percent fine or coarser sand.
Cambria and
Hiland soils: are dry in the moisture control section July through October.
Chilerojo and
Chilojo soils: have a densic contact from 60 to 79 inches.
Cumacho soils: have a paralithic contact at depths of 40 to 60 inches.
Decolney soils: depth to carbonates is greater than 40 inches.
Doakum,
Mentmore, and
Penistaja soils: have a moisture control section that is driest
May and June.
Forkwood and
Fort soils: have less than 35 percent fine sand or coarser.
Gaddes and
Pugsley soils: have a paralithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches and is leached of carbonates.
Gapmesa,
Hagerman, and
Hagerwest soils: have a lithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches.
Oelop soils: have less than 15 percent fine or coarser sand.
Palacid soils: the PSCS averages 30 to 40 percent sand.
Pokeman soils: have a paralithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches and accumulations of gypsum.
Potts and
Tamarindo soils: have hues of 2.5YR or 5YR in the control section.
Quagwa soils: depth to the base of the Bt horizons is greater than 40 inches.
Redpen soils: are calcareous throughout.
Spangler soils: have a paralithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches and average less than 35 percent fine and coarser sand.
Sundance soils: have buried horizons at depths of 10 to 30 inches.
Teckla soils: have a fragmental discontinuity at depths of 20 to 40 inches.
Yenlo soils: have moisture control section that is dry from
May 15 to July 15.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform: hills, ridges, and plains
Slopes: 0 to 15 percent
Parent material: eolian deposits and Ogallala or similar sediments.
Elevatation: 1219 to 1829 m (4,000 to 6,200 feet)
Mean annual precipitation: 254 mm to 356 mm (10 to 14 inches), of which 203 to 229 mm falls (8 to 9 inches) falls during the months of April through August.
Mean annual temperature: 8 to 12 degrees C. (47 to 54 degrees F.)
Frost-free season: 125 to 170 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Oterodry,
Vonid,
Haxtun and
Valent soils. Oterodry and Vonid soils have a coarse-loamy control section. Haxtun soils have a mollic epipedon. Valent soils have a sandy control section.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; low to medium runoff; moderately high or moderately low hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used primarily as nonirrigated or irrigated cropland, and as rangeland. Native vegetation is mainly blue grama, prairie sandreed, sidoats grama, needleandthread, threeawn, sand dropseed, and sand sagebrush. It is correlated to the Sandy Ecological Site Description R069SY026CO.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Colorado and adjacent parts of Nebraska and Wyoming. The series is extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Big Horn County, Montana, 1971.
REMARKS: Diagnostic features recognized in this pedon include:
Argillic horizon: from 13 to 56 cm (5 to 22 inches).
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 13 cm (0 to 5 inches).
Secondary calcium carbonate: 41 to 200 cm (16 to 79 inches).
Remarks: Last updated by the state 12/1999. This update reflects the current format for official series descriptions.
LAN 2/2012 Update and changes of horizon nomenclature and range in characteristics is based on re-examination of correlation samples from the type location and extensive field work in MLRA 69. Also updated the competing series section.
The competing soils Blancot, Buckle, Doakum, Mentomre, and Penistala are primarily in Land Resource Region (LRR) D.
The competing Yenlo soils are in LRR E.
Taxonomic Version: Eleventh Edition, 2010
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.