LOCATION WAIMEA                  HI

Established Series
Rev. RCH/HHS/MRK
06/2012

WAIMEA SERIES

The Waimea series consists of deep, well drained soils that formed in material weathered from volcanic ash underlain by andesite and basalt. Waimea soils are on ash fields and have slopes of 6 to 20 percent. Mean annual rainfall is about 762 millimeters (30 inches) and mean annual temperature is about 16 degrees C (60 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial, amorphic, isothermic Humic Haplustands

TYPICAL PEDON: Waimea medial silt loam, on a south facing, slightly concave, 17 percent slope, under grasses, at an elevation of 991 meters (3,250 feet). (Colors are for moist soils unless otherwise noted. All textures are "apparent field textures". When described August 10, 2003 the soil was dry throughout.)

A1--0 to 5 centimeters (0 to 2 inches); very dark brown (7.5YR 2/2) medial silt loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) dry; weak very fine and fine granular structure; loose, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; nonsmeary; many very fine and fine roots; many fine interstitial and irregular pores; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 15 centimeters {2 to 6 inches} thick)

A2--5 to 18 centimeters (2 to 7 inches); dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) medial very fine sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) dry; massive; loose, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; nonsmeary; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; neutral (pH 7.3); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 23 centimeters {5 to 9 inches} thick)

AB--18 to 43 centimeters (7 to 17 inches); dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) cobbly medial loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) dry; massive; loose, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; nonsmeary; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 5 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); gradual wavy boundary. (25 to 38 centimeters {10 to 15 inches} thick)

Bw1--43 to 79 centimeters (17 to 31 inches); dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) cobbly medial silt loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) dry; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; nonsmeary; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, and 10 percent stones; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); gradual wavy boundary. (31 to 38 centimeters {12 to 15 inches} thick)

Bw2--79 to 107 centimeters (31 to 42 inches); dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) cobbly medial silt loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) dry; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; weakly smeary; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; 20 percent cobbles and 10 percent stones; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (28 to 38 centimeters {11 to 15 inches} thick)

2R--107 centimeters (42 inches}; hard, moderately weathered basalt.

TYPE LOCATION: Island of Hawaii, Hawaii County, Hawaii; at the intersection of highways 250 and 19 west of Waimea, turn northwest and drive upslope about 3.3 miles on Highway 250. Pedon is located about 120 meters (394 feet) east of highway at elevation 991 meters (3,250 feet). Kamuela Quadrangle; lat. 20 degrees 03 minutes 18.0 seconds N. and long. 155 degrees 44 minutes 40.0 seconds W. Old Hawaiian datum.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to bedrock: 102 to 152 centimeters (40 to 60 inches).
Coarse fragments: 0 to 25 percent of the pedon.
Mean annual soil temperature: 17 to 22 degrees C (59 to 64 degrees F).

A and A/B horizons
Value: 2 or 3 moist, 3 or 4 dry.
Chroma: 2 or 3 moist, 2 to 4 dry.
Texture: nonstony to stony, medial very fine sandy loam, silt loam or loam
Structure: Weak to moderate granular, or massive.
Soil reaction: slightly acid or slightly alkaline (pH 6.1 to 7.8).

Bw horizons
Value: 3 or 4 moist or dry
Chroma: 2 to 4 moist or dry.
Texture: Cobbly medial silt loam or loam.
Consistence: Nonsticky or slightly sticky and nonplastic or slightly plastic.
Smeariness: Nonsmeary or weakly smeary.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Kamakoa, Kamaoa, Kapapala, Kikoni, Kiolakaa, and Kula series. Kamakoa are alluvial soils with fine to coarse sand and gravel in the control section. Kamaoa soils have strong structure in the A horizon and have a silty clay loam Bw horizon that is slightly to moderately plastic. Kapapala soils have an ashy coarse sand C horizon. Kikoni soils have strong granular structure in the A horizon and strong subangular blocky structure in the 2Bw horizon. Kiolakaa soils are moderately deep (50 to 102 centimeters {20 to 40 inches}) to bedrock. Kula soils have silty clay loam texture in the 2B horizons.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Waimea soils are on mid elevation, leeward slopes of Mauna Kea and Kohala volcanoes at elevations from 610 to 1830 meters (2000 to 6000 feet). These soils are on all hillslope positions of nearly level to moderately steep lava flows that are greater than 65,000 years old. Slope gradients range from 6 to 20 percent. The soils formed in basic volcanic ash over andesitic or basaltic lava. The mean annual rainfall ranges from 510 to 1270 millimeters (20 to 50 inches), with most of the rainfall occurring from October through April. The mean annual pan evaporation ranges from 1780 to 2030 millimeters (70 to 80 inches). The mean annual air temperature ranges from 14 to 19 degrees C (57 to 66 degrees F). The mean summer soil temperature and the mean winter soil temperature differ by less than 6 degrees C (11 degrees F). Strong winds are common and summers are droughty.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Puu Pa, Kemole, and the competing Kamakoa series. Puu Pa and Kemole soils are medial-skeletal.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is low to high. Permeability is moderately rapid.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing. Natural vegetation is kikuyugrass (Pennisetum clandestinum), bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon), cactus (Opuntia megacantha), and mountain dandelion (Taraxacum vulgare).

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North and South Kohala Districts, Island of Hawaii; MLRA 160. The soils are of moderate extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Soil Survey, Territory of Hawaii, 1949.

REMARKS: Soil moisture - dry in some or all parts for short intermittent periods totaling 90 or more days during the months of April through October in most years (Ustic moisture regime).
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - from 0 to 107 centimeters (0 to 42 inches) (all horizons).
Andic soil properties - from 0 to 107 centimeters (0 to 42 inches) (all horizons).
Lithic contact - at 107 centimeters (42 inches) (2R horizon).

Edit Log: 8/10/04 Classification revised due to changes in Soil Taxonomy. Old classification: Medial, isothermic Typic Eutrandepts. Competing series updated. MRK. OSED scanned by SSQA. Last revised by state on 5/78.

ADDITIONAL DATA: SSIR No. 29, HAWAII, pp. 45-47, 1976.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.