LOCATION KANEOHE HIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Very-fine, ferruginous, isohyperthermic Rhodic Acrudox
TYPICAL PEDON: Kaneohe silty clay - pasture. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted. All textures are "apparent field textures".)
Ap--0 to 14 inches; dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) silty clay, reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) dry; strong very fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; many very fine and fine roots, few medium roots; many very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores; common worm holes and casts; few soft strongly weathered pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 14 inches thick)
Bw--14 to 22 inches; dusky red (10R 3/4) silty clay, dark red (10R 3/6) dry; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; many very fine and fine roots, few medium roots; many very fine and fine pores; few medium tubular pores; thin patchy clay films on peds; common strong brown, yellow and gray highly weathered soft pebbles; strongly acid (pH 5.3); gradual smooth boundary. (7 to 12 inches thick)
Bt1--22 to 34 inches; dark red (2.5YR 3/6) silty clay, red (2.5YR 4/6) dry; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic and smeary; common fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; thin patchy clay films on peds and in pores; common highly weathered rock fragments; strongly acid (pH 5.2); gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 14 inches thick)
Bt2--34 to 60 inches; dusky red (10R 3/4) silty clay, dark red (2.5YR 3/6) dry; strong fine blocky and subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky, slightly plastic and smeary, few fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; thin patchy clay films on peds; common highly weathered rock fragments; few hard boulder cores; strongly acid (pH 5.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Island of Oahu, Honolulu County, Hawaii; Kaneohe Quadrangle - 21 degrees 22 minutes 44 seconds north latitude and 157 degrees 47 minutes 36 seconds longitude; below the Pali Lookout, from intersection of Pali Highway with Kamehameha Highway at Castle Junction, on the Pali Highway, 600 feet to the Old Pali Road, 1/2 miles to the entrance of the G. Knowles ranch, 1,300 feet on hard road about 20 feet north of the farm road.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Weathered gravel ranges from 5 to 25 percent by volume; size, amount, and hardness increases as depth increases. Mean annual soil temperature is about 72 degrees F.
The A horizon has hue of 5YR through 10R, value of 3 through 6 dry, and chroma of 2 through 4. It is silty clay or silty clay loam.
The B horizon has hue of 2.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 or 4 moist and dry, and chroma of 4 through 6. The Bt2 horizon is silty clay or silty clay loam. Consistence of the B horizon ranges from slightly plastic to plastic. The soil, particularly the B horizon, tends to dry irreversibly when exposed to the air.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Lolekaa and Waikane series. Lolekaa soils have 10YR hue throughout and have thick continuous clay films in the upper part of the argillic horizon. Waikane soils are nonsmeary and have 5YR or 7.5YR hue in the argillic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Kaneohe soils are on alluvial fans adjacent to the Koolau Range at elevations of 100 to 1,000 feet. Slopes range from 3 to 65 percent. The soils formed in alluvium and colluvium, with a mixture of volcanic ash and cinders in places. Average January temperature is about 69 degrees F.; average July temperature is about 74 degrees F.; mean annual temperature is about 72 degrees F. Annual rainfall is 70 to 90 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Lolekaa and Waikane soils and the similar Alaeloa soils. Alaeloa soils have strong structure throughout and have thick clay films in the lower part of the argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to rapid runoff depending on slope; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Almost all of the Kaneohe soils are used for golf course and urban land. Vegetation is mainly guava (Psidium guajava), Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata), sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica), Hamakua pamakani (Ageratina riparia), glenwoodgrass (Sacciolepis indica), and hilograss (Paspalum conjugatum).
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Windward side of island of Oahu on slopes adjacent to the Koolau Range. The soil is about 2,000 acres in extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Soil Survey of the Territory of Hawaii, 1949.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
ochric epipedon- The zone from the surface to 14 inches (Ap)
argillic horizon- The zone from 22 to 60 inches (Bt1, Bt2)