LOCATION MALA                    HI

Established Series
Rev. SN/MRK/JVP
03/2017

MALA SERIES

The Mala series consists of well drained soils that formed in recent alluvium. Mala soils are on bottoms of drainage ways and alluvial fans on coastal plains. Slopes are 0 to 7 percent. The mean annual rainfall is about 445 millimeters (18 inches) and the mean annual temperature is about 24 degrees C. (75 degrees F.)

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, kaolinitic, nonacid, isohyperthermic Typic Torrifluvents

TYPICAL PEDON: Mala silty clay - pasture. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted. All textures are "apparent field textures.")

A--0 to 18 centimeters (0 to 7 inches); dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist or dry silty clay; moderate thin platy structure parting to weak very fine granular; lower 2 inches is massive; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; many fine roots; common very fine vesicular pores; strongly effervescent with hydrogen peroxide; slightly acid (pH 6.1); abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 20 centimeters {4 to 8 inches} thick)

C1--18 to 33 centimeters (7 to 13 inches); dark reddish brown (2.5YR 2/4) stratified silty clay; dark reddish gray (5YR 4/2) dry; very weak fine granular structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; stratified with many coral sand grains; 5 percent gravel and 2 percent cobbles; strongly effervescent with hydrogen peroxide; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (13 to 18 centimeters {5 to 7 inches} thick)

C2--33 to 89 centimeters (13 to 35 inches); dark reddish brown (2.5YR 2.5/4) moist and dry stratified silty clay; moderate thin platy structure parting to weak very fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; stratified with many coral sand grains; slightly effervescent with hydrogen peroxide; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (46 to 61 centimeters {18 to 24 inches} thick)

C3--89 to 102 centimeters (35 to 40 inches); very dark gray (5YR 3/1) stratified silty clay; dark gray (5YR 4/1) dry; massive; hard, very friable, very sticky and very plastic; many very fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; stratified with few coral sand grains; very slight effervescence with hydrogen peroxide; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 20 centimeters {4 to 8 inches} thick)

2C--102 to 152 centimeters (40 to 60 inches); coral sand, the upper four inches is dark gray (10YR 4/1) moist and the lower part light gray (10YR 7/1) moist; massive; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8).

TYPE LOCATION: Maui County, Island of Molokai, Hawaii; Molokai Airport Quadrangle - 21 degrees 05 minutes 4 seconds north latitude and 157 degrees 10 minutes 5 seconds west longitude; along unimproved coastal road approximately 1.1 miles east of Kolo wharf. Old Hawaiian Datum.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soil is underlain by coral sand or weathered rock at depths of more than 102 centimeters (40 inches). 2 to 10 percent coarse fragments throughout the pedon. The soil is highly stratified. Organic matter decreases irregularly within the pedon. Mean annual soil temperature is 24 degrees C. (75 degrees F.) These soils are dry for more than 6 months in most years.

The C horizon
Hue: 5YR or 2.5YR
Value: 2 to 4, moist or dry
Chroma: 1 to 4, moist or dry
Texture: silty clay, silty clay loam or silt loam. Stratified with coral sand grains

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Mala soils are on alluvial fans on coastal plains at elevations from near sea level to 100 feet. Slope is 0 to 7 percent. The soils formed in recent alluvium washed from soils formed in basic igneous rocks. Mean annual rainfall is 254 to 635 centimeters (10 to 25 inches), most of which falls between November and April. The average January temperature is about 23 degrees F. (73 degrees F.), average July temperature is about 26 degrees C. (79 degrees F.), and mean annual temperature is 24 degrees C. (75 degrees F.)

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Jaucas, Kealia and Pulehu series. Jaucas soils are formed in coral sand and sea shells. Kealia soils are somewhat poorly to poorly drained saline soils that have less than 18 percent clay in the control section. Pulehu soils have 7.5YR or yellower hue throughout, and are 18 to 35 percent clay and more than 15 percent fine and coarser sand in the control section.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for growing irrigated alfalfa and truck crops and nonirrigated pasture. Natural vegetation is kiawe (Prosopis pallida), bristly foxtail (Setaria verticillata), feather fingergrass (Chloris virgata), illima (Sida cordifolia), and Australian saltbush (Atriplex semibaccata).

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Islands of Molokai and Lanai, Hawaii. The extent is about 2,400 acres.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California

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

Remarks: OSED scanned by SSQA. Last revised by state on 4/2015.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.