LOCATION NAALEHU                 HI

Established Series
Rev. HHS/MRK
06/2012

NAALEHU SERIES

The Naalehu series consists of deep and very deep, well drained soils that formed in basic volcanic ash. Naalehu soils are on ash fields and have slopes of 0 to 70 percent. Mean annual rainfall is about 1270 millimeters (50 inches) and mean annual temperature is about 22 degrees C. (72 degrees F.)

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial over hydrous, ferrihydritic, isohyperthermic Humic Haplustands

TYPICAL PEDON: Naalehu medial silt loam, on a south facing, linear, 2 percent slope, in grazing land, at an elevation of 348 meters (1140 feet). (Colors are for moist soils unless otherwise noted. All textures are "apparent field textures". pH measured with electrode in 1:1 water.)

Ap1--0 to 28 centimeters (0 to 11 inches); black (10YR 2/1) medial silt loam; strong medium and fine granular structure; friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; nonsmeary; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial and irregular pores; strongly acid (pH 5.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (25 to 30 centimeters {10 to 12 inches} thick)

Ap2--28 to 43 centimeters (11 to 17 inches); dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) medial silt loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; weakly smeary; many very fine and fine roots; many fine interstitial and irregular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 18 centimeters {5 to 7 inches} thick)

Bw1--43 to 70 centimeters (17 to 28 inches); dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) hydrous silty clay loam; weak coarse prismatic parting to weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; weakly smeary; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine irregular and tubular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (25 to 30 centimeters {10 to 12 inches} thick)

Bw2--70 to 93 centimeters (28 to 37 inches); dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) hydrous silty clay loam; weak coarse prismatic parting to weak very fine subangular blocky structure; very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; weakly smeary; few very fine roots; many very fine irregular and tubular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.3); abrupt wavy boundary. (20 to 25 centimeters {8 to 10 inches} thick)

2Bwb--93 to 113 centimeters (37 to 45 inches); dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) hydrous silty clay loam; massive; friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; few very fine roots; many very fine irregular and tubular pores; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (15 to 23 centimeters {6 to 9 inches} thick)

3Bwb--113 to 150 centimeters (45 to 60 inches); dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) hydrous silty clay loam; weak coarse prismatic parting to weak very fine subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; weakly smeary; few very fine roots; many very fine irregular and tubular pores; neutral (pH 6.6).

TYPE LOCATION: Island of Hawaii, Hawaii County, Hawaii; from Highway 11 in Naalehu town, drive 0.4 miles north on Kaalaiki Rd., turn left and drive northwest and upslope 0.4 miles to smooth linear slope on east side of road. Pedon is located 30 meters east of road at elevation of 348 meters (1140 feet). Naalehu Quadrangle; lat. 19 degrees 4 minutes 23.7 seconds N. and long. 155 degrees 35 minutes 40.9 seconds W. (GPS/PLGR +/- 25 feet)

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to bedrock: 102 to greater than 152 centimeters (40 to greater than 60 inches).
Mean annual soil temperature: 22 to 24 degrees C. (72 to 76 degrees F.)
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent by volume of the pedon and range from gravel to cobble size lava rocks.

A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 2 or 3 moist and 3 to 5 dry.
Chroma: 1 to 3 moist and 2 to 4 dry.
Texture: Silt loam or silty clay loam.
Structure: Weak to strong granular or subangular blocky.
Stickiness: Slightly sticky or moderately sticky.
Plasticity: Slightly plastic or moderately plastic.
Reaction: Strongly acid to moderately acid (pH 5.1 to 6.0).
Smeariness: Nonsmeary or weakly smeary.

Bw and Bwb horizons
Hue: 2.5YR to 10YR.
Value: 3 or 4 moist or dry
Chroma: 2 to 4 moist and 3 to 6 dry.
Texture: Silt loam or silty clay loam.
Structure: Weak or moderate prismatic or subangular blocky structure, or massive.
Stickiness: Nonsticky to moderately sticky.
Plasticity: Nonplastic to moderately plastic.
Reaction: Moderately acid to neutral (pH 5.6 to 7.3).
Smeariness: Weakly smeary to moderately smeary.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Naalehu soils are on south and east low windward mountain slopes on Mauna Loa Volcano at elevations from 229 to 366 meters (750 to 1,200 feet). The soils are on all hillslope positions of constructional landscapes consisting of nearly level to very steep ash fields on lava flows. Slope gradients range from 0 to 70 percent. The soils formed in basic volcanic ash. The mean annual rainfall ranges from 762 to 1,524 millimeters (30 to 60 inches), with most of the rainfall occurring from October through April. The mean annual pan evaporation ranges from 1,270 to 1,778 millimeters (50 to 70 inches). The mean annual temperature ranges from 21 to 24 degrees C. (69 to 75 degrees F.) The mean summer soil temperature and the mean winter soil temperature differ by less than 6 degrees C. (11 degrees F.)

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Kanohina and Puueo series. Kanohina soils have a lithic contact at 5 to 25 centimeters (2 to 10 inches). Puueo soils are medial-skeletal and are in `a`a lava.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is very low to medium. Moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing and forageland. The natural vegetation is guineagrass (Urochloa maxima), Christmasberry (Schinus terebinthifolious), bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon), guava (Psidium guajava), and Kaimi clover (Desmodium incanum).

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Kau District, Island of Hawaii; MLRA 157. The series is of small extent.

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

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

OSED scanned by SSQA. Last revised by state on 5/78.

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:
Andic soil properties - 0 to 150 centimeters (0 to 60 inches) (Ap, Bw, and Bwb horizons).
Mollic epipedon - 0 to 28 centimeters (0 to 11 inches) (Ap1 horizon).
Cambic horizon - 43 to 150 centimeters (17 to 60 inches) (Bw and Bwb horizons).

Edit log: 9/28/11 Classification revised due to changes in Soil Taxonomy. Old classification: Medial, isohyperthermic Typic Eutrandepts. Type location moved to a more representative site. Competing series updated. MRK

ADDITIONAL DATA: Naalehu NSSL samples S87HI-001-002; also, S65HI-001-011 and S65HI-001-012 in SSIR No. 29 pp.38-41.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.