LOCATION WAIALEALE HIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Very-fine, isotic, isothermic Typic Epiaquods
TYPICAL PEDON: Waialeale peaty silty clay loam - rain forest. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted. All textures are "apparent field textures.")
02--3 inches to 0; dark reddish brown (5YR 2/2) mucky peat, dark reddish brown (5YR 2/2) dry; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common roots, moderate delayed effervescence with hydrogen peroxide; extremely acid (pH 3.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
A2g--0 to 4 inches; dark gray (5YR 4/1) silty clay loam, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; many roots; very slight delayed effervescence with hydrogen peroxide; few fine gravel-sized ironstone-gibbsite pebbles that have soft centers; extremely acid (pH 4.0); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
B2ir--4 to 21 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) gravelly silty clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky, plastic and smeary; few roots; coatings in some pores and on some pebbles of reddish black (10R 2/1); pockets up to 8" thick of dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) silt loam that is very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; no effervescence with hydrogen peroxide; amount of gravel increases with depth; extremely acid (pH 4.4); gradual irregular boundary. (15 to 18 inches thick)
Cr--21 inches; This layer consists of soft and hard saprolite with a dominant color of gray (N 5/0); some coatings and pockets of strong brown (7.5YR 5/6); soft saprolite is very smeary; hard saprolite is fractured.
TYPE LOCATION: Kauai County, Hawaii; Haena Quadrangle - 22 degrees 09' 2" north latitude and 159 degrees 37" 7.5" west longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to the Cr horizon is 20 to 30 inches. Mean annual soil temperature is about 56 degrees F.
The A2g horizon has hue of 5YR through 10YR.
The B2ir horizon is dark brown to strong brown. It is gravelly silty clay loam to silty clay and averages 5 to 50 percent gravel.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Amalu, Hulua and Olokui series. Amalu soils have an ironstone sheet at less than 20-inch depths. Hulua and Olokui soils have an ironstone sheet at a depth of less than 20 inches and lack a histic epipedon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Waialeale soils are on uplands. The slope ranges from 30 to 70 percent. Elevation ranges from 3,500 to 4,800 feet. The soils formed in material weathered from basic igneous rock. Annual rainfall ranges from 200 to 450 inches. Cloud and fog cover the area nearly every day. Average January temperature is about 54 degrees F; average July temperature is about 58 degrees F. Mean annual temperature is about 57 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Alakai and Kunuweia soils. Alakai soils are organic soils. Kunuweia soils have many ironstone-gibbsite pebbles in the A horizon and lack a spodic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; rapid runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for watershed and recreation. Vegetation is ohia (Metrosideros collina), lapalapa (Cheirodendron sp.), Hawaiian lobelia (Lobelia hypoleuca), mokihana (Pelea anisata), pukiawe (Styphelia tameiameiae), treefern (Cibotium splendens), brackenfern (Pteridium aquilinum), uki uki (Dianella spp.) and associated plants.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Kauai County, Hawaii. Approximately 4,600 acres in extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kauai County, Hawaii, 1971.
OSED scanned by SSQA. Last revised by state on 5/78.