LOCATION KIONA WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Xeric Haplocambids
TYPICAL PEDON: Kiona cobbly silt loam-grassland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. All textures are apparent field textures).
A--0 to 4 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) cobbly silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; many very fine and fine irregular pores; 10 percent angular basalt gravel and 10 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 9 inches thick)
Bw--4 to 20 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) cobbly silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; common fine irregular pores; 10 percent angular basalt gravel, 15 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt irregular boundary. (8 to 29 inches thick)
Bk--20 to 60 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) extremely cobbly loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; common very fine and fine irregular pores; 35 percent angular basalt gravel, 30 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Benton County, Washington; one mile southeast of Gibbon in SE1/4 NW1/4 section 25, T.9N., R.25E., W.M.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual temperature is 50 to 55 degrees F. These soils are dry in all parts between depths of 8 to 24 inches more than one-half the time the soil temperature is above 41 degrees F (dry about 115 to 130 days). Depth to secondary carbonates is 12 to 36 inches. The particle-size control section averages 5 to 15 percent clay and 35 to 75 percent angular basalt fragments. The upper 7 inches of this soil is assumed to average less than 0.6 percent organic carbon.
The A horizon has value of 5 to 7 dry, 3 to 5 moist and chroma of 2 or 3 dry or moist. Reaction is neutral or slightly alkaline.
The Bw horizon has colors like the A horizon. Texture of the fine-earth fraction is silt loam, very fine sandy loam, or loam and is cobbly, very cobbly or very gravelly. Reaction slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
The Bk horizon has value of 5 to 7 dry, 3 to 5 moist and chroma of 2 to 4 dry or moist, or the color is commonly influenced by dark colored basalt sand. Texture of the fine-earth fraction is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, loam or silt loam and is very cobbly, very gravelly, extremely gravelly or extremely cobbly. Some thin subhorizons are cobbly.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Cewat,
Darkcanyon,
Drinkwater,
Felcher,
Finley,
Minat,
Nibbs,
Veet,
Veta, and
Wifton (T) series.
Cewat soils 20 to 40 inches to a lithic contact (basalt); particle-size control section with 15 to 25 percent clay
Darkcanyon soils 20 to 40 inches to a lithic contact (schist); particle-size control section with 25 to 35 percent clay and dominated by channer and flagstone shaped rock fragments
Drinkwater soils particle-size control section with 20 to 35 percent clay; 6 to 18 inches to calcium carbonate accumulation (8 to 15 percent CaCO3 equivalent)
Felcher soils 20 to 40 inches to a lithic contact (igneous); particle-size control section with 20 to 35 percent clay
Finley soils 20 to 40 inches to a sandy-skeletal lithologic discontinuity (2C horizon)
Minat soils particle-size control section with 15 to 27 percent clay and 35 to 60 percent rock fragments dominated by gravel of chert, shale, and mixed volcanic origin
Nibbs soils 21 to 41 inches to stratified sand and gravel lithologic discontinuity (3C horizon); particle-size control section with more than 15 percent clay; mean annual soil temperature of 47 to 49 degrees F.
Veet soils particle-size control section with 35 to 60 percent rock fragments dominated by gravel of granitic, andesitic, and welded tuff origin and sandy loam or loamy sand textures
Veta soils particle-size control section with 35 to 75 percent rock fragments dominated by gravel of mixed igneous origin; lower part of particle-size control section (Ck horizon) has textures of sandy loam with strata of loamy sand in fine-earth fraction
Wifton soils- mean annual soil temperature of 47 to 50 degrees F.; particle-size control section has a sandy loam fine-earth texture with 60 to 80 percent rock fragments of mixed sources dominated by stones and cobbles
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Kiona soils are on hillslopes and canyon side slopes. Elevation is 200 to 2,500 feet. Slopes are 0 to 120 percent. The soils formed in colluvium derived from basalt mixed with loess. The rock fragments are dominantly angular basalt. The soils are in an arid climate with hot dry summers and cool moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 6 to 9 inches and ranges to 12 inches on north-facing slopes. The average January temperature is 28 degrees F. and the average July temperature is 72 degrees F. The mean annual temperature is 48 to 54 degrees F. The frost-free season is 135 to 210 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bakeoven, Finley, Ritzville, Shano, Starbuck, Taunton, and Warden soils. Bakeoven and Starbuck soils are on uplands and have a lithic contact at a depth of less than 20 inches. Finley soils are on alluvial fans and are sandy-skeletal in the lower particle-size control section. Ritzville and Shano soils are on hills and Warden soils are on terraces. Ritzville, Shano and Warden soils are coarse-silty and lack rock fragments. Taunton soils are on terraces and have a duripan.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to very rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used mainly for domestic livestock grazing. Vegetation is Wyoming big sagebrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, Sandberg bluegrass, mustard, needleandthread, and Thurber needlegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Washington. MLRA 7, 8. Series of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Benton County, Washington, 1971.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon the zone from the surface to 4 inches
Cambic horizon the zone from 4 to 20 inches
Carbonate accumulation the zone from 20 to 60 inches, with 1 to 5 percent calicumcalcium carbonate equivalent
Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches (parts of the Bw and Bk horizons) Many of the rock fragments have one side that is lime-coated. This coating is violently effervescent. Because of colluvial movement the coated side has no consistent orientation.