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 7 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 54 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 the horizon is very cobbly, very gravelly, extremely gravelly or extremely cobbly. Some thin subhorizons are cobbly.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bluegulch, Cewat, Darkcanyon, Drinkwater, Felcher, Finley, Minat, Nibbs, Veet, Veta, and Wifton (T) series. Bluegulch soils are 40 to 60 inches to lithic bedrock (welded tuff). Cewat, and Minat soils are 18 to 26 percent clay in the cambic horizon. Darkcanyon and Felcher soils have bedrock at a depth of 20 to 40 inches. Drinkwater soils have 20 to 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Finley soils have a sandy-skeletal 2C horizon in the lower part of the particle-size control section. Nibbs soils have a stratifiedstratified sand and gravel discontinuity at a depth of 21 to 41 inches and a mean annual soil temperature of 47 to 49 degrees F. Veet soils are sandy loam and loamy sand in the particle-size control section. Veta soils are sandy loam with strata of loamy sand in the fine-earth fraction of the lower part of the particle-size control section. Wifton soils have 60 to 80 percent rock fragments of which 30 to 35 percent are stones, and the fine earth fraction is sandy loam.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Kiona soils are on hillslopes and canyon side slopes. Elevation is 400 to 2,500 feet. Slopes are 0 to 120 percent. The soils formed in mixed colluvium from basalt and 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 49 to 53 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.