Soil-Vegetation Relationships in Kipukas — Mueller-Dombois and Lamoureux 
289 
departure were between 20 and 30°. This fact 
indicates that there have been some relief 
changes throughout the build-up of the soil to 
its present surface level. This suggests some- 
thing about the origin of Kipuka Puaulu, which 
may apply to Kipuka Ki as well. It appears 
probable that lateral translocation of ash has 
occurred after deposition as a result of wind or 
water erosion, especially during the early stages 
when the kipuka was only sparsely vegetated. 
A small kipuka of about 1 hectare in the Kau 
Desert south of Kilauea crater, which is just 
"in-the-making,” shows that it has originated 
as a small dune ecosystem. Gray-black sandy ash 
was deposited here in a thin layer on a large flat 
area of smooth pahoehoe lava. Wind has swept 
Ki P| P 2 HORIZON NAME 
Fig. 2. Comparison of horizons of kipuka soils {Ki, forest soil of Kipuka Ki ; P v forest soil of Kipuka 
Puaulu; P 2 , savannah soil of Kipuka Puaulu). Color symbols from Munsell charts refer to air-dry soil. No- 
menclature of horizons after the 1962 Supplement to the Agriculture Handbook No. 18, Soil Survey Manual. 
