That eruption also pushed the Manoa stream to the Wa'ahila side of the valleys. Our campus was built on soil that formed from the volcanic cinders, rich with clay, organic matter and nutrients. Our care of this precious soil is the subject of this feature. The ratio of soil solids to pores is about 50-50. Soils are susceptible to compaction when wet, because the clay in the soil becomes plastic-like.
Soil compaction occurs when the soil structure collapses.
The result is mud. Volcanic basalt parent material dissolved and reformed as micelles. Later, this clay was reformed when Pu'u 'Ualaka'a erupted and added new parent material. The intimate interaction of clay with the organic matter is what allows life to thrive. Only inputs of organic amendments can maintain soil structure.