Your gateway to a wide range of natural resources information and associated maps

Victorian Resources Online

SFS1

Location: Gnarwarre

Australian Soil Classification: Vertic (& Sodic), Self-Mulching, Grey VERTOSOL

General Landscape Description: Plain.
Site Description: Gnarwarre Farming Systems trial site raised bed cropping.
Geology: Quaternary - Newer Volcanics.
Map Unit: Gnarwarre B soil (Adcock, 1998).

Image:  SFS 1 landscape
SFS1 Landscape. Also shows the Map Units within the Gnarwarre SFS trial site.


Soil Profile Morphology:

Surface Soil
Image:  SFS 1 Profile
SFS1 Profile.
Ap0-20 cmVery dark greyish brown (10YR3/2); light clay (fine sandy); strong fine polyhedral structure; pH 5.6; abrupt change to:
Subsoil
B21g20-50/70 cmDark grey (10YR4/1) with many yellowish brown (10YR5/8) mottles; black (10YR2/1) infills in cracks; heavy clay; very coarse angular blocky and polyhedral structure; pH 7.5; gradual and irregular change to:
B2250/70-100/110 cmDark grey (2.5Y4/1); medium clay; occasional patches of soft calcium carbonate; slightly calcareous; very coarse to coarse lenticular structure; slickensides present; pH 8.8; clear and wavy change to:
B23k100/110+ cmDark greyish brown (2.5Y4/2); light clay to light medium clay; calcium carbonate present; basalt floaters present at 120 cm; pH 9.2.

Key Profile Features:
  • Cracks to 90 cm depth.

Soil Profile Characteristics:



pH


Salinity Rating
Surface
(A1 horizon)
Moderately Acid
Low
Non-Sodic
None1
Subsoil
(B21 horizon)
Slightly Alkaline
Low
Sodic
None1
Deeper Subsoil
(at 1 m)
Very Strongly Alkaline
Medium
Strongly Sodic
Moderate - Strong
1 Strong dispersion after remoulding

Image:  SFS1 graphs
The pH in the surface is moderately acid. The pH in the subsoil is slightly alkaline becoming very strongly alkaline with depth.The salinity rating is low in both the surface and upper subsoil. The salinity rating increases to medium in the deeper subsoil.The surface is non sodic. The subsoil is sodic becoming strongly sodic with depth.The clay content is moderate throughout the profile.

Horizon
Horizon Depth
(cm)
pH
(water)
pH
(CaCl2)
EC
dS/m
NaCl
%
Exchangeable Cations
Ca
Mg
K
Na
meq/100g
AP
0-20
5.6
4.6
0.15
5.3
6.4
0.73
1
B21g
20-50/70
7.5
6.2
0.14
5.5
10
0.7
2.5
B22
50/70-100/110
8.8
7.7
0.3
0.04
5.6
12
0.5
4.3
B23K
100/110+
9.2
8.5
0.66
0.07
7.1
15
0.6
5.9

Horizon
Horizon Depth
(cm)
Exchangeable Aluminium
mg/kg
Exchangeable Acidity
meq/100g
Oxidisable Organic Carbon
%
Total
Nitrogen
%
Field
Capacity
pF2.5
Wilting Point
pF4.2
Coarse Sand
(0.2-2.0 mm)
Fine Sand
(0.02-0.2 mm)
Silt
(0.002-0.02 mm)
Clay
(<0.002 mm)
AP
0-20
12
11
2.3
0.21
29.4
14.3
19
36
13
28
B21g
20-50/70
34.1
16.2
15
36
13
35
B22
50/70-100/110
35.3
16.4
16
36
10
38
B23K
100/110+
44.6
20.5
13
27
13
43

Management Considerations:

Whole Profile
Profile Described By: Richard MacEwan (May 1999).

Reference:

Adcock D 1998. Gnarwarre Soil Survey. Centre for Environmental Management, University of Ballarat. unpublished.
Page top