WCSS06

Location: Bellarine

Australian Soil Classification: Hypercalcic, Mottled-Subnatric, Brown SODOSOL

General Landscape Description: Rises.
Site Description: Upper slope (8% slope) of a hill slope.
Geology: Tertiary (Neogene) sediments, poorly consolidated ferruginised sandstone.
Land Use: Vineyard.

Image: WCSS06 & 07 Landscape
WCSS06 Landscape

Soil Profile Morphology:

Surface Soil

A11	0-15 cm	Dark brown (7.5YR3/2); light sandy loam; weak structure; rough faced peds; weak consistence dry; pH 6.3; clear change to:	WCSS06 Profile
A12	15-25 cm	Dark brown (7.5YR3/2); heavy loamy sand; massive; earthy fabric; weak consistence dry; contains a few coarse (6-22 mm in size) ferruginous and ferro-manganiferous concretions; pH 5.4; clear change to:
A2	25-40 cm	Brown (7.5YR4/2); heavy loamy sand; massive structure; earthy fabric; weak consistence dry; very coarse ferruginous nodules common; many distinct clay cutans present; pH 5.9; clear and wavy change to:
Subsoil
B21	40 - 70 cm	Yellowish brown (10YR5/4) with many very dark grey (10YR3/1) and yellowish red (5YR5/8) mottles; medium heavy clay; strong very coarse angular blocky, parting to strong medium angular blocky structure; smooth faced peds; very firm consistence moderately moist; contains a few very coarse soft calcareous segregations in patches as well as very few coarse fragments; many distinct clay cutans evident; pH 6.4; changing to:
C1	70 – 90 cm	Yellowish brown (10YR5/6) with many very dark greyish brown (10YR3/2) and very pale brown (10YR7/3) mottles; sandy clay; moderate fine polyhedral structure; rough faced peds; contains many very coarse calcareous soft segregations, as well as many angular ferruginised sandstone fragments; some distinct infill evident; highly calcareous; pH 8.7; changing to:
C2	90 – 130+ cm	Yellowish brown (10YR5/6) with many very dark greyish brown (10YR3/2) and very pale brown (10YR7/3) mottles; sandy clay; massive; contains a common amount of very coarse soft calcareous segregations; contains abundant ferruginised sandstone fragments; some distinct clayey infills evident; highly calcareous; pH 8.8.

Soil Profile Characteristics:

	pH	Salinity Rating	Sodicity	Dispersion
Surface (A1 horizon)	Slightly Acid	Low	Non-Sodic	None¹
Subsoil (B21 horizon)	Slightly Acid	Low	Sodic	Moderate¹
Deeper Subsoil (at 90-130+ cm)	Strongly Alkaline	Low	Sodic	Strong

¹Strong dispersion after remoulding.

Image: WCSS06 Graphs

The surface and upper subsoil is slightly acidic. The deeper subsoil is strongly alkaline.

The salinity rating is low throughout the profile.

The surface is non-sodic. The subsoil is sodic, with sodicity increasing with depth.

There is a sharp increase in clay content at the surface / subsoil boundary.

Horizon	Horizon Depth (cm)	pH (water)	pH (CaCl₂)	EC dS/m	Sodium Chloride %	Exchangeable Cations
						Ca	Mg	K	Na
						meq/100g
A11	0-15	6.3	5.7	0.14		5.6	1.4	0.82	0.33
A12	15-25	5.4	4.8	0.1		2.6	0.66	0.24	0.2
A2	25-40	5.9	5.2	0.09		2.6	0.61	0.23	0.25
B2	40-70	6.4	5.6	0.2		11	9.0	0.48	1.8
C1	70-90	8.7	8.1	0.27	0.01	6.1	4.7	0.34	1.4
C2	90-130	8.8	8.2	0.26	0.01	4.7	3.5	0.24	1.4

Horizon	Horizon Depth (cm)	Oxidisable Organic Carbon %	Nitrogen g/100g	Exchangeable Aluminium mg/kg	Exchangeable Acidity meq/100g	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)


A11	0-15	2.2	0.13	<10	5.1	16.4	5.3	7	71	6	11
A12	15-25	1.3	0.06	<10	5.4	14.7	4.5	10	72	4	11
A2	25-40	0.83	<0.05	<10	4.8	14.5	4.6	25	62	9	6
B2	40-70	1.1	0.1	<10	10	42.4	23.1	2	30	3	61
C1	70-90					23.8	13.0	6	52	2	31
C2	90-130

Profile Described By: David Rees and Siegfried Engleitner (March 2010).

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