Soil/Landform Unit 16

The rolling low hills in the Mount Rothwell and Anakie Junction area have very rocky slopes with tors as a common feature

Area:

247 ha

0.02% of CMA region

This ar

ea of rolling hills occur within the Mount Rothwell and Anakie Junction areas on the eastern boundary of the Corangamite catchment. The hills are characterised by areas of prominent rock outcrop and gentler rock-free slopes and saddles. Within the Midlands of the Western Uplands these granitic hills are characterised by

acidic

mottled

yellow

duplex

soils with coarse sands. The crests and steeper slopes have coarse sands. Deep uniform sand soils occur in the vicinity of rock outcrops and tors. Remnant vegetation includes Hills Herb-rich Woodland and Granitic Hills Woodland. Land use is restricted to grazing on native or introduced pastures due to steepness and soil qualities such as low available water holdi

ng capacity and ready leaching of nutrients. The sand surfaces are prone to sheet erosion by water and wind. Gully erosion occurs to a minor extent and can be difficult to control due to the steepness and inaccessibility of the drainage depressions.

The granitic rolling low hills are surrounded by colluvial slopes of Unit 204

Component	1	2	3
Proportion of soil-landform unit	15%	35%	50%
CLIMATE Rainfall (mm)	Annual: 680
Temperature (^oC)	Minimum 8, Maximum 18
Precipitation less than potential evapotranspiration	October-March
GEOLOGY Age and lithology	Devonian granite and Neogene fluvio-marine sediments
Geomorphology	2.1.2 Dissected Western Uplands associated with granitic rocks and aureoles
LANDUSE	Uncleared: Nature conservation; passive recreation Cleared: Sheep and beef cattle grazing; cropping (cereal) limited
TOPOGRAPHY Landscape	Rolling low hills
Elevation range (m)	179-283
Local relief (m)	100
Drainage pattern	Dendritic
Drainage density (km/km²)	0.25
Landform	Rolling hills and tors
Landform element	Bare rocky crests (tors), very rocky upper slopes	Rocky mid slopes	Lower slopes
Slope and range (%)	5 (1-10)	6 (3-15)	4 (2-8)
Slope shape	Convex	Straight	Concave
NATIVE VEGETATION Ecological Vegetation Class	Hills Herb-rich Woodland (7.3%), Granitic Hills Woodland (4.9%)
SOIL Parent material	In situ granite	In situ granite	In situ granite and colluvium
Description (Corangamite Soil Group)	Acidic mottled yellow texture contrast soils (3) and deep uniform sand soils (4)	Acidic mottled yellow texture contrast soils (3)	Acidic mottled yellow texture contrast soils (3)
Soil type sites	MM5150, BD8, MM236	MM5150	MM5150
Surface texture	Coarse sandy clay loam, loamy sand	Coarse sandy clay loam	Coarse sandy clay loam
Permeability	Very high	High to moderate	Moderate
Depth (m)	<1.5	<1.5	>2
LAND CHARACTERISTICS, POTENTIAL AND LIMITATIONS	Rocky slopes with texture contrast or sandy soils. Low water holding capacity and nutrient hilding capacity in surface and (bleached) subsurface soil, high in subsoil. Generally hardsetting with rapid site drainage. Susceptibility to nutrient decline as well as sheet and rill erosion.	Some stone, coarse sand component. Texture contrast with low water holding capacity and nutrient holding capacity in surface and (bleached) subsurface soil, high in subsoil. Generally hardsetting with rapid site drainage. Susceptibility to nutrient decline as well as sheet and rill erosion.	Corse sand component to topsoil. Texture contrast with low water holding capacity and nutrient holding capacity in surface and (bleached) subsurface soil, high in subsoil. Generally hardsetting with rapid site drainage. Susceptibility to nutrient decline as well as sheet and rill erosion.

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