Soil/Landform Unit 77

Landform Unit Description

Undulating plain with post harvest cropping scene

Area:

12 974 ha

0.97% of CMA region

This single undulating rises and plain (plateau) unit is bounded by a scarp Unit

and alluvial plains (Unit

200

) to the west, coastal plain Unit

199

and dunefields to the south and east and basaltic low hills (Unit

) to the north. Unit components are upper plain, rises and drainage lines. The soils are brown, black or grey (often ferruginous)

mottled

texture contrast soils (

Chromosols

) associated with ferruginised sand. Translocation of organo-clay complexes to the upper subsoil are characteristic. The texture contrast soils are susceptible to sheet and rill erosion surface nutrient decline and wind erosion, depending on slope and topographical position. This is a generally dry area and land use consists of grazing, cropping, horticulture (grapes, olives, flowers and some potatoes) and recreation (old railway line cycle path).

Undulating plain with greater dissection to the east
	Flower growing on Neogene level plain with basaltic hills in the background

Component	1	2	3
Proportion of soil-landform unit	80%	10%	10%
CLIMATE Rainfall (mm)	Annual: 610
Temperature (^oC)	Minimum 10, Maximum 19
Precipitation less than potential evapotranspiration	October-April
GEOLOGY Age and lithology	Neogene fluvial-marine sediments, Recent clay, sand and gravel and coastal sand dunes
Geomorphology	3.3.1 Dissected low hills plateaux of the Southern Uplands
LANDUSE	Uncleared: Nature conservation Cleare: Regional development; cropping (cereal); sheep and beef cattle grazing
TOPOGRAPHY Landscape	Undulating rises and plains
Elevation range (m)	3-107
Local relief (m)	50
Drainage pattern	Dendritic
Drainage density (km/km²)	1.0
Landform	Rises
Landform element	Upper plain	Rise slope	Drainage depression
Slope and range (%)	2 (1-8)	4 (1-12)	1 (0-3)
Slope shape	Straight	Straight	Convex
NATIVE VEGETATION Ecological Vegetation Class	Grassy Woodland (3.8%); Heathy Woodland (0.4%)
SOIL Parent material	Sand, silt and clay, often ferruginised	Sand, silty and clay, often ferruginised	Alluvium and sand, silt and clay, often ferruginised
Description (Corangamite Soil Group)	Brown mottled (red and yellow) texture contrast soils with bleached A2 horizons, occasionally ferric horizons without bleach (13)	Brown mottled (red and yellow) texture contrast soils with bleached A2 horizons, occasionally ferric horizons withouut bleach (13)	Mottled brown or yellow sodic texture contrast soil (14)
Soil type sites	CLRA3, CLRA18, CLRA30	CLRA2, CLRA3,	CLRA33, 204, CLRA2
Surface texture	Fine sandy loam	Fine sandy loam	Loam fine sandy
Permeability	Imperfectly	Moderate	Low
Depth (m)	<2	<1.5	>2
LAND CHARACTERISTICS, POTENTIAL AND LIMITATIONS	Large texture contrast, low water holding capacity and nutrient holding capacity in light subsurface and surface soil, higher in subsoil. Heavy upper subsoil has clay skins. Slow to moderate site drainage. Susceptibility to surface soil nutrient and structure decline, slight compaction, sheet and wind erosion.	Large texture contrast, low water holding capacity and nutrient holding capacity in light subsurface and surfce soil, higher in subsoil. Heavy upper subsoil has clay skins. Moderate site drainage. Susceptibility to surface soil nutrient and structure decline, slight compaction, sheet and wind erosion.	Large texture contrast, low water holding capacity and nutrient holding capacity in light subsurface and surface soil, higher in subsoil. Heavy sodic upper subsoil has clay skins. Very slow site drainage. Susceptiblity to surface soil nutrient and structure decline, slight compaction, sheet and wind erosion.

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