GRES491

Location: Tongio

Australian Soil Classification: Eutrophic, Brown CHROMOSOL

Map Unit: Dargo (Component 1)
Previous Site Name: AL46

General Landscape Description: Rolling low hills
Site description: Upper south-west facing slope (15% slope)
Land Use: Grazing on annual pasture
Native Vegetation: Open forest
Geology: Palaeozoic granite

Surface soil
A11	0-12 cm	Dark brown (7.5YR3/2) sandy loam; weak crumb structure; hard consistence dry; clear change to:
A12	12-36 cm	Dark brown (7.5YR3/2) gritty sandy loam; apedal; hard consistence dry; about 30% of fine quartz gravel up to 3mm; clear change to:
A13	36-52 cm	Strong brown (7.5YR5/6) gritty sandy loam; hard consistence dry; about 30% of fine quartz gravel up to 3mm; clear change to:
Subsoil
B2	50-7 0cm	Strong brown (7.5YR4/6) becoming yellowish red (5YR5/6) with depth; medium clay; moderate angular blocky structure (10 mm); very hard dry; gradual change to:
C	70-83 cm+	Sandy clay; apedal; very hard dry; biotite, plagioclase feldspar, quartz and a small amount of muscovite clearly visible (minerals comprising granite)

Horizon	Horizon Depth (cm)	pH (water)	EC dS/m	Organic Carbon %	Total Nitrogen %	Exchangeable Acididty meq/100g	Exchangeable Cations				Gravel %	Coarse Sand (0.2-2.0 mm %	Fine Sand (0.02-0.2 mm) %	Silt (0.002-0.02 mm) %	Clay (<0.002 mm) %
							Ca	Mg	K	Na
							meq/100g
A11	0-10	6.2	0.05	2.2	0.2	8.2	4.5	1.3	0.5	0.08	11	34	36	15	12
A12	20-30	6.5	<0.05	0.76	0.31	3.6	3.9	0.5	0.2	0.02	15	38	36	18	7
A13	36-52	6.7	<0.05			3.0	3.6	0.8	0.3	0.07	20	38	31	14	16
B2	52-60	6.3	<0.05			12.1	9.3	2.9	0.5	0.3	16	16	16	5	63
C	70-83	6.4	<0.05			7.9	9.3	3.1	0.5	0.4	21	28	25	10	34

• Plant available water content for this profile is considered to be moderate as the effective rooting depth is likely to extend to 0.5 m into the sandy loam surface soils.

• The low clay content of the surface soils indicates the plants are able to utilise very light rains when the soil is dry.
• The organic matter content of the soil is moderate. Such levels result in an average structural condition and average structural stability.
• The surface soil is slightly acid. However it is not acidic enough to expect a response to lime applications.
• Potassium is at a moderate level for pastures and no response to potassium fertilisers would be anticipated.
• Salinity is not a problem in the surface soil.
• The nutrient holding capacity of the surface (A11 to A13) horizons is low (based on the sum of the exchangeable calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium cations).

• Root and water movement is likely to be restricted in the dense blocky structured subsoil although the strong brown colour of the subsoil indicates the soil is generally well drained. As the surface soils are deep, water availability would be at the higher end of the scale for other soils in the area.