CRC10

Location: Ararat

Australian Soil Classification: Mottled-Sodic, Magnesic, Yellow DERMOSOL
General Landscape Description: Mid-slope of hill (SE aspect) - colluvial slope.
Site Description: Grazing paddock – runoff demonstration site.
Geology: Ordovician thinly bedded shale (micaceous).

CRC10 Landscape

Soil Profile Morphology

Surface Soil

A1	0-5 cm	Brown (10YR4/3); fine sandy loam; weak to moderate coarse-medium blocky structure; weak consistence, moderately moist; pH 4.9; clear change to:	CRC10 Profile
A2	5-10 cm	Light yellowish brown (10YR6/4); some rusty mottling; sporadically bleached; fine sandy loam; weak to moderate coarse-medium blocky structure; weak consistence, moderately moist; pH 5.2; clear change to:
A22	10-25 cm	Very pale brown (10YR7/3) with brownish yellow (10YR6/8) mottles; light silty clay loam; weak to moderate medium-fine blocky structure; firm consistence, moderately moist; macropores (with some infill of A horizon material); pH 5.4; clear change to:
Subsoil
B1	25-45 cm	Light yellowish brown (10YR6/4) with brownish yellow (10YR6/8) mottles; clay loam (very fine sandy); weak to moderate coarse-medium blocky structure; firm consistence, slightly moist; pH 5.8; gradual change to:
B21	45-55 cm	Light yellowish brown (10YR6/4) with reddish yellow (7.5YR6/8) mottles; fine sandy light clay; firm consistence, moderately moist; pH 6.3; clear change to:
B22	55-70 cm	Brownish yellow (10YR6/6) with reddish yellow (7.5YR6/8) mottles; medium clay; moderate-strong coarse-medium blocky structure; firm consistence, moist; pH 6.7; gradual change to:
B23	70-85 cm	Brownish yellow (10YR6/6) with brownish yellow (10YR6/8) mottles; light clay (silty); moderate very coarse parting to strong coarse-medium blocky further parting to moderate-strong fine polyhedral structure; firm consistence, moist; very few quartz fragments; pH 7.0; gradual change to:
B24	85-110 cm	Brownish yellow (10YR6/6) with reddish yellow (5YR616) mottles; light clay (silty); moderate-strong coarse, parting to medium, parting to fine polyhedral structure; firm consistence, moderately moist; some manganese staining (2%); pH 7.0; gradual change to:
BC	110+ cm	Light grey (10YR7/1) with reddish yellow (7.5YR6/8) and yellowish red (5YR5/8) mottles; fine sandy clay loam; moderate coarse-medium polyhedral structure; weak consistence, moderately moist; manganese staining (5%); pH 7.8.

• Gradual increase in clay content (texture) with depth down the upper soil profile.

	pH	Salinity Rating	Sodicity	Dispersion
Surface (A1 horizon)	Very Strongly Acid	Very Low	Non-Sodic	None
Subsoil (B21c horizon)	Slightly Acid	Very Low	Non-Sodic	None1
Deeper subsoil (at 110+ cm)	Moderately Alkaline	Very Low	Sodic	Strong

Horizon	Horizon Depth (cm)	pH (water)	pH (CaCl2)	EC dS/m	Exchangeable Aluminium ppm	Exchangeable Acididty meq/100g	Exchangeable Cations				Coarse Sand (0.2-2.0 mm) %	Fine Sand (0.02-0.2 mm) %	Silt (0.002-0.02 mm) %	Clay (<0.002 mm) %	Field Capacity % w/w	Wilting Point % w/w	Bulk Density g/cm3
							Ca	Mg	K	Na
							meq/100g
A1	0-5 cm	4.9	4.6	0.19	20	16	4.8	2	0.82	0.38	9	40	10	25	32.5	13.8	0.97-1.01 (1.00)
A21	5-10 cm	5.2	4.5	<0.05	33	6.4	1.6	1.1	0.11	0.17	1	53	24	16	22.4	5.7	1.02-1.16 (1.09)
A22	10-25 cm	5.4	4.6	<0.05	23	2.8	1.1	0.98	0.09	0.13	1	44	27	12	18.5	4.6	1.0-1.20 (1.11)
B1	25-45 cm	5.8	5	<0.05	19	4.1	1.1	3.1	0.12	0.25	4	49	24	22	19	8
B21	45-55 cm	6.3	5.2	<0.05	12	6	0.88	5.4	0.17	0.43	3	39	25	29	26	11.5
B22	55-70 cm	6.7	5.8	0.05		5.2	0.60	7.0	0.23	0.68	2	29	31	38	24.3	12.5	1.46-1.53 (1.48)
B23	70-85 cm	7.0	6.0	0.08		4.7	0.52	9.2	0.28	1	3	32	28	33	27.1	14
B24	85-110 cm	7.8	6.5	0.07			0.43	11	0.19	1.5	4	32	34	28	26.1	12.4
B/C	110+ cm	8.2	6.6	0.05			0.15	10	0.13	1.6					23.5	8.7	1.51-1.61 (1.54)

• The subsoil has very low levels of exchangeable calcium compared to exchangeable magnesium (i.e. magnesic). This indicates that nutrient imbalances may occur (e.g. calcium deficiency).
• The subsoil is dispersive (strongly dispersive at 70 cm depth), which will restrict the movement of roots and water at depth.