GL103

Site: GL103	Land Unit: Merino Tablelands
*Aust. Soil Class.:* Eutrophic, Hypernatric, Brown SODOSOL (confidence level 1)

Soil pit GL103 landscape

Soil pit GL103 auger

General Land Unit Description:
This unit consists of the Cretaceous non-marine sandstone of the dissected Merino Tablelands. The tablelands were thought to have formed under swamp conditions and a warm climate. As a result, the soils tend to be high in clay and there tends to be carbon rich seams of charcoal deposits at depth in some of the profiles. The main soil type used to represent this land unit is black cracking clays (Vertosols) that can be sodic at depth. This soil type, along with Black Sodosols, Chromosols and Dermosols, are commonly found on the broad crests or drainage lines. The slopes often consist of Brown Chromosols, Sodosols or Dermosols, although black soils can also occur on the slopes. The lower slopes commonly have Grey Vertosols or Sodosols as the major soil type. The reasonably deep sodic soils on short steep slopes tend to be prone to landslips. The grey soils, in particular are prone to water erosion.

Site Description:

Slope: 12%	Geology: Cretaceous non-marine sandstone
Landform pattern: Rises and low hills	Position in landscape: Lower slope
Internal drainage: Imperfectly drained

Soil Profile Morphology

A1	0-7 cm	Very dark greyish brown (10YR3/2) clay loam, weak to medium subangular blocky structure, firm consistence when moderately moist, pH 7.3; transition to:
A21	7-25 cm	Yellowish brown (10YR5/4) fine sandy clay loam, conspicuously bleached (10YR7/3) when dry, massive structure, firm consistence when dry, pH 8.9; transition to:
A22	25-45 cm	Brown (10YR5/3) fine sandy clay loam, conspicuously bleached (10YR7/3) when dry, massive structure, firm consistence when dry, pH 8.9; transition to:
A23	45-95 cm	Yellowish brown (10YR5/4) fine sandy loam, conspicuously bleached (10YR7/2) when dry, massive structure, firm consistence when dry, pH 8.6; transition to:
	Subsoil
B21	30-50 cm	Yellowish brown (10YR5/6), sandy light clay, weak to apedal structure, pH 6.2.

Key profile features:

Sodic topsoil
Strongly sodic subsoil
Alakaline subsoil
Deep topsoil
Bleached A2 horizon
Mottled subsoil
Topsoil dispersive when dry
Subsoil dispersive when dry

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