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SFS 18

Location: Mt Gow “Big Phalaris Paddock”
Aust. Soil Class.:Calcic, Epipedal, Black VERTOSOL

General Landscape Description: Pit excavated 20 metres north of west gate into paddock. Excavation in headland
Site Description: Canola stubble
Geology: Basalt


Image:  SFS 18 landscape
SFS 18

Soil Profile Morphology:

Surface Soil
Image:  SFS 18 profile
SFS 18
Ap0-20 cmVery dark greyish brown (10YR 3/2 moist) to dark greyish brown (10YR 4/2 dry); medium clay; strongly pedal, thin surface mulch of fine polyhedral peds (2-10 mm) or sometimes a thin weak crust fractured by cracks at 20 – 50 mm; coarse polyhedral and sub-angular blocky beds underlying surface mulch or crust; very firm to strong consistence; some larger cracks visible at surface; medium clay; pH 5.7; abrupt change to:
Subsoil
B21t20-50 cmVery dark grey (10YR 3/1 moist); heavy clay; coarse prismatic, parting to coarse polyhedral structure; main prismatic units clearly defined by deep cracking to 60+ cm depth; slickensides (>50 mm) begin at around 45 cm depth and dominate structure below 50 cm; pH 7.0; gradual change to:
B22ss50+ cmVery dark greyish brown (10YR 3/2 moist) to dark greyish brown (10YR 4/2 dry) with many (25%) dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) mottles; heavy clay; with prominent slickensides;pH 7.8; gradual change to:
C70+ cmHard rounded weathering basaltic rock; pH 8.6.


Image:  SFS 18 raised bed peds
Raised beds
Image:  SFS 18 Cracking bed farrow
Cracking in bed farrow
Image:  SFS 18 subsoil peds
Subsoil ped


Key Profile Features:
  • Clay texture through soil profile.
  • Significant cracking when profile is dry.
  • Prominent slickensides in subsoil.

Soil Profile Characteristics:


pH
Salinity Rating
Surface
(A1 horizon)
Moderately Acid
Low-Medium
Non-Sodic
None1
Subsoil
(B21 horizon)
Neutral
Low-Medium
Sodic
Slight-Moderate
Deeper subsoil
(at 60+ cm)
Strongly Alkaline
Strongly Sodic
Moderate
1 Slight dispersion after remoulding

Horizon
Horizon Depth
(cm)
pH
(water)
pH
(CaCl2)
EC
dS/m
NaCl
Exchangeable Cations
Ca
Mg
K
Na
meq/100g
Ap
0-8
5.7
5.2
0.46
0.036.3
7.9
7.9
2.4
0.8
B21
15-30
7.0
6.3
0.43
0.02
7.4
13
2.9
3.6
B21
30-50
7.8
7.2
0.31
0.02
7.8
14
2.4
4.8
B22
50-65
8.6
7.8
0.47
0.03
8.1
18
1.9
6.6

Horizon
Horizon Depth
(cm)
Exchangeable Aluminium
mg/kg
Exchangeable Acidity
meq/100g
Field
Capacity
pF2.5
Wilting Point
pF4.2
Coarse Sand
(0.2-2.0 mm)
Fine Sand
(0.02-0.2 mm)
Silt
(0.002-0.02 mm)
Clay
(<0.002 mm)
Ap
0-8
16
38.0
22.8
4.0
28.9
16.5
41.0
B21
15-30
43.7
27.0
1.7
25.6
14.0
51.0
B21
30-50
47.1
31.1
2.0
25.8
15.0
50.5
B22
50-65
52.2
34.9
2.0
24.3
16.5
52.5

Management Considerations:

Whole Profile
  • Plant available water capacity (PAWC) is considered to be low/medium (estimated at 100 mm) in the upper 70 cm of this soil profile. Effective rooting depth (ERD) is restricted to 70 cm due to the basalt below this depth.
Notes
  • Profile described by Richard MacEwan, May 1999.
  • Soil samples collected to obtain chemistry results were not collected within the same depths that the morphology was described, so depths for chemistry and morphology do not match.
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