Morton Series

The soil series is characterised by having a sporadically bleached A2 ‘subsurface horizon’, followed by brown to red subsoil. In the present survey, this series consists of the following soil type:

Morton Clay (MOc)

Profile Morphology:

Surface Soil (A1 horizon)

5-10 cm thick.
Brown to dark greyish brown.
Light to medium clay.
Very hard (dry), friable to slightly friable (moist), plastic and sticky (wet).

Sub-Surface Soil (A2 horizon)

2-10 cm thick.
Colours are slightly lighter than for A1 above and are sporadically bleached. Bleaching may occur only in nests at the interface between the A and B horizons.
Soil texture and consistence are usually similar to those of the A1 horizon.

Subsoil

Brown to dark reddish brown. At about 50-80 cm, the subsoil colours may become mottled and change to dominantly yellowish brown to yellowish red.
Medium to heavy clay.
Friable to slightly friable.
Trace to slight amounts of soft and/or hard CaCO3. However, some profiles are lime-free throughout.

Analytical Data for Selected Depths Down the Profile:

Depth	pH	Total Soluble Salts	Sodium Chloride	Moisture Retention @ 15-Bar	Moisture Retention @ 1/3-Bar
.	.	%	%	%	%
A	7.7	0.044	0.009	11.3	20.8
B	8.6	0.101	0.014	13.6	26.3
C	8.9	0.218	0.086	18.8	36.6

Occurrence:

Morton clay is usually found on flat areas, slight depressions and areas subject to inundation.

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