Soil/Landform Unit - Concongella hills
 Looking north-east over the Concongella Hills with surrounding footslopes and defined drainage systems |
0.29% of CMA region Located in the Upper Wimmera region, the Concongella hills are a topographically significant landform in a rolling to undulating landscape. Surrounded by Cainozoic rises and plains, along with creeks that are extremely vulnerable to gully and tunnel erosion, the hills have a local relief of 90–130 m with radial drainage away from these well rounded hills. These rises and plains occur with creeks that are extremely vulnerable to gully and tunnel erosion. Hillslopes and crests are steep with footslopes and lower slopes moderately inclined. Soils on slopes are shallow and red texture contrast (Chromosols) in nature with lower slopes/footslopes dominated by yellow texture contrast soils (Chromosols) and sodic red texture contrast soils (Sodosols). Light sandy soil surfaces can be susceptible to wind, sheet and rill erosion in drier areas, while wetter areas are likely to suffer from acidification processes. Remnant vegetation is dominated by forest and woodland areas. The main vegetation communities include Heathy Dry Forest, Grassy Dry Forest, Grassy Woodland, Alluvial Terraces Herb-rich Woodland and Heathy Woodland. Land use is mainly sheep grazing. |  |
 Rounded hillcrests and slopes of the Concongella hills |  |
|  Hills and low hills with revegetation works |
Component | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Proportion of soil-landform unit | 65% | 25% | 10% |
| CLIMATE Rainfall (mm) | Annual: 610 | ||
| Temperature (oC) | Minimum 7, Maximum 19 | ||
| Precipitation less than potential evapotranspiration | September–April | ||
| GEOLOGY Age and lithology | Cambrian marine sandstone, siltstone and biotite schist (St Arnaud Group); Quaternary fluvial gravel, sand and silt; Devonian granite (Stawell Granite) | ||
| Geomorphology | |||
| LANDUSE | Uncleared areas: nature conservation Cleared areas: sheep grazing; dryland cropping | ||
| TOPOGRAPHY Landscape | Undulating hills | ||
| Elevation range (m) | 233–478 | ||
| Local relief (m) | 90–130 | ||
| Drainage pattern | Radial | ||
| Drainage density (km/km2) | 0.8 | ||
| Landform | Hills | ||
| Landform element | Mid to upper hillslope/hillcrest | Footslope | Lower slope |
| Slope and range (%) | 25 (20-56) | 5 (3-10) | 8 (3-15) |
| Slope shape | Convex | Linear | Concave |
| NATIVE VEGETATION Ecological Vegetation Class | Heathy Dry Forest (38.1%), Grassy Woodland (34.4%), Grassy Dry Forest (15.6%), Other (9.6%) | ||
| SOIL Parent material | In situ sandstone, siltstone and biotite schist, minor granite | Colluvial and fluvial gravel, sand and silt | Fluvial gravel, sand and silt |
| Description (Corangamite Soil Group) | Red texture contrast soils (1) | Yellow texture contrast soils (3) and sodic red texture contrast soils (2) | Yellow texture contrast soils (3) and sodic red texture contrast soils (2) |
| Soil type sites | |||
| Surface texture | Fine sandy loam | Silty loam (sandy) | Silty loam (sandy) |
| Permeability | High | Moderate | Moderate - slow |
| Depth (m) | 0.7 | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| LAND CHARACTERISTICS, POTENTIAL AND LIMITATIONS Critical land features, processes, forms | Friable with better infiltration in moister areas, hardsetting and more prone to sheet and rill erosion in drier areas (north and westerly aspects). Susceptible to acidification in wetter areas. | Light loose surface soils that may be susceptible to wind, sheet and rill erosion in drier areas (including drier aspects). Poor subsurface drainage on gentle slopes. Sodic subsoil prone to gully and tunnel erosion. Susceptible to acidification in wetter areas. | Light loose surface soils that may be susceptible to wind, sheet and rill erosion in drier areas (including drier aspects). Poor subsurface drainage on gentle slopes. Sodic subsoil prone to gully and tunnel erosion. Susceptible to acidification in wetter areas. |
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