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IS32

Location: Vectis South

Soil Type: Norton Sandy Clay

Australian Soil Classification: Vertic, Calcic, Grey CHROMOSOL

Northcote Factual Key: Dy 2.33
Great Soil Group: solonetz
Mapping Unit: Norton Sandy Clay.


General Landscape Description: Level area on the swale component of the dune and swale landscape.
Site Description: The site was cleared and under pasture at time of soil survey.
Geology: Late Tertiary to Quaternary. Quaternary Shepparton Formation: fluvial silt, sand and minor gravel
Native Vegetation: Probable original vegetation was the Grey Box (Eucalyptus microcarpa), Buloke (C. luehmannii) and Yellow Gum (E. leucoxylon) tall woodland formation.

Image: IS32 Landscape
IS32 Landscape - Swale between dunes near Quantong. Longitudinal dune in background.


Soil Profile Morphology:

Surface Soil

A10-10 cmVery dark greyish brown (10YR3/2); sandy clay loam; plastic; hardsetting surface condition; weak subangular blocky structure; strong consistence dry, sticky consistence wet; pH 7.1; sharp change to:
Image: IS32 Profile
IS32 Profile
Subsoil

B2110-20 cmGreyish brown (2.5Y5/2); medium clay; plastic; weak very coarse prismatic structure; strong consistence dry, sticky consistence wet; pH 7.6; diffuse change to:

B2220-40 cmGreyish brown (2.5Y5/2) sporadically bleached (10YR7/3); light clay; subplastic; weak very coarse prismatic structure; strong consistence dry, sticky consistence wet; pH 8.3; sharp change to:

B3140-65 cmOlive (5Y5/6) with pale brown (10YR6/3) mottles; heavy clay; plastic; contains large slickensides; strong consistence dry; contains very few (< 2 %) soft carbonates; pH 9.3:

B3265-80 cmOlive (5Y5/6) with pale brown (10YR6/3) mottles; heavy clay; plastic; contains large slickensides; strong consistence dry, sticky consistence wet; contains very few (< 2 %) soft carbonates; pH 9.4; gradual change to:

B3380-100 cmStrong brown (7.5YR5/6); heavy clay; moderate very coarse structure with slickensides; strong consistence dry; contains very few (< 2 %) hard carbonates and a common (10-20 %) amount of soft carbonate; pH 9.4:

B34100-150 cmStrong brown (7.5YR5/6); heavy clay; moderate very coarse structure with slickensides; strong consistence dry; pH 9.3; sharp change to:

B41150-180 cmPale yellow (5Y7/3); medium clay (sandy); moderate very coarse structure with slickensides; strong consistence dry; contains a few (2-10 %) soft carbonates; pH 9.6:

B42180-215 cmPale yellow (5Y7/3); medium clay (sandy); moderate very coarse structure with slickensides; strong consistence dry; contains very few (< 2 %) soft carbonates; pH 9.4:

Key Profile Features:
  • Strong texture contrast between surface (A) horizon (21% clay) and subsoil (B21) horizon (43% clay).
  • Vertic properties (ie. slickensides present) in deeper subsoil.

Soil Profile Characteristics:


pH
Salinity Rating
Surface
(A1 horizon)
Slightly Alkaline
Low
Non-Sodic
None
Subsoil
(B21 horizon)
Slightly Alkaline
Very Low
Non-Sodic
None
Deeper Subsoil
(at 1 m)
Very Strongly Alkaline
High
Very Strongly Sodic
-

Image: IS32 pH GraphImage: IS32 Salinity GraphImage: IS32 Sodicity GraphImage: IS32 Clay Graph
The surface and upper subsoil is slightly alkaline. The deeper subsoil is very strongly alkaline.The salinity rating is low in the surface. The upper subsoil is very low becoming high with depth.The surface is non-sodic. The upper subsoil is non-sodic becoming very strongly sodic with depth.The clay content increases markedly at the surface / subsoil boundary.

Chemical and Physical Analysis:


Horizon
Sample Depth cm
pH
H2O
EC
dS/m
Sodium Chloride
%
Exchangeable Calcium
cmol-/kg
Exchangeable
Magnesium
cmol-/kg
Exchangeable Potassium
cmol-/kg
Exchangeable Sodium
cmol-/kg
Total
Nitrogen
%
Organic
Carbon
%
Bulk Density
Exchangeable Acidity
cmol-/kg
Field
Capacity
-30okPa
Permanent
Wilting
Point
-1500okPa
Coarse
Sand
%
Fine
Sand
%
Silt
%
Clay
%
A1
0–10
7.1
0.09
0.01
5.5
3.2
1
0.1
0.13
1.61
1.1
4.2
13
9.3
39
32
6
21
B21
10–20
7.6
0.11
0.01
10
7.8
1.4
0.4
0.06
0.56
4.5
17.2
28
24
5
43
B22
20–40
8.3
0.17
0.01
10.4
8.8
1.3
0.9
0.04
0.43
1.58
3
18.2
26
25
4
42
B31
40–65
9.3
0.34
0.04
7.7
10.9
1.3
3.4
0.03
0.24
1.51
0.9
18.6
25
27
3
42
B32
65–80
9.4
0.57
0.08
6.8
13.7
1.3
5.8
0.02
0.18
22.6
23
23
4
47
B33
80–100
9.4
0.77
0.1
6.4
15.3
1.7
7.2
0.02
0.15
23.7
19
18
3
51
B34
100–150
9.3
0.9
0.14
5.4
15.5
1.5
7.6
0.02
0.14
22.4
20
18
3
50
B41
150–180
9.6
0.8
0.11
16.3
29
25
3
35
B42
180–215
9.4
0.86
0.13
16.7
29
29
5
36

Management Considerations:

Whole Profile
  • Plant available water capacity (PAWC) is considered to be low (estimated at 82 mm). This is based on available laboratory data and assumes an effective rooting depth of 65 cm. Rooting depth will be restricted by the strongly sodic deeper subsoil and the increase in soluble salt levels at depth. The deeper subsoil is also very strongly alkaline which will reduce the availability of certain nutrients.
Surface (A) Horizon
  • The surface soil is hardsetting and requires organic matter for maintaining soil aggregation. Organic matter levels will decline if cropping takes place and can be improved by adopting practices such as residue retention, minimum tillage and utilising pasture rotations.

Subsoil (B) Horizons
  • The upper subsoil is non-sodic and does not disperse. It is, however, weakly and coarsely structured which will restrict root movement. The deeper subsoil becomes strongly sodic from 50 cm depth and this will result in restricted root and water movement at depth. The deeper subsoil is also very strongly alkaline which will reduce the availability of certain nutrients.
  • The deeper subsoil (from 50 cm depth) becomes very strongly alkaline which may restrict the growth of some plants. Some nutrients (eg. iron, manganese, copper, zinc) are also likely to be poorly available at depth.
  • The subsoil displays vertic properties (ie. slickensides) which indicates that significant shrinking and swelling will occur during wetting and drying cycles. This will have implications for engineering purposes (eg. building foundations).
  • Soluble salt levels become medium at 65 cm depth.
Profile Described By: John Martin, Nabil Badawy, Ron Cawood, Geoff Pope, John Galea, John Turner (1970).

Reference: "Major Agricultural Soils of the Wimmera Irrigation Area". John Martin, Mark Imhof, Lourey Ruth, Rob Nink, Karen DePlater, Paul Rampant, Sonia Thompson, S. Alexander. Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Victoria. 1996.
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