Your gateway to a wide range of natural resources information and associated maps

Victorian Resources Online

SFS16

Site: SFS 16Land Unit: Basalt Alluvium
Aust. Soil Class.: Haplic, Self-mulching; Black VERTOSOL (confidence level 1)

General Land Unit Description:
This land unit consists of the smaller swamps and depression which occur on the basalt plains. Grey Vertosols tend to dominate the smaller swamps and depressions on the plains. On the other hand, Black Vertosols are commonly found in the swamps and depressions associated with the stony rise landscapes and the larger alluvial plains. Both soil types are typically sodic at depth and imperfectly drained. There are minor occurrences of Sodosols. In some areas of the basalt plain, this land unit would have been incorporated into the basalt land units.

Site Description:
Geology: Recent alluvial over Quaternary BasaltLandform pattern: Plain
Position in landscape: Drainage depressionInternal drainage: Imperfectly drained

Soil Profile Morphology

Ap0-20 cmVery dark grey (10YR 3/1); heavy clay; strongly pedal; self mulching surface, polyhedral (2-20 mm); clear boundary to:Soil pit SFS16 profile
Subsoil
B21t20-60/70 cmVery dark grey (10YR 3/1); heavy clay; strong prismatic (>30 cm diameter); slickensides at ped bases; clear boundary to:
B22ss60/70-100/110 cmGrey (5Y 5/1) with common (20%) fine to medium yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) mottles;
heavy clay; prominent slickensides becoming larger (>30 cm) at depth; gradual boundary to:
B23ss110+ cmPale olive (5Y 6/4) with common fine yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) mottles; heavy clay; prominent slickensides.

Key Profile Features
  • Clay texture through soil profile
  • Significant cracking when profile is dry
  • Prominent slickensides in subsoil
Soil pit SFS16 subsoil ped
Subsoil ped
Soil Profile Characteristics

pH
Salinity Rating
Sodicity
Dispersion
Surface soil
(A1 horizon)
Strongly Acid
Low
Non-Sodic
None
Upper subsoil
(B21 horizon)
Moderately Acid
Low
Non-Sodic
None1
Deeper subsoil
(at 130+ cm)
Slightly Alkaline
Medium
Sodic
None1
1 moderate dispersion after remoulding

Soil pit SFS16 graphs

Horizon
Horizon
Depth
pH
(water)
pH
CaCl2
EC
dS/m
NaCl
%
Exchangeable Cations
Ex Al
mg/kg
Ex Ac
meq/100g
Field
pF2.5
Wilting
Point
pF4.2
Coarse
Sand
(0.02-0.2mm)
Fine Sand
(0.02-0.2mm)
Silt
(0.02-0.02mm)
Clay
(<0.002mm)
Ca
Mg
K
Na
meq/100g
Ao
10
6.0
5.3
0.23
16
18
0.68
1.5
11
21
56.1
35.6
1.7
9.6
13.5
63.0
B21
50
6.6
5.6
0.16
15
21
0.84
2.2
16
58.9
33.2
0.3
8.5
17.5
66.5
B22
90
7.5
6.8
0.41
0.07
15
26
0..7
4.4
57.9
39.8
0.3
7.7
11.5
75.0
B23
130
7.6
7.1
0.81
0.14
13
25
0.9
4.8
0.2
6.9
10.0
74.0
Page top