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

Victorian Resources Online

GP60

Location: Richardson Hill.Australian Soil Classification: Endoacidic-Mottled, Epipedal, Brown VERTOSOL.
Geology: Basalt.General Landscape Description: Edge of a depression or a low lying area (0-1% slope).
Mapping Unit: Merricks Clay.

GP 57 to 60 Landscape
GP57-GP60 Landscape


Soil Profile Morphology:

Surface Soil

A10-10 cm
Brown (10YR4/3); light medium clay; surface cracking (up to 2 cm wide); moderate medium polyhedral structure; strong consistence dry; pH 5.7:
Photo: Site GP60 Profile
Site GP60 Profile
Subsoil
B2110-20 cm
Brown (10YR4/3); medium clay; strong medium polyhedral, parting to fine structure; strong consistence dry; pH 5.9:
B2220-30 cm
Very dark greyish brown (10YR3/2); rusty root channel mottling evident; heavy clay; strong coarse prismatic, parting to strong fine polyhedral, parting to coarse blocky structure; firm consistence moist; pH 5.7:
B23 30-80 cm
Dark brown (10YR3/3) with faint yellowish brown (10YR5/6) mottles; heavy clay; weak consistence wet; slickensides evident; pH 4.7:
B24 80 + cm
Greyish brown (10YR5/2) with yellowish brown (10YR5/6) mottles; heavy clay; firm consistence wet; pH 4.4.

Key Profile Features:

  • Surface cracking present.
  • Clay texture throughout the soil profile.
  • Vertic properties present within the subsoil i.e. slickensides.
Soil Profile Characteristics:

Horizon
pH
Salinity Rating
Surface
(A1 horizon)
Moderately Acid
Moderate
Non-Sodic
None
Subsoil
(B21 horizon)
Moderately Acid
High
Non-Sodic
None1,2
Deeper subsoil
(at 90 cm)
Extremely Acid
High
Sodic
None,2
1 Slight dispersion after remoulding. ,2 Lack of dispersion due to high levels of soluble salts and exchangeable aluminium.

Photo: Site GP60 pH
Photo: Site GP60 salinity
Photo: Site GP60 sodicity
Photo: Site GP60 clay
The surface horizon is moderately
acid becoming extremely acid at
80 cm depth.
The salinity levels of the surface
horizon is moderate becoming high
in the subsoil.
The exchangeable aluminium levels
in the surface are negligible becoming
high at about 40 cm and very high at
80 cm.
The clay content increases gradually
with depth then drops marginally.

Horizon
Horizon Depth
(cm)
pH
(water)
pH
(CaCl2)
EC 1:5
NaCl
Exchangeable Cations
Ca
Mg
K
Na
meq/100g
A1
0-10
5.7
5.3
0.67
0.1
16
12
0.6
1
B21
10-20
5.9
5.5
0.97
0.19
13
12
0.9
1.4
B22
20-30
5.7
5.4
1.3
0.31
9.7
14
0.9
2
B23
30-80
4.7
4.5
1.7
8
17
0.7
2.4
B24
80+
4.4
4.1
1.7
0.41
4
11
0.3
1.9

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)
A1
0-10
<10
18
29
10
11
0
39
B21
10-20
<10
16
26
3
15
20
49
B22
20-30
<10
5.5
30
1
10
12
66
B23
30-80
130
15
35
1
6
7
76
B24
80+
240
6.2
28
1
13
14
66

Management Considerations:

Whole Profile
  • Below the surface horizons the soil profile has a high level of soluble salts throughout. This is likely to restrict the growth of any salt-sensitive species.
Surface (A) Horizon
  • When the soil is dry, heavy rains will move down soil cracks. This rapid recharge can be valuable for the survival of plants near wilting point. When wet, the soil will swell and further infiltration of water will be relatively slow.
  • The high wilting point value (i.e. 29%) indicates that plants will be unable to utilise light rains when the soil is relatively dry.
  • The level of soluble salts in the surface is moderate and may restrict the growth of salt sensitive species.

Subsoil (B) Horizon
  • The high levels of soluble salts will affect salt-sensitive species from 10 cm depth.
  • The subsoil below the B21 horizon is sodic with a low exchangeable calcium to magnesium ratio (0.7) but has no dispersion. Lack of dispersion is probably due to the high salinity levels and will result in less restricted water movement down the profile.
  • The presence of mottling throughout the subsoil indicates that the profile is seasonally waterlogged.
  • The deeper subsoil (B23) has vertic properties i.e. slickensides which indicates that significant shrinking and swelling occurs during drying-wetting cycles. This can disrupt the roots of perennial plants and will have implications for engineering applications (e.g. building foundations and fence lines).
  • From 30 cm the subsoil becomes extremely acid with high exchangeable aluminium levels that will restrict the growth of aluminium-sensitive species.
Profile Described By: Mark Imhof, Ian Sargeant (27/3/98).
Page top