Location: Werribee - Research Farm
Aust. Soil Class.: Calcic, Subnatric, Red SODOSOL (medium to thick surface horizons)
Northcote Factual Key: Dr 2.13
Great Soil Group: red-brown earth
Previous Soil Type (Skene 1954): Werribee loam
Maher and Martin (1979) map unit: 10b
General Landscape Description: Level plain (with prior streams).
Site Description: Grazing paddock. This site is probably associated with a levee of a prior stream.
Geology: Quaternary alluvial (prior stream) and aeolian deposits.
WP2 Landscape |
Soil Profile Morphology
Surface Soil | PPW5 Profile | ||
A1 | 0-10 cm | Brown (7.5YR4/4), fine sandy clay loam; weak coarse, parting to moderate medium blocky structure; strong consistence (dry); compacted in upper 3 cm; pH 5.6; sharp change to: | |
A12 | 10-20 cm | Strong brown (7.5YR4/6); heavy fine sandy clay loam; moderate coarse blocky, parting to strong medium polyhedral structure; strong consistence (dry); pH 6.0; clear change to: | |
Subsoil | |||
B21 | 20-55 cm | Dark red (2.5YR4/6); light medium clay; strong very coarse blocky, parting to strong medium, and moderate-strong fine subangular blocky structure; very firm to strong consistence (slightly moist); pH 6.8; gradual change to: | |
B22k | 55-80 cm | Reddish brown (5YR4/4) with dark red (2.5YR4/6) mottles common; light clay (very fine sand); weak-medium coarse blocky structure; very firm to strong consistence (slightly moist); few (2-5%) hard and semi-hard coarse to very coarse calcareous nodules (6-50 mm); many very fine macropores; pH 8.8; clear change to: | |
2A11k | 80-120 cm | Brown (7.5YR4/4) with strong brown (7.5YR5/6) mottles; sandy clay loam (medium sand); weak-moderate very coarse blocky structure; very firm consistence (slightly moist); few (2-5%) semi-hard calcareous nodules (2-6 mm); many macropores; pH 8.8; gradual change to: | |
2A12 | 75-100 cm | Brown (7.5YR5/4); light clay (fine sandy); few (2-5%) coarse (6-20 mm) tubular calcareous segregations with some patches of fine-earth carbonates; pH 8.3: | |
2B23 | 120+ cm | Brown (7.5YR5/4) with strong brown (7.5YR5/6) mottles; sandy clay loam (fine-medium sand); weak-moderate coarse blocky structure; very firm consistence (slightly moist); very few (2%) semi-hard calcareous nodules (2-6 mm); many macropores; pH 8.8. | |
Note: This horizon continues to approximately 250 cm depth and overlies more clayey material. |
pH | Salinity Rating | |||
Surface (A1 horizon) | Moderately Acid | Medium | Non-Sodic | None |
Subsoil (B21 horizon) | Slightly Acid | Medium | Sodic | Slight1 |
Deeper subsoil (at 120+ cm) | Strongly Alkaline | Low | Sodic | Slight-Moderate |
1 Strong dispersion after remoulding. |
Horizon | Horizon Depth (cm) | pH (water) | pH CaCl2 | EC dS/m | NaCl % | Exchangeable Cations | Boron (CaCl2) mg/kg | Ex Al mg/kg | Ex Ac meq/100g | Field pF2.5 | Wilting Point pF4.2 | Coarse Sand (0.2-2.0mm) | Fine Sand (0.02-0.2mm) | Silt (0.002-0.02mm) | Clay (<0.002mm) | |||
Ca | Mg | K | Na | |||||||||||||||
meq/100g | ||||||||||||||||||
A1 | 0-10 | 5.6 | 5.3 | 0.42 | 0.04 | 5.3 | 2.7 | 0.8 | 0.2 | <10 | 5.8 | 24.3 | 9.0 | 9 | 42 | 21 | 18 | |
A12 | 10-20 | 6.0 | 5.7 | 0.30 | 0.04 | 4.1 | 2.3 | 0.4 | 0.2 | <10 | 3.7 | 25.9 | 7.3 | 7 | 46 | 23 | 19 | |
B21 | 20-55 | 6.8 | 6.4 | 0.45 | 0.07 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 2.2 | 34.1 | 12.5 | 4 | 34 | 18 | 42 | ||
B22k | 55-80 | 8.8 | 8.3 | 0.71 | 0.09 | 4.6 | 6.8 | 0.8 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 27.1 | 11.3 | 3 | 41 | 18 | 33 | ||
2A11k | 80-120 | 8.8 | 8.2 | 0.29 | 0.03 | 3.8 | 5.8 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 23.6 | 8.9 | 7 | 54 | 14 | 22 | ||
2A12 | 120+ | 8.8 | 8.3 | 0.19 | 6.7 | 5.1 | 0.44 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 46.7 | 12.1 | 7 | 53 | 17 | 19 |
<2µm Clay Mineralogy | |||||||
Horizon | Depth cm | Quartz | Mica/Illite | Kaolin | Goethite | Orthclase | Smectite |
B21 | 20-55 | 3 | 44 | 51 | 2 | <1 | - |
2A12 | 120+ | 4 | 34 | 30 | 3 | <1 | 28 |
2µm Cation Exchange Capacity | ||||||||||||
Horizon | Depth cm | SiO2 % | Al2O3 % | MgO % | P2O5 % | K2O % | TiO2 % | MnO % | Fe2O3 % | BaO % | Sum % | CEC cmol/kg |
B21 | 20-55 | 42.5 | 26.3 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 3.4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 10.2 | 1.8 | 87.0 | 25 |
2A12 | 120+ | 46.7 | 22.8 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 10.2 | 2.7 | 88.9 | 37 |