Location: Werribee - Research Farm
Aust. Soil Class.: Hypocalcic, 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): Deutgam fine sandy clay loam
Maher and Martin (1979) map unit: 9
General Landscape Description: Level plain (with prior streams).
Site Description: Grazing paddock - opposite Dairy Food Training Centre.
Geology: Quaternary alluvial (prior stream) and aeolian deposits.
WP3 Landscape |
Soil Profile Morphology
Surface Soil | PPW6 Profile | ||
A1 | 0-12 cm | Brown (7.5YR4/4); fine sandy clay loam; pH 5.7; clear change to: | |
A2 | 12-20 cm | Strong brown (7.5YR4/6); heavy fine sandy clay loam; some mixing of B21 horizon material; pH 6.9; clear change to: | |
Subsoil | |||
B21 | 20-45 cm | Dark red (2.5YR4/6); medium clay; strong coarse-medium blocky, parting to strong medium-fine polyhedral structure; pH 7.1: | |
B22 | 45-60 cm | Strong brown (7.5YR5/6) and reddish yellow (7.5YR6/6); light clay; manganese staining; pH 7.3: | |
2A | 60-80 cm | Very pale brown (10YR7/4) with yellowish red (5YR4/6) infill associated with root channels; massive (with macropores); fine sandy clay loam; pH 8.6: | |
2B21 | 80-110 cm | Brown (7.5YR5/4) with strong brown (7.5YR5/6) mottles; medium clay; strong very coarse prismatic, parting to strong coarse-medium angular blocky structure; very few (2%) fine-earth carbonates; some dark manganese staining; pH 8.6: | |
2B22 | 110-140 cm | Greyish brown (2.5Y5/2) with strong brown (7.5YR5/6) mottles; medium clay; strong very coarse prismatic, parting to strong coarse-medium angular blocky structure; pH 8.6. | |
pH | Salinity Rating | |||
Surface (A1 horizon) | Moderately Acid | Low | Non-Sodic | None |
Subsoil (B21 horizon) | Slightly Alkaline | Low | Sodic | None1 |
Deeper subsoil (at 110-140 cm) | Strongly Alkaline | Low-Medium | Strongly Sodic | Strong |
1 Strong dispersion after remoulding |
Horizon | Horizon Depth (cm) | 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 (0.2-2.0mm) | Fine Sand (0.02-0.2mm) | Silt (0.002-0.02mm) | Clay (<0.002mm) | |||
Ca | Mg | K | Na | ||||||||||||||
meq/100g | |||||||||||||||||
A1 | 0-12 | 5.7 | 5.3 | 0.19 | 4.3 | 3.1 | 0.63 | 0.37 | <10 | 7.3 | 9 | 38 | 24 | 18 | |||
A2 | 12-20 | 6.9 | 6.5 | 0.13 | 3.7 | 3.0 | 0.18 | 0.64 | 3.9 | 6 | 40 | 28 | 21 | ||||
B21 | 20-45 | 7.1 | 6.4 | 0.16 | 4.9 | 6.6 | 0.47 | 1.6 | 8.3 | 3 | 21 | 17 | 57 | ||||
B22 | 45-60 | 7.3 | 6.6 | 0.17 | 4.4 | 6.8 | 0.60 | 1.6 | 5.4 | 6 | 24 | 19 | 47 | ||||
2A | 60-80 | 8.6 | 8.2 | 0.22 | 6.7 | 4.0 | 0.35 | 1.1 | 7 | 39 | 26 | 23 | |||||
2B21 | 80-110 | 8.6 | 7.9 | 0.32 | 0.04 | 5.5 | 11 | 1.0 | 2.7 | 5 | 29 | 21 | 42 | ||||
2B22 | 110-140 | 8.6 | 7.8 | 0.31 | 0.04 | 4.6 | 14 | 1.4 | 4.3 |
<2µm Clay Mineralogy | |||||||
Horizon | Depth cm | Quartz | Mica/Illite | Kaolin | Goethite | Orthclase | Smectite |
B21 | 20-45 | 2 | 39 | 57 | 3 | <1 | - |
2B22 | 110-140 | 6 | 24 | 21 | - | <1 | 47 |
2µm Cation Exchange Capacity | ||||||||||||
Horizon | Depth cm | SiO2 % | Al2O3 % | MgO % | P2O5 % | K2O % | TiO2 % | MnO % | Fe2O3 % | BaO % | Sum % | CEC cmol/kg |
B21 | 20-45 | 42.4 | 26.5 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 2.9 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 10.9 | 1.9 | 87.2 | 26 |
2B22 | 110-140 | 50.6 | 22.0 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 9.7 | 3.9 | 91.5 | 51 |