Location: Werribee - Research Farm
Aust. Soil Class.: Episodic, Epipedal, Grey & Red VERTOSOL (Stony)
Northcote Factual Key: Ug 5.22
Great Soil Group: grey, brown red clays
Previous Soil Type: (Skene 1954): Sunrise clay loam (basalt)
Maher and Martin (1979) map unit: 7
General Landscape Description: Level plain.
Site Description: Grazing paddock (adjacent to Sneydes Road and Hoppers Lane)
Geology: Quaternary basalt.
WP6 Landscape |
Soil Profile Morphology
Surface Soil | PPW9 Profile | ||
A1 | 0-10 cm | Brown (10YR4/3) with reddish brown (5YR5/4) mottles; light medium clay; strong coarse to medium polyhedralstructure; strong surface cracking; earthy fabric; pH 7.4: | |
Subsoil | |||
B21 | 10-30 cm | Light yellowish grey-brown (10YR6/4); light clay; moderate to strong coarse subangular blocky structure; strong consistence (dry); very few (1%) fine calcareous nodules (2 mm); earthy; pH 8.4: | |
B22 | 30-40 cm | Reddish brown (5YR5/4) and yellowish red (5YR5/6); medium heavy clay; rigid consistence (dry); slickensides present; some basalt fragments; pH 8.9: | |
B23 | 40-60 cm | Light brownish grey (2.5Y6/2) with few (5-10%) yellowish red (5YR5/8) mottles; heavy clay; rigid consistence (dry); slickensides present; pH 8.9: | |
B24k | 60-90 cm | Greyish brown (2.5Y5/2) with few (5-10%) yellowish red (5YR5/6) mottles; heavy clay; very strong consistence (slightly moist); many (20%) soft and semi hard fine-earth carbonates and calcareous nodules; large slickensides present; pH 9.2: | |
B25k | 90-120 cm | Light brownish grey (2.5Y6/2); heavy clay; strong coarse to medium lenticular structure; very firm consistence (slightly moist); common (10%) soft and semi-hard calcareous nodules; very many (50%) weathered vesicular basalt fragments; slickensides present; pH 9.6: |
Grey, rocky profile: | |||
A1 | 0-5 cm | Brown (7.5YR 4/4) medium clay | |
B21k | 5-45 cm | Light brownish grey (2.5Y6/2) medium clay; strong consistence dry; fine-earth carbonates and calcareous nodules common (10-20%); very many (> 50%) weathered vesicular basalt boulders. | |
B22k | 45-70 cm | Light brownish grey (2.5Y 6/2); heavy clay; fine-earth carbonates and calcareous nodules common (10-20%); very many (> 50%) weathered vesicular basalt boulders. | |
B23k | 70-110 cm | Light brownish grey (2.5Y6/2) with yellowish red (5YR5/6) mottles (20%); heavy clay; fine-earth carbonates common (10-20%); rigid consistence dry. |
pH | Salinity Rating | |||
Surface (A1 horizon) | Slightly Alkaline | Low | Strongly Sodic | Slight – Moderate1 |
Subsoil (B21 horizon) | Strongly Alkaline | Low-Medium | Strongly Sodic | Strong1 |
Deeper subsoil (at 80-120 cm) | Very Strongly Alkaline | High | Strongly Sodic | Moderate |
1Complete dispersion after remoulding |
Horizon | Horizon Depth (cm) | pH (water) | pH CaCl2 | EC dS/m | NaCl % | Exchangeable Cations | Boron (CaCl2) mg/kg | 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 | 7.4 | 6.8 | 0.30 | 0.03 | 7.6 | 8.3 | 1.6 | 3.2 | 33.9 | 17.9 | 5 | 30 | 15 | 43 | |
B21 | 10-30 | 8.4 | 7.7 | 0.41 | 0.03 | 7.1 | 7.8 | 1.1 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 37.4 | 27.2 | 5 | 30 | 19 | 40 |
B22 | 30-40 | 8.9 | 8.4 | 0.99 | 0.21 | 6.4 | 15 | 2.0 | 11 | 13 | 60.6 | 17.4 | 3 | 19 | 12 | 61 |
B23 | 40-60 | 8.9 | 8.1 | 0.54 | 0.18 | 5.0 | 16 | 2.2 | 13 | 15 | 59.5 | 26.1 | 2 | 21 | 20 | 53 |
B24k | 60-80 | 9.2 | 8.6 | 0.60 | 0.16 | 4.1 | 18 | 2.1 | 13 | 43.2 | 25.1 | |||||
B25k | 80-120 | 9.6 | 9.5 | 0.67 | 0.20 | 4.5 | 21 | 1.9 | 15 |
<2µm Clay Mineralogy | |||||||
Horizon | Depth cm | Quartz | Mica/Illite | Kaolin | Goethite | Orthclase | Smectite |
B21 | 10-30 | 11 | 20 | 48 | - | <1 | 20 |
2µm Cation Exchange Capacity | ||||||||||||
Horizon | Depth cm | SiO2 % | Al2O3 % | MgO % | P2O5 % | K2O % | TiO2 % | MnO % | Fe2O3 % | BaO % | Sum % | CEC cmol/kg |
B21 | 10-30 | 47.5 | 22.7 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 9.0 | 3.4 | 87.1 | 45 |