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

Victorian Resources Online

CFTT4

Location: Narracan East.

Australian Soil Classification: Bleached-Acidic, Magnesic, Brown DERMOSOL.
Great Soil Group: brown podsolic.Geology: Mid-Tertiary sediments regarded as colluvium from basalts and earlier sediments.
General Site Description: Simple 2 -3% slope to east - north east.Mapping Unit: Silver Creek.
Site Description: Eucalypt plantation.

Soil Profile Morphology:

Surface Soil

A10-20 cmDark greyish brown (10YR4/2); fine sandy clay loam; moderate medium polyhedral structure; weak consistence moderately moist pH 5.1; clear and wavy transition to:

Photo: Site CFTT4, Profile
Site CFTT4 Soil Profile
A220-40 cmLight brownish grey (10YR6/2), conspicuously bleached with common, distinct light yellowish brown (10YR6/4) mottles; fine sandy clay loam; weak coarse polyhedral structure; weak consistence dry; pH 5.1; diffuse and smooth transition to:

Subsoil

B2140-80 cmVery pale brown (10YR7/3), with common, medium sized, faint, yellow (10YR7/6) mottles; fine sandy light clay; weak coarse polyhedral structure; weak consistence dry; pH 5.1; clear and wavy transition to:

B2280-140 cmYellowish brown (10YR5/6), with common, medium, distinct, greyish brown (10YR5/2) mottles; medium clay; weak very coarse polyhedral structure; firm consistence moist pH 5.4; gradual and smooth transition to:

B23140-190 cmGrey (10YR5/1), with many, medium, prominent, yellowish brown (10YR5/6) and strong brown (7.5YR4/6) mottles; medium clay; moderate coarse prismatic, parting to strong medium prismatic structure; very firm consistence moist; slickensides on ped faces.

Key Profile Features:
  • Lack of strong texture contrast between surface (A) horizons and subsoil (B) horizons.
  • Conspicuously bleached subsurface (A2) horizon.
Soil Profile Characteristics:


pH
Salinity Rating
Surface
(A1 horizon)
Strongly acid
Very low
Non-sodic
none
Subsoil
(B21 horizon)
Strongly acid
Very low
Non-sodic
none
Deeper subsoil
(at 1 m)
Strongly acid
Very low
Non-sodic
none


Graph: Site CFTT 4, pH levels
Graph: Site CFTT 4, Salinity Levels
Graph: Site CFTT 4, Exchangeable Aluminium
Graph: Site CFTT 4, Clay %

    The soil profile is very strongly

    acid throughout

    The salinity rating is low

    throughout the entire profile.

      The levels of exchangeable

      aluminium are reasonably
      high in the strongly acid
      surface soil and decrease
      in the subsoil.

    The clay content increases

    gradually with depth down
    the soil profile.

Horizon
Horizon Depth (cm)
pH
water
pH CaCl2
EC 1:5
Exchangeable Cations
Ex. Al mg/kg
Ex.
Acidity meq/100g
Field Capacity
pF 2.5
Wilting Point pF 4.2
Coarse Sand
(0.2 -2.0 mm)
Fine Sand (0.02-0.2 mm)
Silt (0.002-0.02 mm)
Clay
(<0.002 mm)
Ca
Mg
K
Na
meq/100 g
A1
0-20
5.1
4.4
0.06
2.2
1.2
0.15
1.17
110
16
26
7
1
46
35
14
A2
20-40
5.1
4.4
<0.05
0.37
0.56
<0.05
0.1
130
11
30
6
7
40
37
14
B21
40-80
5.1
4.5
<0.05
0.29
0.95
<0.05
0.08
64
6.1
25
6
6
40
38
17
B22
90-140
5.4
4.6
<0.05
<0.05
4.3
0.06
0.32
50
7.3
32
14
6
28
26
41

Management Considerations:
  • No physical impeding layers were evident in the 2 metre deep soil pit. The upper soil profile has a weak consistence and is likely to be fairly conducive to root movement.
  • The subsoil has very low levels of exchangeable calcium relative to other cations (i.e. calcium:magnesium ratio of < 0.1). This may result in calcium deficiency occurring for some plant species. The high levels of exchangeable magnesium may also inhibit uptake of nutrients such as calcium. In general, the soil profile has a relatively low nutrient holding capacity due in part to the high fine sand and silt contents.
  • Availability of some trace elements (e.g. copper, molybdenum) may be low in the strongly acid soil profile.
Profile Described By: Ian Sargeant and Justin Wong (2/6/99).
Page top