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GP83

Location: FernbankAustralian Soil Classification: Vertic (& Magnesic), Mottled-Subnatric, Brown SODOSOL (medium to thick sandy surface horizons)
Great Soil Group: solodised solonetzGeneral Landscape Description: Undulating plain with low rises.
Site Description: Grazing paddock.Geology: Quaternary (Pleistocene) sediments.
Mapping Unit: Fernbank

Photo: Site EG1 Landscape
Site GP83 Landscape


Soil Profile Morphology:

Surface Soil

A10-15 cmDark brown (10YR3/3); loamy sand; pH 4.9; clear change to:

Photo: Site EG1 Soil Profile
Site GP83 Profile
A215-30 cmLight yellowish brown (10YR6/4) conspicuously bleached (10YR8/1 dry) mottles; sand; pH 5.1; sharp change to:
Subsoil

B2130-60 cmYellowish brown (10YR5/6) with brownish yellow (10YR6/8) and greyish brown (10YR5/2) mottles; medium heavy clay; strong very coarse columnar, parting to weak-moderate very coarse blocky and weak coarse polyhedral structure; strong consistence (dry); pH 6.3; gradual change to:

B2260-100 cmBrownish yellow (10YR6/6, 6/8); light medium clay (sandy); strong very coarse prismatic structure; isolated rounded quartz gravel (5 cm); isolated slickensides; pH 7.0; gradual change to:

B23100-120+ cmYellowish brown (10YR5/6); medium clay (sandy); moderate coarse prismatic, parting to moderate coarse blocky structure; dark staining evident; contains few (10%) quartz grit; pH 7.3.

Key Profile Features:
  • Strong texture contrast between sandy surface (A) horizons and clayey subsoil (B21) horizon.
  • Conspicuously bleached subsurface (A2) horizon.

Soil Profile Characteristics:

Horizon
pH
Salinity Rating
Surface
(A1 horizon)
Very Strongly Acid
Very Low
Non-Sodic
None
Subsoil
(B21 horizon)
Slightly Acid
Low
Sodic
Strong
Deeper subsoil
(at 100-120+ cm)
Slightly Alkaline
Medium
Strongly Sodic
Slight - Moderate

Photo: Site EG1 graphs
    Photo: Site EG1 graphs

Horizon
Horizon Depth
(cm)
pH
(water)
pH
(CaCl2)
EC 1:5
Exchangeable Aluminium
mg/kg
Exchangeable Cations
Ca
Mg
K
Na
meq/100g
A1
0-15
4.9
4.3
0.08
26
1.5
0.41
0.07
0.28
A2
15-30
5.1
4.5
<0.05
13
0.35
0.10
<0.05
0.21
B21
30-60
6.3
5.2
0.11
12
2.1
6.1
0.14
1.7
B22
60-100
7.0
6.1
0.16
0.98
7.3
0.13
2.6
B23
100-120+
7.3
6.7
0.58
0.7
7.3
0.1
3.7

Horizon
Horizon Depth
(cm)
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)
Bulk Density
Kg/L
A1
0-15
7.7
11
4
50
32
9
4
A2
15-30
1.1
7
1
50
37
8
2
1.5
B21
30-60
7.4
29
18
23
18
8
50
1.6
B22
60-100
28
24
21
9
48
B23
100-120+
17
15
9
30
18
42

Management Considerations:

Surface (A) Horizons
  • The sandy surface horizons have a low water storage capacity. The low wilting point values indicate that plants will be able to utilise light rains falling on relatively dry soils. However, due to the low water storage capacity, plants will soon suffer moisture stress unless further rainfall occurs. Organic matter is important in these sandy soils to enhance water holding capacity – as well as to enhance aggregation as well as fertility. These sandy soils have a low inherent fertility and are very strongly acid. Such strongly leached soils are also likely to be naturally deficient in nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur and potassium. Lime application will result in increased pH levels and make certain nutrients such as phosphorus more available to plants. Deficiencies of the trace element molybdenum (Mo) are also likely to occur in acid sandy soils (soil adsorption of MO increases as pH decreases, leading to reduced availability to plants).

Subsoil (B) Horizons
  • The dense and coarsely structured upper subsoil is sodic and strongly dispersive. This will result in restricted root and water movement into the subsoil. After heavy rains water is likely to build up on top of the subsoil – leading to potential waterlogging in the sandy surface horizons.
Profile Described By: Mark Imhof and Ian Sargeant (May 2004).
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