Location: Murtoa
Soil Type: Drung Sandy Loam
Australian Soil Classification: Calcic, Mesonatric, Red SODOSOL
Northcote Factual Key: Dr 2.43
Great Soil Group: solodic soil
Mapping Unit: Drung Sandy Loam.
General Landscape Description: Level surface on a prior stream levee within a flood plain.
Site Description: Cleared and cultivated area, six kilometres south south west of Murtoa.
Geology: Late Tertiary to Quaternary Shepparton Formation.
Native Vegetation: Probably originally Yellow Gum (Eucalyptus leucoxylon).
IS16 Landscape |
A1 | 0-5 cm | Dark yellowish brown (10YR4/4); light fine sandy loam; hardsetting surface condition; weak coarse granular structure; very strong consistence dry; pH 5.9; sharp and irregular change to: | IS16 Profile |
A2e | 5-20 cm | Dark brown (7.5YR4/4) conspicuously bleached (7.5YR7/3); light fine sandy loam; weak coarse granular structure; weak consistence dry; pH 6.0; sharp change to: | |
A3e | 20-25 cm | Dark brown (7.5YR4/4) conspicuously bleached (7.5YR7/3); fine sandy loam; massive structure; very strong consistence dry; pH 8.5; sharp and wavy change to: | |
Subsoil | |||
B21 | 25-45 cm | Yellowish red (5YR4/6); medium clay; weak, very coarse prismatic structure; pH 9.0; gradual change to: | |
B22 | 45-70 cm | Strong brown (7.5YR5/6); light clay; weak, coarse prismatic structure; pH 9.5; gradual change to: | |
B23k | 70-95 cm | Strong brown (7.5YR5/6); medium clay; weak coarse prismatic structure; contains a few (2-10 %) soft carbonates; pH 9.7; sharp and wavy change to: | |
B31k | 95-130 cm | Brown (10YR5/3) with distinct yellowish red (5YR4/6) mottles; sandy clay; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; contains a few (2-10 %) soft carbonates; pH 9.7. |
pH | Salinity Rating | |||
Surface (A1 horizon) | Moderately Acid | Low | - | None1 |
Subsoil (B21 horizon) | Strongly Alkaline | Low | Strongly Sodic | Strong |
Deeper Subsoil (at 1 m) | Extremely Alkaline | High | Very Strongly Sodic | - |
The surface soil is moderately acid. The upper subsoil is strongly alkaline becoming very extremely alkaline with depth. | The salinity rating is low in the surface and upper subsoil becoming high with depth. | The profile is strongly sodic throughout. | The clay content jumps markedly at the surface subsoil boundary. |
Horizon | Sample Depth cm | pH | EC dS/m | Sodium Chloride % | Exchangeable Calcium cmol-/kg | Exchangeable Magnesium cmol-/kg | Exchangeable Potassium cmol-/kg | Exchangeable Sodium cmol-/kg | Exchangeable Aluminium mg/kg | Exchangeable Acidity cmol-/kg | Field Capacity -30okPa | Permanent Wilting Point -1500okPa | Coarse Sand % | Fine Sand % | Silt % | Clay % | |
H2O | CaCl2 | ||||||||||||||||
A1 | 0–5 | 5.9 | NA | 0.06 | 0.01 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 2.7 | NA | 2.7 | NA | 2.2 | 13 | 71 | 7 | 9 |
A2e | 5–20 | 6 | 5.2 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.1 | NA | 0.7 | 11.7 | 1.4 | 12 | 71 | 11 | 6 |
A3e | 20–25 | 8.5 | NA | 0.09 | 0.02 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 1.2 | NA | 0.5 | NA | 5.4 | 9 | 62 | 11 | 16 |
B21 | 25–45 | 9 | NA | 0.17 | 0.04 | 6.4 | 8.0 | 1.0 | 4.0 | NA | 1.0 | NA | 15.1 | 4 | 46 | 9 | 40 |
B22 | 45–70 | 9.5 | NA | 0.67 | 0.1 | 2.6 | 7.6 | 1.0 | 4.7 | NA | NA | 30.5 | 13.7 | 2 | 45 | 18 | 33 |
B23k | 70–95 | 9.7 | NA | 0.85 | 0.13 | 2.6 | 7.3 | 0.9 | 4.7 | NA | NA | NA | 12.8 | 11 | 27 | 28 | 30 |
B31k | 95–130 | 9.7 | NA | 0.72 | 0.11 | 2.4 | 8.6 | 1.0 | 5.6 | NA | NA | NA | 13.1 | 23 | 42 | 5 | 29 |
B32 | 130–165 | 9.6 | NA | 1.08 | 0.16 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | 18.9 | 16 | 31 | 5 | 41 |
B33 | 165–205 | 9.6 | NA | 1.08 | 0.16 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | 19.5 | 14 | 29 | 7 | 44 |