Location: Big Desert.
Australian Soil Classification: Calcic, Mottled-Subnatric, Yellow SODOSOL (sandy surface horizon)
Northcote Factual Key: Dy 5.43
Great Soil Group: solodized solonetz
General Landscape Description: Crest of a dune on a gently undulating sand rise (dunefield) south of the Big Desert.
Native Vegetation: Mallee.
LS17 Landscape |
A1 | 0-10 cm | Light yellowish brown (10YR6/4); loamy sand; weakly structured; pH 7.7: | LS17 Profile |
A2 | 10-15 cm | Light yellowish brown (10YR6/4) conspicuously bleached; fine sand; pH 8.6; sharp and wavy change to: | |
Subsoil | |||
B21 | 15-30 cm | Light yellowish brown (10YR6/4) with brownish yellow (10YR6/6) mottles; coarse sandy clay loam; weak to moderate coarse columnar structure with hard bleached capping; strong consistence dry; pH 8.9; clear and wavy change to: | |
B22k | 30-60 cm | Light yellowish brown (10YR6/4) with yellowish red (5YR5/6) mottles; light medium clay (sandy); moderate coarse prismatic, parting to strong coarse blocky structure; ped faces may have a discontinuous carbonate coating; pH 9.4: | |
B31k | 60-100 cm | Red (2.5YR4/8) with strong brown (7.5YR5/6) mottles; coarse sandy clay loam; massively structured; strong consistence dry; contains few (5 %) calcareous nodules; pH 9.6: | |
B32 | 100-150 cm | Light yellowish brown (10YR6/4) with yellowish red (5YR5/6) mottles; medium clay (sandy); moderate medium blocky structure; contains very few (< 2%) hard carbonate nodules; pH 9.8: | |
B33 | 150+ cm | Yellowish red (5YR5/6) with light yellowish brown (10YR6/4) mottles; medium clay (sandy); pH 9.8. |
pH | Salinity | |||
Surface (A1 horizon) | Slightly Alkaline | Very Low | Non-Sodic | None |
Subsoil (B21 horizon) | Strongly Alkaline | Very Low | Strongly Sodic | Strong |
Deeper Subsoil (at 1 metre) | Extremely Alkaline | Low-Medium | Strongly Sodic | Strong |
The surface soil is slightly alkaline. The subsoil is strongly alkaline becoming extremely alkaline at depth. | The salinity rating is very low in the surface and upper subsoil becoming moderate with depth. | The surface is non-sodic. The subsoil is strongly sodic. |
Horizon | Horizon Depth (cm) | pH (water) | pH (CaCl2) | EC dS/m | Sodium Chloride % | Exchangeable Cations | |||
Ca | Mg | K | Na | ||||||
meq/100g | |||||||||
A1 | 0-10 | 7.7 | 7.1 | <0.05 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.1 | |
A2 | 10-15 | 8.6 | 7.9 | <0.05 | 0.6 | 02 | 0.1 | 0.1 | |
B21 | 15-30 | 8.9 | 7.8 | 0.15 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 0.7 | 1.7 | |
B22 | 30-60 | 9.4 | 8.5 | 0.32 | <0.05 | 6.7 | 8 | 1.2 | 3.4 |
B31 | 60-100 | 9.6 | 8.4 | 0.2 | 3.4 | 5.7 | 0.7 | 2.9 | |
B32 | 100-150 | 9.8 | 8.8 | 0.46 | <0.05 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 7.5 |
B33 | 150+ | 9.8 | 8.8 | 0.55 | <0.05 | 2.9 | 7.8 | 1 | 7.9 |
Horizon | Horizon Depth (cm) | Total Nitrogen % | Oxidisable Organic Carbon % | Field Capacity pF2.5 | Wilting Point pF4.2 |
A1 | 0-10 | <0.05 | 0.3 | 2.9 | 1.4 |
A2 | 10-15 | <0.05 | 0.1 | 1.9 | 1.1 |
B21 | 15-30 | 19.1 | 11.3 | ||
B22 | 30-60 | ||||
B31 | 60-100 | ||||
B32 | 100-150 | ||||
B33 | 150+ |