SW108

Location: Mt Gellibrand.

Australian Soil Classification: Endocalcareous-Endohypersodic, Self-mulching, Black VERTOSOL

General Landscape Description: Gently undulating plain with stony rises.
Site Description: A flat area at the base of a stony rise. It is subject to deposition by soil creep and wash of soil material eroded from the rise above, as well as possible reworking by water in swamp conditions, with the addition of organic material.
Geology: Late Quaternary basalt (Bartley 1984).
Soil Type: “Thistle-zone soil” (Leeper et al, 1936)

A1	0-20 cm	Black (10YR2/1); surface cracking; medium clay; strong coarse to medium sub-angular blocky structure; firm consistence slightly moist; non sticky; few fine (0.5 – 1 mm in size) well-rounded coloured quartz fragments; fine roots abundant; pH 6.7; clear change to:	SW108 Profile
Subsoil
B21	20-50 cm	Very dark greyish brown (10YR3/2); medium heavy clay; strong medium to fine angular blocky structure as well as lenticular structure; shiny faced peds; firm consistence slightly moist, slightly sticky; few fine (0.5 – 1 mm in size) quartz fragments; fewer roots than above; pH 8.7; gradual change to:
B22	50-70 cm	Black (10YR2/1); medium heavy clay; strong medium to fine lenticular structure; strong consistence; few (2%) fine (0.5 – 1 mm) quartz fragments; trace of calcium carbonate; root density similar to above; pH 8.9; gradual change to:
B23	70-100 cm	Very dark grey (10YR3/1); heavy clay; strong fine blocky structure; strong consistence; slickensides; few fine (0.5 – 1 mm in size) quartz fragments; few fine-earth carbonates; few roots; pH 9; clear and wavy change to:
B24k	100-130 cm	Dark greyish brown (2.5Y4/2); few soft manganese stains within clay; very many soft fine-earth carbonates; basalt inclusions; pH 9.4:
C	130+ cm	Weathered basalt with weathered black earth carbonate coatings.

• Soil profile cracks strongly when dry, with surface cracks forming.
• Clay texture throughout the soil profile.
• Significant shrinking and swelling occurs during wetting and drying cycles.
• Accumulations of calcium carbonate in the deeper subsoil.
• Vertic features (slickensides, lenticular structure) in the subsoil.
  

	pH	Salinity Rating	Sodicity	Dispersion
Surface (A1 horizon)	Slightly Acid	Very Low	Non-Sodic	None
Subsoil (B21 horizon)	Strongly Alkaline	Very Low	Non-Sodic	None1
Deeper subsoil (at 70-100 cm)	Strongly Alkaline	Low-Medium	Sodic	Slight2

Horizon	Horizon Depth (cm)	pH (water)	pH (CaCl2)	EC dS/m	NaCl %	Total Nitrogen %	Organic Carbon %	Exchangeable Cations
								Ca	Mg	K	Na
								meq/100g
A1	0-20	6.7	6.1	0.17		0.33	4.2	24	14	1.3	1.1
B21	20-50	8.7	8	0.21		0.1	1.8	30	21	0.66	2.4
B22	50-70	8.9	8.1	0.25		0.1	1.9	26	25	0.63	4.1
B23	70-100	9	8.3	0.43	0.02			21	36	0.7	7.2
B24k	100-130	9.4	8.6	0.52	0.02			10	28	0.4	7

Horizon	Horizon Depth (cm)	Extractable Iron %	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)
A1	0-20	0.8	11	49	29	8	21	12	47
B21	20-50	0.64		55	31	7	18	12	56
B22	50-70			56	30	6	17	16	53
B23	70-100			59	35
B24k	100-130