SW69

Location: Barongarook West.

Australian Soil Classification: Bleached-Ferric (& Reticulate), Eutrophic, Brown CHROMOSOL (very thick loamy surface horizons)

General Landscape Description: Gently inclined undulating rises.
Site Description: Waning mid slope.
Geology: Hanson Plain Sand

SW69 Landscape

Soil Profile Morphology:

Surface Soil

A1h	0-15/20 cm	Very dark greyish brown (10YR3/2 moist and dry); sandy loam; apedal; pH 6.3; weak consistence; gradual change to:	SW69 Profile. Note: Surface (A1) horizon has been stripped from the soil profile.
A21e	20-40 cm	Very pale brown (10YR7/4 moist), conspicuously bleached (10YR7/2 dry); sandy loam; clear change to:
A22g	40-60 cm	Very pale brown (10YR7/4 moist), conspicuously bleached (10YR7/2 dry); sandy loam; many (>25%) light yellowish brown (10YR6/4 moist) and dark yellowish brown (10YR4/6 moist) mottles; pH 5.7; clear change to:
A23c	60-100 cm	Irregular to rounded iron gravel (>80%) (10-30 mm) in very pale brown (10YR7/4 moist), conspicuously bleached (10YR7/2 dry); sandy loam matrix; abrupt change to:
Subsoil
B21tg	100-150 cm	Very dark grey (10YR3/1 moist) on ped faces, very distinct large reticulate mottles 40% grey (7.5YR6/1 moist), 50% yellowish brown (10YR5/8 moist), 10% yellowish red (5YR5/8 moist), brightest in ped centres; sandy light medium clay; medium polyhedral/blocky structure (<50 mm); pH 5.9:
C/Bg	150-230 cm	Very dark grey (10YR3/1 moist) on ped faces, mottled <20% grey (7.5YR6/1 moist), >60% yellowish brown (10YR5/8 moist), 10% yellowish red (5YR5/8 moist), brightest in ped centres; apedal except for B component; more sand than B21; pH 5.2:
2Bgb(?)	230 cm+	Very dark grey (10YR3/1 moist) on ped faces, 60% grey (7.5YR6/1 moist), 20% yellowish brown (10YR5/8 moist), 20% yellowish red (5YR5/8 moist), brightest in ped centres; pedal with dark clay/organic coatings (cutans); pH 5.2.

Key Profile Features:

Very thick conspicuously bleached subsurface (A2) horizons.
Larger amounts of ironstone gravel in deeper subsurface (A23) horizon.
Strong texture contrast between surface (A) horizons and subsoil (B21) horizon.
Strong reticulate mottling in deep subsoil.

Soil Profile Characteristics:

	pH	Salinity Rating	Sodicity	Dispersion
Surface (A1 horizon)	Slightly Acid	Very Low	Non-Sodic	None
Subsoil (B21 horizon)	Moderately Acid	Very Low	Non-Sodic	None
Deeper Subsoil (at 200-220 cm)	Strongly Acid	Very Low	-	-

Image: SW69 Graphs

The surface is slightly acid. The subsoil is moderately acid becoming strongly acid with depth

Salinity rating is very low throughout the profile.

The soil is non sodic throughout.

Clay levels jump markedly at the surface / subsoil boundary.

Horizon	Sampling Depth (cm)	pH (water)	pH (CaCl₂)	EC 1:5	Organic Carbon %	Nitrogen %	Exchangeable Cations
							Ca	Mg	K	Na
							meq/100g
A1	0-10	6.3	5.6	0.12	3.3	0.21	7.1	0.38	0.24	0.13
A22	40-55	5.7	4.7	<0.05			0.95	0.37	<0.05	<0.05
B21	110-130	5.9	5	0.06			0.79	6.6	0.11	0.55
C/Bg	200-220	5.2	4.3	0.05
2Bgb	260-280	5.0	4.1	0.09

Horizon	Sampling Depth (cm)	Exchangeable Aluminium mg/kg	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	0-10	<10	6.5	18.5	6.2	26.9	45.9	14.5	9
A22	40-55	26	3.9	12.7	2.8	30.4	42	18	9.5
B21	110-130	11	6.5	23	14.4	29.2	24.4	6	40
C/Bg	200-220
2Bgb	260-280

Notes:
Mapped as Tpb. Upslope (west of this profile) soil becomes much browner in B21 (7.5YR4/6). Gravel in A2 as before but finer and possibly more manganiferous (darker). Middle layer has angular, irregular and rounded iron-rich fragments of sandstone. Other fine (<10 mm) alluvials-rounded quartz gravel present.

Profile Described By: Richard McEwan (March1999).

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