Location: Warncoort
Australian Soil Classification: Episodic-Endocalcareous, Massive, Grey VERTOSOL
General Landscape Description: Gently undulating plain.
Site Description: Flat.
Geology: Basalt plain.
SW84 Landscape
Soil Profile Morphology:
Surface Soil
A1 | 0-10 cm | Very dark grey (10YR3/1 moist); hardsetting surface condition with cracking; massive; clay loam; strong consistence dry; pH 6.8: | SW84 Profile |
Subsoil | |||
B21ss | 10-60 cm | Very dark grey (10YR3/1 moist); medium clay; prominent large slickensides; strong consistence dry; pH 8.3: | |
B22ss | 60-80 cm | Dark grey (10YR4/1 moist); medium clay; strong consistence dry; slightly calcareous; pH 9.1; clear change to: | |
B23k | 80-100 cm | Clay loam; soft carbonate; pH 9.5; abrupt change to: | |
B24ssg | 100+ cm | Light brownish grey (2.5Y6/2 moist) with faint brownish yellow (10YR6/6 moist) mottles common; light clay; thick lenticular structure; strong consistence dry; moderately calcareous in patches; pH 9.2. |
pH | Salinity Rating | |||
Surface (A1 horizon) | Slightly Acid | Low | Sodic | Strong1 |
Subsoil (B21 horizon) | Moderately Alkaline | Medium | Strongly Sodic | Strong1 |
Deeper Subsoil (at 80-100 cm) | Very Strongly Alkaline | High - Very High | Strongly Sodic | None2 |
1 Complete dispersion after remoulding. 2 No aggregate dispersion due to high levels of soluble salts, slight dispersion after remoulding. |
The surface soil is slightly acid. The subsoil is moderately alkaline becoming very strongly alkaline with depth. | Salinity rating is low in the surface becoming medium in the subsoil and high to very high in the deeper subsoil. |
| The clay content increases markedly at the A/B boundary. |
Horizon | Horizon Depth (cm) | pH (water) | pH (CaCl2) | EC 1:5 | NaCl % | Exchangeable Cations | |||
Ca | Mg | K | Na | ||||||
meq/100g | |||||||||
A1 | 0-10 | 6.8 | 5.8 | 0.18 | 5.7 | 14 | 0.85 | 2.8 | |
B21 | 10-60 | 8.3 | 7.4 | 0.5 | 0.07 | 7.2 | 20 | 1.2 | 6.7 |
B22 | 60-80 | 9.1 | 8.5 | 1.1 | 0.16 | 6.3 | 21 | 1.1 | 10 |
B23 | 80-100 | 9.5 | 8.7 | 0.83 | 0.11 | 3.9 | 9.7 | 0.5 | 6 |
B24 | 100+ | 9.2 | 8.5 | 1 | 0.16 |
Horizon | Horizon Depth (cm) | Organic Carbon % | Nitrogen % | 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 | 1.5 | 0.11 | 7.6 | 36.5 | 19.1 | 16 | 26 | 17 | 37 |
B21 | 10-60 | 54.9 | 28.3 | 7 | 19 | 19 | 53 | |||
B22 | 60-80 | 53.9 | 32.7 | 7 | 20 | 18 | 54 | |||
B23 | 80-100 | 32.7 | 16.2 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 33 | |||
B24 | 100+ |