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WCSS06

Location: Bellarine


Australian Soil Classification: Hypercalcic, Mottled-Subnatric, Brown SODOSOL


General Landscape Description: Rises.
Site Description: Upper slope (8% slope) of a hill slope.
Geology: Tertiary (Neogene) sediments, poorly consolidated ferruginised sandstone.
Land Use: Vineyard.

Image: WCSS06 & 07 Landscape
WCSS06 Landscape

Soil Profile Morphology:

Surface Soil


A110-15 cmDark brown (7.5YR3/2); light sandy loam; weak structure; rough faced peds; weak consistence dry; pH 6.3; clear change to:

Image: WCSS06 Profile WCSS06 Profile
A1215-25 cmDark brown (7.5YR3/2); heavy loamy sand; massive; earthy fabric; weak consistence dry; contains a few coarse (6-22 mm in size) ferruginous and ferro-manganiferous concretions; pH 5.4; clear change to:

A225-40 cmBrown (7.5YR4/2); heavy loamy sand; massive structure; earthy fabric; weak consistence dry; very coarse ferruginous nodules common; many distinct clay cutans present; pH 5.9; clear and wavy change to:
Subsoil

B2140 - 70 cmYellowish brown (10YR5/4) with many very dark grey (10YR3/1) and yellowish red (5YR5/8) mottles; medium heavy clay; strong very coarse angular blocky, parting to strong medium angular blocky structure; smooth faced peds; very firm consistence moderately moist; contains a few very coarse soft calcareous segregations in patches as well as very few coarse fragments; many distinct clay cutans evident; pH 6.4; changing to:

C170 – 90 cmYellowish brown (10YR5/6) with many very dark greyish brown (10YR3/2) and very pale brown (10YR7/3) mottles; sandy clay; moderate fine polyhedral structure; rough faced peds; contains many very coarse calcareous soft segregations, as well as many angular ferruginised sandstone fragments; some distinct infill evident; highly calcareous; pH 8.7; changing to:

C290 – 130+ cmYellowish brown (10YR5/6) with many very dark greyish brown (10YR3/2) and very pale brown (10YR7/3) mottles; sandy clay; massive; contains a common amount of very coarse soft calcareous segregations; contains abundant ferruginised sandstone fragments; some distinct clayey infills evident; highly calcareous; pH 8.8.


Soil Profile Characteristics:


pH

Salinity Rating
Surface
(A1 horizon)
Slightly Acid
Low
Non-Sodic
None 1
Subsoil
(B21 horizon)
Slightly Acid
Low
Sodic
Moderate1
Deeper Subsoil
(at 90-130+ cm)
Strongly Alkaline
Low
Sodic
Strong
1 Strong dispersion after remoulding.

Image:  WCSS06 Graphs

The surface and upper subsoil is slightly acidic. The deeper subsoil is strongly alkaline.The salinity rating is low throughout the profile.The surface is non-sodic. The subsoil is sodic, with sodicity increasing with depth.There is a sharp increase in clay content at the surface / subsoil boundary.

Horizon
Horizon Depth
(cm)
pH
(water)
pH
(CaCl2)
EC
dS/m
Sodium Chloride
%
Exchangeable Cations
Ca
Mg
K
Na
meq/100g
A11
0-15
6.3
5.7
0.14
5.6
1.4
0.82
0.33
A12
15-25
5.4
4.8
0.1
2.6
0.66
0.24
0.2
A2
25-40
5.9
5.2
0.09
2.6
0.61
0.23
0.25
B2
40-70
6.4
5.6
0.2
11
9.0
0.48
1.8
C1
70-90
8.7
8.1
0.27
0.01
6.1
4.7
0.34
1.4
C2
90-130
8.8
8.2
0.26
0.01
4.7
3.5
0.24
1.4


Horizon
Horizon Depth
(cm)
Oxidisable Organic Carbon
%
Nitrogen
g/100g
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)
A11
0-15
2.2
0.13
<10
5.1
16.4
5.3
7
71
6
11
A12
15-25
1.3
0.06
<10
5.4
14.7
4.5
10
72
4
11
A2
25-40
0.83
<0.05
<10
4.8
14.5
4.6
25
62
9
6
B2
40-70
1.1
0.1
<10
10
42.4
23.1
2
30
3
61
C1
70-90
23.8
13.0
6
52
2
31
C2
90-130

Profile Described By: David Rees and Siegfried Engleitner (March 2010).
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