ESAS10b

Location: Inverleigh

Australian Soil Classification: Vertic (& Ferric), Mottled-Mesonatric Grey SODOSOL

General Landscape Description: Gently Undulating Plain.
Site Description: Flat.
Land Use: Cropping.

Photo: ESAS10c Landscape
ESAS10b Landscape

Soil Profile Morphology:

Surface Soil

A1	0-14 cm	Dark brown (7.5YR3/2); sandy clay loam; moderate coarse blocky, parting to moderate very fine granular structure; pH 5.6:	ESAS10b Profile
A2	14-30 cm	Contains very many (80%) medium and coarse (4-15 mm in size) ferruginous nodules; pH 5.7; discontinuous layer that occurs in <20% of the exposed pit face area:
Subsoil
B21	30-45 cm	Brown (7.5YR4/2) with many (50%) dark red (2.5YR3/8) mottles; medium clay; strong coarse sub-angular blocky parting to medium sub-angular blocky structure; pH 7.2:
B22	45-80 cm	Pale yellow (2.5Y7/4) with yellowish red (5YR5/8) mottles; medium heavy clay; moderate medium lenticular parting to fine lenticular structure; pH 8.5:
B/C	80-110 cm	Brown (7.5YR5/4) with light yellowish brown (10YR6/4) mottles; medium heavy clay; dark stains evident; pH 8.8.
		ESAS10b and ESAS10c Soil profile variability. ESAS10c is on the left and ESAS10b is on the right.

Soil Profile Characteristics:

	pH	Salinity Rating	Sodicity	Dispersion
Surface (A1 horizon)	Moderately Acid	Low-Medium	Non-Sodic	None
Subsoil (B21 horizon)	Slightly Alkaline	Low	Strongly Sodic	Strong¹
Deeper Subsoil (at 80-110 cm)	Strongly Alkaline	Low-Medium	Strongly Sodic	Strong¹

¹Complete dispersion after remoulding.

Image: ESAS10b Graphs

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

The salinity rating is low to medium in the surface. The salinity rating in the upper subsoil is low becoming low to medium at depth.

The surface is non sodic. The subsoil is strongly sodic.

The clay content sharply increases at the A-B horizon interface.

Horizon	Horizon Depth (cm)	pH (water)	pH CaCl₂	EC (dS/m)	NaCl %	Exchangeable Cations
						Ca	Mg	K	Na
						meq/100g
A1	0-14	5.6	5	0.17		3.2	1.2	0.75	0.31
A2	14-30	5.7	4.9	0.07		1.4	0.76	0.19	0.25
B21	30-45	7.2	6.2	0.21		4	9.1	0.77	4.3
B22	45-80	8.5	7.5	0.26	0.014	4	11	0.81	5.3
B/C	80-110	8.8	7.9	0.35	0.02	3.7	11	0.69	5.3

Horizon	Horizon Depth (cm)	Oxidisable Organic Carbon %	Total Nitrogen %	Exchangeable Acidity meq/100g	Exchangeable Aluminium mg/kg	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	0-14	1.3	0.11	4.9	<10	14.8	5	34	39	9	15
A2	14-30	0.66	<0.05	4.0	<10	14.1	4.6	42	33	9	11
B21	30-45					40.5	23.3	18	13	6	59
B22	45-80					39.1	21.5	25	19	8	43
B/C	80-110							31	14	8	44

Profile Described By: Mark Imhof (July 2008).

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