SW92
Location: Batesford
Australian Soil Classification: Vertic, Calcic (& Sodic), Black DERMOSOL (shallow profile depth)
General Landscape Description: Gently undulating plain.
Site Description: Flat
Geology: Quaternary Basalt - Newer volcanics
Soil Profile Morphology:
Surface Soil
| A1 | 0-10 cm | Very dark grayish brown (10YR3/2 moist and 10YR4/2 dry); fine sandy clay loam; cracking hard surface crust, possibly weak self-mulching; firm consistence dry; pH 6.2; gradual change to: |  SW92 Profile - Note: Surface (A1) horizon has been stripped from soil profile. |
| Subsoil |  | | |
| B21 | 10-40 cm | Very dark grey (10YR3/1 moist); medium heavy clay; coarse polyhedral (20-50 mm) to prismatic structure (defined by larger cracking pattern); rough-faced peds; pH 8.0; clear change to: | |
| B22 | 40-60 cm | Brown (10YR4/3 moist); heavy clay; polyhedral structure; weakly vertic; small (<20 mm) slickensides; pH 8.9; clear change to: | |
| B23k/R | 60 cm+ | Grayish brown (10YR5/2 moist); clay; soft, very pale brown (10YR8/2 moist) carbonate; rounded weathered hard fractured basalt; pH 9.0. |
Key Profile Features:
- Shallow surface (A1) horizon).
- Gradual texture change from surface (A) horizon to subsoil (B21) horizon.
- Shallow to moderate soil depth (overlying fractured weathered basalt).
Soil Profile Characteristics:
| pH | Salinity Rating | ||
Surface (A1 horizon) | Slightly Acid | Low | Non-Sodic | None1 |
Subsoil (B21 horizon) | Moderately Alkaline | Low-Medium | Strongly Sodic | Strong-Complete |
Deeper Subsoil (at 70-80 cm) | Strongly Alkaline | Extremely High | Strongly Sodic | None2 |
| 1 Strong dispersion after remoulding. 2 Probably due to high levels of soluble salts. | ||||
 |
| The surface is slightly acid. The subsoil is moderately alkaline becoming strongly alkaline at depth. | | Salinity rating is low in the surface and upper subsoil becoming extremely high in the deeper subsoil. | | The soil is non sodic in the surface and strongly sodic in the subsoil. | | The clay content increases gradually down the profile. |
Horizon | Sample Depth (cm) | pH (water) | pH (CaCl2) | EC 1:5 | NaCl % | Exchangeable Cations | |||
Ca | Mg | K | Na | ||||||
meq/100g | |||||||||
A1 | 0-5 | 6.2 | 5.5 | 0.15 | | 7.1 | 6.6 | 0.84 | 0.77 |
B21 | 10-40 | 8 | 7 | 0.33 | 0.05 | 3 | 13 | 0.8 | 4.5 |
B22 | 40-60 | 8.9 | 8.3 | 0.85 | 0.16 | 7 | 19 | 1 | 8 |
B23k/r | 70-80 | 9 | 8.6 | 1.7 | 0.33 | 5.8 | 21 | 0.8 | 11 |
Horizon | Sample 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 | 0-5 | 2.6 | 0.22 | 8.7 | 32 | 14.4 | 9 | 38 | 18 | 29 |
B21 | 10-40 | | | | 48.6 | 24 | 7 | 29 | 12 | 47 |
B22 | 40-60 | | | | 54.4 | 27.5 | 6 | 21 | 12 | 56 |
B23k/r | 70-80 | | | | 60.7 | 31.5 | | | | |
Profile Described By: Richard McEwan (March 1999).
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