EGS266

Location: Mount Taylor

Australian Soil Classification: Bleached-Sodic, Magnesic, Brown CHROMOSOL

Map Unit: Deadhorse (Component 2)
Previous Site Name: EG266

General Landscape Description: Rolling low hills.
Site Description: ENE slope, 13% slope
Native Vegetation: Lowland herb rich forest
Geology: Devonian granite (porphyry)


EG266 - landscape

Soil Profile Morphology:

Surface Soil

A1	0 – 10 cm	Dark grey (7.5YR4/1); sandy loam; weak coarse angular blocky structure; very firm dry; pH 5.6; clear change to:	No soil pit photo available, but this was taken on a road exposure nearby. The surface soil is deeper than the sampled soil
A2	10 – 45 cm	Pale brown (10YR6/3), conspicuously bleached (7.5YR8/1); loamy sand; massive; pH 5.7; abrupt change to:
Subsoil
B21	40 – 90 cm	Greyish brown (10YR5/2), common (10-20%) coarse (15-30 mm) yellowish brown (10YR5/6) distinct mottles; medium clay; strong very coarse angular blocky structure parting to fine angular blocky; strong consistence dry; very few (<2%) rounded cobbles (60-200 mm); pH 5.5; diffuse change to:
B22	90 – 120 cm	Dark greyish brown (10YR4/2), many (20-50%) coarse (15-30 mm) yellowish brown (10YR5/8) distinct mottles; medium clay; strong coarse angular blocky structure; strong consistence dry; very few (<2%) rounded cobbles (60-200 mm); pH 5.3; diffuse change to:
B23	120 – 170	Light grey (10YR7/2), few very coarse (>30 mm) reddish yellow (5YR6/8) mottles; medium clay; coarse prismatic structure; very strong dry; few rounded cobbles.

• Strong texture contrast between the surface (A) horizons and the subsoil (B) horizon
• Strongly bleached subsurface soil (A2) horizon.

	pH	Sodicity	Dispersion
Surface soil (A1 horizon)	Moderately Acid	Non-Sodic	None
Subsoil (B21 horizon)	Strongly Acid	Non-Sodic	Slight1
Deeper subsoil (B22 horizon)	Strongly Acid	Sodic	Slight1

Horizon	Horizon Depth (cm)	pH (water)	pH CaCl2	EC dS/m	Organic Carbon %	Total Nitrogen %	Exch. Acididty meq/100g	Exchangeable Cations				Coarse Sand (0.2-2.0 mm) %	Fine Sand (0.02-0.2 mm) %	Silt (0.002-0.02 mm) %	Clay (<0.002 mm) %	Field cap. % w/w	Wilt. point % w/w
								Ca	Mg	K	Na
								meq/100g
A1	0-10	5.6	4.7	<0.05	2.9	0.17	9	56	2.2	1.2	0.3	30<0.1	36	17	10	27	6.1
A2	10-45	5.7	4.7	<0.05			4.5	45	0.4	0.5	<0.1	34<0.1	35	25	7	15.7	3
B21	45-90	5.5	4.2	0.06			12	220	0.4	4	0.2	190.5	22	14	44	29.1	16.8
B22	90-120	5.3	4.3	0.15			9.2	160	0.1	5.9	0.2	191	21	16	45	37.1	17.8

• On the assumption the roots can extract the water in the top 45 cm of the soil, the plant available water capacity is very low, estimated at 40 mm.

• The surface soil is moderately acidic and, because it is also moderately high in aluminium, lime application may be of benefit.
• Potassium is deficient and a response to potassium fertiliser is likely. This would particularly apply if pasture has been baled and removed from the site.
• The nutrient holding capacity of the soil is very low (based on the sum of the basic cations).

• Based on the sum of the basic cations, the subsoil has an extremely low nutrient holding capacity.
• The subsoil is sodic and strongly dispersive. The risk of gully and tunnel erosion is high in such soils.
• The level of exchangeable aluminium is high in the subsoil and would have a significant effect on species sensitive to aluminium.