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GHF09a

Location: Byaduk

Australian Soil Classification: Melacic-Mottled, Eutrophic, Grey CHROMOSOL (thick sandy surface horizons)
General Landscape Description: Level plain
Site Description: Flat
Land Unit: Warrabkook Basalts
Geology: Quaternary basalt

General Land Unit Description: This land unit consists of gently undulating basalt plains in the Macarthur area. In some drainage lines, the basalt has been dissected sufficiently to expose the underlying sediments. The soils on the basalt plains are commonly Brown Kurosols or Chormosols, intermixed with Sodosols, particularly on the lower slopes and drainage depressions. This site has two year old Eucalyptus globulus in a plantation on ex-agricultural land.

Soil pit Kan98 1-4 landscape


Soil Profile Morphology



A10-22 cmVery dark grey (10YR3/1); loamy sand; single grain structure; loose consistence, wet; pH 4.8; gradual and smooth change to:Soil pit Kan98 1 profile
A222-50 cmDark greyish brown (10YR4/2); loamy sand; single grain structure; loose consistence, pH 5.3; clear and smooth change to:
A350-55 cmBrown (10YR5/3); clayey sand; weak medium granular structure; very weak consistence, wet; contains common medium ferruginous nodules; pH 6.3; abrupt and smooth change to:
Subsoil
B2155-90 cmGrey (10YR5/1), with common coarse distinct reddish yellow (7.5YR6/8) and red (2.5YR4/8) mottles; light medium clay; strong polyhedral medium structure, parting to strong fine granular structure; weak consistence, moderately moist; contains common very fine macropores; pH 6.3; diffuse and smooth change to:
B2290-150 cmBrown (10YR7/1), with common very coarse prominent brownish yellow (10YR6/6) and red (2.5YR4/8) mottles; medium clay; strong very coarse vertical lenticular structure, parting to strong medium granular structure; weak consistence, moderately moist; pH 6.3; changes to:
150-300 cmClays with the odd sand pocket, similar to above; changes to:
300-400 cmDecomposing, soft and well aerated, vesicular basalt in a grey/yellow brown clay matrix.


Key Profile Features:
  • Strong texture contrast between sandy surface (A) horizons and clayey subsoil (B21)
  • Thick sandy surface (A) horizons


Soil Profile Characteristics:
-

pH
Salinity
Surface Soil
(A1 horizon)
Very Strongly Acid
Very Low
Non-Sodic
None
Subsoil
(B21)
Slightly Acid
Very Low
Non-Sodic
None
Deeper Subsoil
(90-150 cm)
Slightly Acid
Very Low
Marginally Sodic
None




Chemical and Physical Analysis:
Horizon
Horizon Depth
(cm)
pH
(water)
pH
(CaCl
2)
EC
dS/m
Exchangeable Aluminium
ppm
Exchangeable 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 Capacity
% w/w
Wilting Point
% w/w
Ca
Mg
K
Na
meq/100g
A1
0-22
4.8
4.1
<0.05
50
1.1
0.28
0.06
<0.05
29
23
9
8
9.4
2.8
A2
22-50
5.3
4.6
<0.05
<10
0.80
0.24
<0.05
<0.05
62
22
9
7
7.9
1.9
A3
50-55
6.3
5.5
<0.05
<10
2.4
2.5
0.07
0.11
49
17
7
37
14.7
8.7
B21
55-90
6.3
5.9
0.12
<10
6.9
3.3
5.4
0.12
0.67
32
11
7
52
26.9
17.0
B22
90-150
6.3
5.8
0.13
<10
6.9
3.0
6.2
0.11
1.1
28
11
7
55
31.2
18.1



Profile Described By: Ian Sargeant, Paul Feikema and Martin Clark, 3rd November 2000.
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