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 Profile Morphology

A1	0-22 cm	Very dark grey (10YR3/1); loamy sand; single grain structure; loose consistence, wet; pH 4.8; gradual and smooth change to:
A2	22-50 cm	Dark greyish brown (10YR4/2); loamy sand; single grain structure; loose consistence, pH 5.3; clear and smooth change to:
A3	50-55 cm	Brown (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
B21	55-90 cm	Grey (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:
B22	90-150 cm	Brown (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 cm	Clays with the odd sand pocket, similar to above; changes to:
	300-400 cm	Decomposing, soft and well aerated, vesicular basalt in a grey/yellow brown clay matrix.

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

Horizon	Horizon Depth (cm)	pH (water)	pH (CaCl2)	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