GL173
Location: Dobie
Australian Soil Classification: Mottled, Epipedal, Brown VERTOSOL (confidence level 1)
General Landscape Description: Level to gently undulating plain
Site Description: Plain (2% slope)
Land Unit: Hillside Basalts
Geology: Quaternary basalt
General Land Unit Description: This land unit represents the gently undulating to undulating basalt plains around Ararat. The plains are often dissected with very slight rises. The soils on the plains are commonly Brown Vertosols (represented by this site). There are commonly large cracks on the surface when the soil is dry and the soils themselves indicate significant movement. GL172 represents the lighter textured basalt soils on the slight rises, predominantly Red Sodosols. The soil indicates that there is some gilgai micro-relief although it is not that evident on the surface. Rock outcrop can occur, particularly on the crests of the small rises. Ferromanganiferous nodules can occur above the clayey subsoil. This often occurs as a thin band.
| Surface Soil |  | |  |
| A1 | 0-15 cm | Dark brown (10YR3/3); medium clay; strong very fine polyhedral structure; firm consistence, dry; pH 5.6; clear and wavy change to: | |
| Subsoil | | | |
| B21 | 15-40 cm | Brown (10YR5/3), with many distinct reddish yellow (7.5YR6/8) mottles; heavy clay; strong coarse prismatic parting to strong coarse angular blocky structure; very firm consistence, dry; pH 6.1; clear change to: | |
| B22 | 40-90 cm | Dark greyish brown (10YR4/2), with many distinct strong brown (7.5YR4/6) mottles; heavy clay; strong coarse prismatic parting to strong coarse angular blocky structure; a few distinct slickensides evident; pH 6.4; diffuse change to: | |
| B3 | 90-140 cm | Light olive brown (2.5Y5/4), with many faint light brownish grey (2.5YR6/2) mottles; heavy clay; strong lenticular structure; a few distinct slickensides evident; pH 6.5. |
Key Profile Features:
- Clay throughout
- Cracking soil
- Sodic at depth
- Mottled subsoil
- Topsoil dispersive when worked when wet
- Subsoil dispersive when dry
Soil Profile Characteristics:
- | pH | Salinity | ||
Surface Soil (A1 horizon) | Moderately Acid | Very Low | Non-Sodic | None1 |
Subsoil (15-40 cm) | Slightly Acid | Low | Sodic | Complete |
Deeper Subsoil (90 -140 cm) | Slightly Acid | Low | Sodic | None1 |
Chemical and Physical Analysis:
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 | 0-15 | 5.6 | 4.6 | 0.09 | 28 | 15 | 6.4 | 7.6 | 0.8 | 0.86 | 6 | 19 | 14 | 55 | 34.0 | 21.5 |
B21 | 15-40 | 6.1 | 5.1 | 0.14 | 13 | 14 | 6.4 | 10 | 0.6 | 1.9 | 5 | 14 | 10 | 69 | 44.7 | 27.8 |
B22 | 40-90 | 6.4 | 5.3 | 0.26 | <10 | 13 | 5.5 | 9.4 | <0.1 | 2.6 | 3 | 13 | 14 | 67 | 42.8 | 27.0 |
B3 | 90-140 | 6.5 | 6.3 | 0.27 | <10 | 11 | 4.7 | 11 | 0.1 | 4.3 | 1 | 10 | 8 | 79 | 50.8 | 30.5 |
Profile Described By: Mark Imhof, Natalie Baxter and Nathan Robinson, 28th November 2000.
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