GL26

Location: Bahgallah

Australian Soil Classification: Hypercalcic, Subnatric, Grey SODOSOL (confidence level 1)
General Landscape Description: Plain
Site Description: Swale, 2% slope
Land Unit: Follet Dunes and Plains
Geology: Quaternary aeolian

General Land Unit Description: The majority of this land unit falls south of the Kanawinka fault. This land unit comprises areas with deep sand deposits. The residual landscape is thought to be influenced by the retreat of the Murray Sea which left stranded beach ridges oriented south west–north east. These were subsequently covered by superficial sand sheets in later depositional phases, which formed the landscape seen today.

The major landforms in this land unit are dunes and swales. Podosols and Kurosols or Chromosols are the major soil types found on the dunes and rises. Podosols are soils with a ‘coffee rock’ layer (refer to photograph). The Kurosols or Chromosols tend to have a deep sandy topsoil over the clay. The common soil types on the swales are black cracking clay (Vertosols) or Grey Sodosols. Some Ferric Kurosols or Chromosols can also occur on the swales or lower slopes of the dunes.

Soil Profile Morphology

Key profile features:

• Strong texture contrast between topsoil and subsoil
• Sandy topsoil
• Calcareous nodules throughout
• Strongly alkaline subsoil
• Sodic surface horizon
• Sodic subsoil
• Mottled subsoil
• Deeper topsoil dispersive when worked when wet
• Subsoil dispersive when worked when wet

Horizon	Horizon Depth (cm)	pH (water)	pH (CaCl2)	EC dS/m	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
A11	0-15
A12	15-35	6.8	6.1	0.19	1.8	0.57	0.11	0.55	33	59	3	4	5.0	1.9
A31	35-55	7.4	6.6	0.21	5.7	2.6	0.23	1.3	29	52	3	15	15.1	7.0
A33	55-90	8.1	7.2	0.24	7.4	3.3	0.27	1.7	27	47	3	22	22.0	9.8
B21	90-120	8.8	8.1	0.33	9.8	3.8	0.4	1.8	25	40	4	27	27.9	12.9
B22	120-190	9.0	8.3	0.36	8.4	3	0.3	1.5	22	33	3	26	27.1	12.0