SFS6

Location: Cardigan

Australian Soil Classification: Vertic (& Ferric), Mottled-Mesonatric, Yellow SODOSOL

General Landscape Description: Plain within the Victorian volcanic plains.
Site Description: Slope with gilgai microrelief. Profile description midway down gilgai hollow.
Land Use: Raised bed cropping.
Soil Type: Similar to SFS5a & SFS5b.

		SFS6 Profile. Measuring tape shows the gilgai across the profile face over a 3 m width, rather than the depth of the profile.
SFS6 Landscape. Note: the variability due to gilgai is easy to view along this drainage line.

Soil Profile Morphology:

Surface Soil			SFS6 Soil surface.
Ap	0 – 15 cm	Surface is weak and powdery with a surface seal, >10 % of surface has exposed coarse buckshot where <10 % is magnetic; brown (10YR4/3); fine sandy clay loam; apedal; firm consistence dry; pH 5.7; clear change to:
A2c	15 – 40/45 cm	Pale brown (10YR6/3) conspicuously bleached (10YR7/3 dry); light fine sandy clay loam; apedal; abundant (~50 %) medium (5-25 mm) buckshot gravel that is hard but can be broken with some finger force having black manganiferous centres becoming cemented at base of horizon; pH 5.4; clear change to:
Subsoil
B1c	40/45 – 60 cm	Fine sandy clay loam; abundant (~80 %) medium to coarse (10-40 mm) manganiferous buckshot/ironstone gravel; pH 6.7; abrupt change to:
B21tg	60 – 120+ cm	Light yellowish brown (2.5Y6/4) with prominent small linear dark red (2.5YR4/8) mottles with a brownish yellow (10YR6/8) fringe; light medium clay; fine (5-10 mm) polyhedral structure; pH 7.2.

Key Profile Features:

Lateral variation in soil horizons due to gilgai microrelief (e.g. variations in subsurface A1 horizon thickness).

Soil Profile Characteristics:

	pH	Salinity Rating	Sodicity	Dispersion
Surface (A1 horizon)	Moderately Acid	Low	Non-Sodic	None
Subsoil (B21 horizon higher)	Neutral	Very Low	Sodic	None
Deeper Subsoil (B21 horizon lower)	Slightly Alkaline	Low	Sodic	None

Horizon	Horizon Depth (cm)	pH (water)	pH (CaCl₂)	EC dS/m	Organic Carbon %	Nitrogen %	Exchangeable Cations
							Ca	Mg	K	Na
							meq/100g
Ap	0-15	5.7	4.9	0.09	1.2	0.11	3.1	0.81	0.38	0.14
A2	15-40/45	5.4	4.6	<0.05			1.9	0.51	0.17	0.08
B1	40/45-60	6.7	5.7	0.05			2.1	2.6	0.17	0.51
B21 (Higher)	60-90	7.0	6.0	0.1			3.6	8.2	0.29	1.7
B21 (Lower)	90-120	7.2	6.3	0.17			3.9	10	0.35	2.6

Horizon	Horizon Depth (cm)	Exchangeable Aluminium mg/kg	Exchangeable Acidity meq/100g	Field Capacity pF2.5	Wilting Point pF4.2	Coarse Sand (0.2-2.0 mm)	Fine Sand (0.02-0.2 mm)	Silt (0.002-0.02 mm)	Clay (<0.002 mm)


Ap	0-15	<10	6.9	29	7.0	4	46	25	19
A2	15-40/45	18	6.5	27.9	18.5	8	46	25	16
B1	40/45-60		6.3	27.3	9.9	11	39	20	27
B21 (Higher)	60-90		9.4	39.0	22.6	6	8	15	63
B21 (Lower)	90-120		9.4	46.0	25.1	3	16	12	66

Management Considerations:

Whole Profile

Plant available water capacity (PAWC) in the gilgai hollow is considered to be low (estimated at 88 mm) in the upper 100 cm of this soil profile.

Profile Described By: Richard MacEwan (May 1999).

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