GL111

Site: GL111	Land Unit: Merino Tablelands
*Aust. Soil Class.:* Episodic, Epipedal, Grey VERTOSOL (confidence level 1)

Soil pit GL111 landscape

Soil pit GL111 auger

General Land Unit Description:
This unit consists of the Cretaceous non-marine sandstone of the dissected Merino Tablelands. The tablelands were thought to have formed under swamp conditions and a warm climate. As a result, the soils tend to be high in clay and there tends to be carbon rich seams of charcoal deposits at depth in some of the profiles. The main soil type used to represent this land unit is black cracking clays (Vertosols) that can be sodic at depth. This soil type, along with Black Sodosols, Chromosols and Dermosols, are commonly found in the broad crests or drainage lines. The slopes often consist of Brown Chromosols, Sodosols or Dermosols, although black soils can also occur on the slopes. The lower slopes commonly have Grey Vertosols or Sodosols as the major soil type. The reasonably deep sodic soils on short steep slopes tend to be prone to landslips. The grey soils, in particular are prone to water erosion.

Site Description:

Slope: 6%	Geology: Cretaceous non-marine sandstone
Landform pattern: Rises to low hills	Position in landscape: Upper slope
Internal drainage: Imperfectly drained

Soil Profile Morphology

A1	0-25 cm	Very dark greyish brown (10YR3/2) loam, massive structure, pH 5.3; gradual transition to:
	Subsoil
B21	25-7 cm	Very dark greyish brown (10YR3/2) light clay, strong lenticular to subangular blocky structure (10-20 mm), pH 7; transition to:
B22	70-110 cm	Very dark grey (10YR3/1) medium clay, moderate structure, pH 8.4; transition to:
B23	110-165 cm	Brown (10YR4/3) heavy clay, pH 8.5; transition to:{,P>]
B24	164-180 cm	Dark greyish brown (10YR4/2) medium clay, pH 8.5; transition to:
BC	180-200+ cm	pH8.

Key profile features:

Strongly sodic subsoil
Cracking subsoil
Alkaline subsoil
Topsoil dispersive when worked when wet
Subsoil dispersive when dry

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