MM231

Site: MM231	Land Unit: Lake Elingamite and Cobrico
*Aust. Soil Class.:* Vertic, Subnatric, Black SODOSOL (Confidence level 4)

General Land Unit Description:
The undulating rises and plains surrounding the maars in the Cobden area consist of Black Sodosols and friable Black Dermosols or Chromosols. The maars themselves are either water-filled or black cracking clays. These soils have strongly developed hard setting surface horizons over mottled clay subsoils that are dominantly black. They typically have a subsurface horizon that is sporadically bleached. Although this indicates intermittent waterlogging, it is not as severe as similar soil types. These soils tend to have acid soil reaction trends.

Site Description:

Geology: Quaternary basalt	Landform pattern: Gently undulating plains and rises
Position in landscape: Crest	Internal drainage: Imperfectly drained

Soil Profile Morphology

A1	0-15 cm	Very dark brown, dark brown or very dark greyish brown, fine sandy clay loam, silty clay loam or more commonly clay loam, structure-less. Transition to:
A2	15-35 cm	Brown to dark brown fine sandy clay loam, silty clay loam or, more commonly, clay loam, sporadically bleached light grey when dry, structure-less with abundant levels of ferromanganiferous nodules often present, concentrated in the lower portion of the horizon. Transition to:
	Subsoil
B2	35+ cm	Very dark grey, very dark greyish brown or black, heavy clay, red mottles are common, strong coarse blocky structure which may break down into finer units. Hard and soft carbonate nodules can be found in well defined profiles. In undulating terrain, surface boulders may be present on the upper slopes and crests of rises.

Key profile features:

Strong texture contrast between topsoil and subsoil
Bleached A2 horizon
Mottled subsol
Sodic subsoil
Ferromanganiferious nodules are abundant in A2 horizon

Page top