Location: Mepunga West.
Australian Soil Classification: Melanic-Mottled, Subnatric, Brown SODOSOL (very thick sandy surface).
Northcote Factual Key: Dy 3.41
Great Soil Group: Yellow Podzolic.
General Landscape Description: Gently undulating plain
Site Description: Lower slope of a rise
Land Unit: Port Campbell Limestone (Tmc).
Geology: Quaternary deposits overlying Tertiary (marine)
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A1 | 0-20 cm | Very dark greyish brown (10YR3/2); light sandy loam; weak medium blocky structure; very weak consistence moist; pH 7.7; clear change to: | Site SW3 Profile. |
A21 | 20-40 cm | Brown (10YR5/3) conspicuously bleached light sandy loam; structureless; very weak consistence moist; pH 7.2; gradual change to: | |
A22 | 40-70 cm | Yellowish brown (10YR5/4) with some yellowish red (5YR4/6) mottles; fine sandy loam; structureless; very weak consistence moist; pH 6.5; clear and wavy change to: | |
A23 | 70-75 cm | Very pale brown (10YR7/3) conspicuously bleached loamy sand; structureless; very weak consistence moist; contains many (30%) ironstone nodules (5-20 mm size); pH 7.0; abrupt and wavy change to: | |
Subsoil | |||
B1 | 75-80 cm | Yellowish brown (10YR5/6) sandy clay loam; weak consistence moist; contains few (5%) ironstone nodules (5-20 mm size); pH 6.8; abrupt and wavy change to: | |
B21 | 80-100cm | Dark yellowish brown (10YR4/4) with yellowish brown (10YR5/8) mottles; sandy clay; weak to moderate coarse blocky structure (smooth faced peds); weak consistence moist; contains patches of sand; pH 6.5; gradual change to: | |
B22 | 100 cm+ | Yellowish brown (10YR5/4) with light yellowish brown (10YR5/8) mottles; light clay; moderate medium blocky structure; pH 6.0. | |
Note: At two metres depth the subsoil becomes grey (10YR6/1) with strong brown (7.5YR5/8) and slight red (2.5YR4/8) mottles; medium clay. |
- | pH | Salinity | ||
Surface Soil (A1 horizon) | Strongly Acid | Very Low | Sodic | - |
Subsoil (75-80 cm) | Strongly Acid | Very Low | Sodic | Strong |
Deeper Subsoil (100+ cm) | Slightly Acid | Very Low | Sodic | None1 |
The upper surface horizons (0 - 40 cm) are slightly alkaline. The subsurface horizons are slightly acid. The subsoil from 75 cm depth, is also slightly acid. | The salinity rating is low throughout the profile. | This profile is sodic. | The clay percentage increases sharply at the A/B horizon interface. |
Horizon | Horizon Depth (cm) | pH (water) | pH (CaCl2) | EC dS/m | Organic Carbon % | Total Nitrogen % | 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) % | Wilting Point % w/w | |||
Ca | Mg | K | Na | ||||||||||||
meq/100g | |||||||||||||||
A1 | 0-20 | 7.7 | 7 | 0.17 | 1.8 | 0.16 | 7.4 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 33 | 50 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
A21 | 20-40 | 7.2 | 6.6 | 0.1 | 0.49 | 2.4 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 41 | 46 | 8 | 6 | 2 | |
A22 | 40-70 | 6.5 | 5.8 | 0.09 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 35 | 49 | 7 | 10 | 3 | ||
A23 | 70-75 | 7 | 6.2 | <0.05 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 38 | 52 | 6 | 4 | 1 | ||
B1 | 75-80 | 6.8 | 6 | 0.08 | 2.2 | 1.7 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 38 | 39 | 5 | 18 | 6 | ||
B21 | 80-100 | 6.5 | 5.6 | 0.09 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 29 | 39 | 4 | 27 | 9 | ||
B22 | 100+ | 6 | 5.2 | 0.11 | 2 | 3 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 28 | 34 | 2 | 36 | 12 |