Marong map unit Osa

Back to: A Land Capability Study of the Rural City of Marong

Map Unit:	Ordovician sediments, crest/ridge	Map Unit Symbol:	Osa
		% of Study Area:	0.2

Land-form diagram for Marong map unit Osa

General Description:

The crest/ridge line of the metamorphic aureole represents only a small area of the Rural City. The soils are uniform fine sandy loams with slight Increases in clay content in the subsoil. The soils are dark grey-brown, shallow and have many angular metamorphic fragments throughout the profile and on the soil surface. Bedrock occasionally outcrops.

Site characteristics:

Parent material age:	Ordovician	Depth seasonal watertable:	> 10 m
Lithology:	Sediments	Potential recharge to groundwater:	Very high
Landform Pattern:	Rolling hills	Flooding risk:	Nil
Element:	Crest	Drainage:	Rapidly drained
Slope common:	0%	Depth to hardrock:	0.36 m
Slope range:	0 - 2%
Rock outcrop:	< 2%

Major vegetation: Grey Box, Red Ironbark, Red Stringybark, Buloke, Golden Wattle, Hedge Wattle, Cat's Claw Grevillea, Black-anther Flax-lily, Tall Rapswort, Spear Grass, Wallaby Grass, Native bulbs

Present land use: Park, native forest

Land degradation:	Water erosion		Wind erosion	Salting	Acidification
Land degradation:	Sheet/rill	Gully	Wind erosion	Salting	Acidification
Susceptibility	Moderate	Very low	Low	Low	Low
Incidence	Moderate	Low	Low	Low	Low

Soil profile characteristics:

Permeability (measured - average, range):	4705 1761 - 5904 mm/day
Permeability (estimated):	-
Available water capacity:	57.6 mm H₂O
Linear shrinkage (B horizon):	1.6%

Soil profile description:

A	0-17 cm	Brownish black (10YR 2/2) fine sandy loam, weak structure, subangular blocky peds less than 2 mm, rough fabric, very weak consistence, abundant angular metamorphic cobbles and stones, pH 5.2. Gradual transition to
B	17-36 cm	Greyish brown (7.5YR4/2) fine sandy loam, weak structure, subangular blocky peds 2-5 mm, rough fabric, moderately weak consistence, less than 2% organic segregations, abundant angular metamorphic cobbles and stones. pH 5.3.
C	36 cm	Rock

Soil classification:

Factual Key (Northcote):	Uc 6.1 (major) Um5.51 (minor)
Australian Soil Classification:	Acidic, Mellic, Grey, Kandosol; shallow, medium loamy, very gravelly
Unified Soil Group:	GM

Interpretation of soil analyses*

Horizon	pH	Gravel %	E.C. (salts)	Nutrient Status	P	K	Al	Organic Matter	Dispersibility
A	5.2**	68.9	VL	VL	D	S	T	H	L
B	5.3**	57.1	VL	VL	D	S	T	H	L

VL : Very Low; L : Low; M : Moderate; H : High; VH : Very High; D : Deficient; S : Satisfactory; T : Toxic; **: Acid * See Appendix 4 for analytical results

Land capability assessment

Land Use	Class	Major limiting feature(s)/ landuse
Agriculture (CTS values)	C₃T₁S₅	Very high gravel/stone/boulder content,shallow depth to hardrock
Effluent disposal (septic tanks)	5	Shallow depth to hardrock, excessive permeability – risk of polluting groundwater
Farm dams (earthen)	5	Shallow depth to hardrock, very low suitability of subsoil, excessive permeability
Building foundations - slab	4	Shallow depth to hardrock
Building foundations - stumps/footings	4	Shallow depth to hardrock
Secondary roads	4	Shallow depth to hardrock
Urban residential	4	Secondary roads, building foundations
Rural residential	5	Farm dams, effluent disposal

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