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LP105

Australian Soil Classification: Vertic and Hypocalcic, Mottled-Subnatric Red SODOSOL


Northocte Factual Key: Dy 3.43
Great Soil Group: Solodic

Site Description: Footslope of sedimentary hill.
Geology: Quaternary alluvium over Ordovician sandstone


LP105 landscape image


Soil Profile Morphology

Surface Soil

A1 0-5 cmDark brown (7.5YR3/4); sandy loam; massive structure; weak consistence dry; pH 5.1; abrupt change to:
LP105 proifle image

LP105 Profile
A215-20 cmStrong brown (7.5YR4/6); heavy sandy loam; massive; weak consistence dry; common fine alluvial gravel; pH 4.8; clear change to:
A2220-40 cmStrong brown (7.5YR5/6); heavy sandy loam; massive; weak consistence dry; many medium alluvial gravels; roots to 40 cm; pH 5.7; sharp change to:
Subsoil
B2140-42 cmYellowish red (5YR5/8); light clay; massive; strong consistence dry; pH 6.5; abrupt change to:
B2242-65 cmRed (2.5YR4/8), with many yellowish brown (10YR5/6) mottles; medium clay; moderate medium blocky structure; very strong consistence dry; pH 6.4; clear change to:
B2365-100 cmBrownish yellow (10YR6/6); medium clay; weak medium prismatic structure; very strong consistence dry; slickensides evident; pH 7.1; clear change to:
B24100-120 cmStrong brown (7.5YR5/8), with brownish yellow (10YR6/6) mottles; medium clay; weak medium prismatic structure; very strong consistence dry; very few soft carbonates in patches; slickensides evident; pH 8.5; clear change to:
B25120+ cmYellowish red (5YR5/6), with brownish yellow (10YR6/8) mottles; light medium clay; moderate coarse blocky structure, breaking down to strong medium polyhedral structure; very strong consistence dry; pH 8.7.

Key Profile Features
  • Strong texture contrast between surface (A) and the top subsoil (B21) horizon.
  • High content of alluvial gravel in the surface horizons.
  • Vertic properties at depths below 65 cm.


Key Profile Characteristics

pH
Salinity Rating
Surface
(A1 horizon)
Strongly Acidic
Very Low
Sodic
Subsoil
(B21 horizon)
Slightly Acid
Very Low
Sodic
Deeper subsoil
(85 cm)
Strongly Alkaline
Very Low
Strongly-Sodic



LP105 graphs
The A horizon is moderately acid. The upper B is slightly acid, becoming strongly alkaline at depth.The salinity rating is very low.
This profile is sodic, becoming strongly sodic at depth.Low clay content in the surface, with a sharp increase at the A/B interface.





Horizon
Horizon Depth
(cm)
pH
(water)
pH
(CaCl2)
EC
dS/m
Exch. Al
ppm
Organic Carbon
%
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
0-5
5.1
4.3
0.13
16
3.6
2.4
0.87
0.50
0.27
13
54
20
12
5.5
A21
5-20
4.8
4.2
0.06
29
0.73
0.34
0.21
0.11
A22
20-40
5.7
4.7
<0.05
0.86
0.65
0.24
0.12
17
57
16
10
3.1
B21
40-42
6.5
4.7
<0.05
0.73
2.0
0.22
0.37
B22
42-65
6.4
5.0
0.06
2.6
9.4
0.69
1.7
5
15
6
75
22.7
B23
65-100
7.1
5.9
0.08
3.1
11
0.61
2.0
5
23
10
62
19.5
B24
100-120
8.5
7.2
0.13
2.4
9.3
0.35
2.3
B25
120+
8.7
7.4
0.15
2.4
9.1
0.31
2.6

Management Considerations:
Whole Profile
  • Entire profile is sodic to strongly sodic but is not dispersive. Some restriction to water and root movement in the deeper subsoil would be expected

Surface (A) Horizons
  • Shallow surface (A1) horizon (5 cm).
  • The presence of a conspicuously bleached subsurface horizon indicates that periodic waterlogging occurs as water builds up on top of the slowly permeable subsoil after heavy rains.
  • The very gravelly A2 horizon (7-20 cm) may deflect roots of species that have a tap root system.
  • The surface horizons have a low to very low inherent fertility (based on the sum of the basic exchangeable cations).
  • The surface horizons are strongly acid. This may lead to toxic levels of some nutrients (e.g. Aluminium, Manganese). This is not the case with this soil as the exchangeable aluminium levels are below the levels that normally affect even the more sensitive plants.
  • Molybdenum deficiency may also occur in strongly acid soils. Lime application will make molybdenum more available to plants. Superphosphate enriched with molybdenum is a common method to boost Mo levels .
Subsoil (B) Horizons
  • The subsoil has a low Ca:Mg ratio and is weakly structured which can inhibit water and root penetration.
  • The subsoil displays vertic properties (i.e. slickensides and deep cracking) which indicates that significant shrinking and swelling occurs in the deeper subsoil. This may have implications for engineering purposes (e.g. disturbance to fence lines).



Profile Described By: Mark Imhof, Paul Rampant and Karen DePlater, November 1995
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