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Nuntin (Nt)

Geology

Late Pleistocene aeolian sediments.


Landform

Longitudinal dune field.

Map: Nuntin Map Unit
MAP: Nuntin soil
Photo: Nuntin Landscape
East-west dune (background) in the Nuntin mapping unit.

Original Vegetation

No observations.


Previous Maps and Reports

This map unit is named after the Nuntin soil association mapped by Skene and Walbran (1949). The Nuntin unit from the current survey mainly comprises the following Skene and Walbran soil units: Nuntin sandy loam, Nuntin sandy loam “heavy phase”, Type J and some small areas of Clydebank sandy loam. Ward (1977) mapped these soils into the Seacombe association. The Nuntin Land System (Aldrick et al., 1992) also includes areas mapped here as Nuntin, as well as some related alluvial soils.

Soils

These soils include a range of sandy soils. The surface soils are generally dark greyish brown sands or sandy loams with strong brown to brownish yellow sands occurring at about 30 cm. A sandy clay loam to sandy clay horizon at about 60 cm is usually present. These soils are most likely to be classified as Brown or Red
Chromosols (with deep sandy surface horizons) or Tenosols (where less subsoil development has occurred).

Chemical and Physical Analysis

No pits have been dug in this map unit. However, data from three sites from
Skene and Walbran (1949) and one site from Aldrick et al., (1992) are described below. The pH of the surface soils appears to be above 5.5 and the subsoils are not likely to be sodic.

Nuntin sandy loam, (Skene and Walbran ,1949)
Depth
cm
Texture
pH
EC
dS/m
Cl
%
Nitrogen %
Carbon
%
Coarse
sand
%
Fine
sand
%
Silt
%
Clay
%
LAT
%
13
SL
5.5
0.04
.003
0.146
1.57
34
40
10
12
1
28
SL
5.7
0.04
.005
33
41
10
14
1
69
S
6.9
0.05
.006
29
50
7
11
1
94
SC
6.8
0.07
.008
23
44
6
23
1
152
ClS
7.2
0.04
.004
33
45
4
15
1

Nuntin sandy loam, heavy phase, (Skene and Walbran ,1949)
Depth
cm
Texture
pH
EC
dS/m
Cl
%
Nitrogen %
Carbon
%
Coarse
sand
%
Fine
sand
%
Silt
%
Clay
%
LAT
%
0-25
SL
5.8
0.05
.003
0.084
0.89
31
45
13
10
1
25-46
S
6.1
0.05
.005
31
51
10
5
1
46-61
SC
6.4
0.04
.003
26
34
10
26
1
61-86
LC
6.5
0.05
.005
24
26
9
37
1
86-104
LC
7.1
0.05
.004
29
30
7
31
1
104-137
SC
7.1
0.05
.005
29
35
7
25
1

Profile 20, Nuntin land system, (Aldrick et al., 1992)
Depth
cm
TexturepHEC
dS/m
Cl
%
Nitrogen %Carbon
%
Ca meq%Mg meq%K meq%Na meq%H
meq%
ESP %Gravel %Coarse
sand
%
Fine
sand %
Silt
%
Clay
%
0-10SL5.70.21.0030.222.541.81.21.60.57.5420531011
10-20LS5.50.06.0030.141.630.70.31.20.49.132454129
20-30LS5.10.04.0010.070.840.50.10.60.26.822355129
30-42LS5.10.02.0010.50.050.40.13.9212456127
42-60L5.70.03.0021.11.00.30.23.63121541212

The following abbreviations are used to describe field texture: S - sand; LS - loamy sand; ClS - clayey sand; SL - sandy loam; L - loam; CL - clay loam; SCL - sandy clay loam; SC - sandy clay; FSCL - fine sandy clay loam; FSC - fine sandy clay; LC - light clay; MC - medium clay; HC - heavy clay; GR - gravel; ZL - silty loam; ZCL - silty clay loam; ZLC - silty light clay; ZMC - silty medium clay.

Particle size distribution data given for Skene and Walbran (1948, 1949) does not include the water content of the soil. As a result the coarse sand, fine sand, silt, clay and loss on acid treatment (LAT) may not add up to 100%. Aldrick et al. (1992) does not provide LAT data.

Other symbols include: pH - analysed in water; EC - electrical conductivity; Cl - chloride; Ca - exchangeable calcium; Mg - exchangeable magnesium, K - exchangeable potassium; Na - exchangeable sodium; H - exchangeable hydrogen; ESP - exchangeable sodium percentage.

Land Use

As the soils are light textured, they absorb water very readily under irrigation but tend to dry out rapidly during summer. The undulating topography is a constraint and much of the area is above gravity supply level.
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