Victorian Resources Online (archived)

EGC201

Location: Swifts Creek

Australian Soil Classification: Melanic, Eutrophic, Brown DERMOSOL

Map Unit: Walnut (Component 1)
Previous Site Name: EG201

General Landscape Description: Valley flat
Site description: Level
Land Use: Grazing on annual pasture
Native Vegetation: Dry valley forest
Geology: Recent alluvium

Soil Profile Morphology:

Surface soil
A11	0 – 20 cm	Dark brown (10YR3/3); silty clay loam; strong fine (2 – 5 mm) granular structure; firm consistence dry; clear change to:
A12	20 – 45 cm	Very dark greyish brown (10YR3/2); silty clay loam; strong fine (2 – 5 mm) granular structure; firm consistence dry; diffuse change to:
A13	45 – 85 cm	Dark brown (10YR4/3); fine sandy clay loam; weak fine (2 – 5 mm) granular structure; firm consistence dry; clear change to:
Deep subsoil (buried soil)
D	85 – 105+ cm	Very dark grey (10YR3/1); clay loam; moderate medium (5 – 10 mm) polyhedral structure; firm dry

Key Profile Features:

Little colour or texture changes down the soil profile.
Well structured upper profile

Soil Profile Characteristics:

-	pH	Salinity	Sodicity	Dispersion
Surface (A1 horizon)	Strongly Acid	Very Low	Non-sodic	None
Subsoil (A12 horizon)	Slightly Acid	Very Low	Non-sodic	None
Deeper subsoil (D horizon)	Slightly Alkaline	Very Low	Non-sodic	None

Chemical and Physical Analysis:

Horizon	Horizon Depth (cm)	pH (water)	pH (CaCl₂)	EC dS/m	Organic Carbon %	Total Nitrogen %	Exchangeable Aluminium ppm	Exchangeable Acididty meq/100g	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) %	Field Capacity % w/w	Wilting Point % w/w
									Ca	Mg	K	Na
									meq/100g
A11	0-20	5.5	4.9	0.12	3.3	0.26	<10	8.3	7.6	1.6	0.99	0.084	5	42	26	19	35.4	10.9
A12	20-45	6.5	5.7	0.05	2.1	0.12		4.4	9.3	1.9	0.29	0.14	12	38	25	19	33.3	10.3
A13	45-85	7.2	6.4	<0.05	0.95				9.2	2.7	0.18	0.22	8	46	24	18	30.4	9.1
D	85-105	7.5	5.8	0.05	1.8				14	5.3	0.25	0.37	3	26	37	27	40.1	15.6

Management Considerations

Whole profile

Plant available water capacity is considered to be low. This is based on an estimated effective rooting depth of 85 cm (i.e. the surface soil and the upper subsurface soil).

Surface (A1) horizon

The relatively deep surface soil is well structured.
Infiltration of water into the well structured surface soil will be quite high. This horizon is also very well drained.
The nutrient holding capacity of the surface (A1) horizon is moderate (based on the sum of the exchangeable cations). The organic matter for this soil is high which adds in both water and nutrient holding capacity.

Subsurface (A12 and A13) horizons

The upper subsurface soil is also well structured

Profile Described By: Heather Adams, Julieanne Sargant and Ian Sargeant, June 2009.

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