Victorian Resources Online (archived)
GRES492
Location: Ensay
Australian Soil Classification: Haplic, Eutrophic, Red CHROMOSOL
Map Unit: Timbarra (previously mapped as Dargo, Component 1, but too steep for new unit definition)
Previous Site Name: AL45
General Landscape Description: Steep low hills.
Site description: Lower east facing slope (37% slope)
Land Use: Grazing on annual pasture
Native Vegetation: Open forest
Geology: Palaeozoic granite
Soil Profile Morphology:
Surface Soil
| A11 | 0-27 cm | Dark brown (7.5YR3/2); sandy loam; apedal; hard consistence, dry; 5% granite fragments up to 8 mm; clear and wavy change to: |  Typical shallow soil on granite south of Dargo |
| A12 | 27-50 cm | Strong brown (7.5YR5/6); gritty sandy loam; apedal; hard consistence when dry; 15% granite fragments up to 8 mm; clear and wavy change to: | |
| Subsoil | |||
| B2 | 50 -80 cm | Yellowish red (5YR5/6); sandy clay; moderate coarse (25 mm) angular blocky structure; firm consistence moist; 25% quartz and weathering feldspar crystals up to 3 mm and dark mica grains; changes to: | |
| C | 80 – 90+ cm | Strong brown (7.5YR5/6); sandy clay loam; moderate medium (20 mm) angular blocky structure; friable consistence moist; passing to weathering granite. |
Key Profile Features:
- Bordering on a gradational soil but the slight texture contrast between the surface (A) horizons and the subsoil (B) horizons makes this a borderline texture contrast soil.
Chemical and Physical Analysis:
Horizon | Horizon Depth (cm) | pH (water) | EC dS/m | Organic Carbon % | Total Nitrogen % | Exchangeable Acididty meq/100g | Exchangeable Cations | Gravel % | Coarse Sand (0.2-2.0 mm) % | Fine Sand (0.02-0.2 mm) % | Silt (0.002-0.02 mm) % | Clay (<0.002 mm) % | |||
Ca | Mg | K | Na | ||||||||||||
meq/100g | |||||||||||||||
A11 | 0-10 | 5.9 | <0.05 | 2.2 | 0.16 | 8.2 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.05 | 6 | 31 | 43 | 10 | 13 |
A11 | 10-20 | <0.05 | 12 | ||||||||||||
A12 | 30-50 | 6.7 | <0.05 | 2.2 | 4.4 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.08 | 22 | 37 | 42 | 11 | 11 | ||
B2 | 60-80 | 7.0 | <0.05 | 4.3 | 10.6 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 18 | 30 | 25 | 15 | 31 | ||
C | 80-90 | 7.1 | <0.05 | 4.8 | 11.3 | 2.9 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 5 | 29 | 27 | 14 | 28 | ||
Management Considerations
- As the soils are sandy, the plant available water capacity would be very low. However, plants would be able to utilise light rain after the soils are dry.
- Sheet and rill erosion would be high and common where the topsoil is exposed.
- Soil depth in the steep cleared drainage lines is likely to be very shallow with considerable exposed rock.
Profile Described By: J.M. Aldrick, 1978.
