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Marong map unit Qa5

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

Map Unit:	Quaternary alluvium, flat	Map Unit Symbol:	Qa5
		% of Study Area:	0.3

Land-form diagram for Marong map unit Qa5

General Description:
A small area of mixed alluvium originating from two sources, the basalt plain and the sedimentary hills, dominated by the former. The soils are dominantly uniform reddish brown clay loams but being alluvial in nature are highly variable. Detailed information was not collected because of the units small size.

Site characteristics:

Parent material age:	Quaternary/Ordovician	Depth seasonal watertable:	> 2 m
Lithology:	Basalt/Sedimentary	Potential recharge to groundwater:	Low
Landform Pattern:	Plain	Flooding risk:	Nil
Element:	Flat	Drainage:	Moderately well
Slope common;	1%	Depth to hardrock:	> 2 m
Slope range:	0-2%
Rock outcrop:	0%

Major vegetation: Cleared

Present land use: Cropping, grazing

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

Soil profile characteristics:

Permeability (measured - average, range):
Permeability (estimated):	Moderate
Available water capacity:	380 mm H₂O
Linear shrinkage (B horizon):	N.A.

Soil profile description:

A	0-5 cm	Dark reddish brown (5YR3/2) clay loam, moderate structure, subangular blocky peds 2-5 mm, firm consistence, rough fabric, pH 6.5. Clear transition to
B21	5-32 cm	Dark reddish brown (5YR3/3) light fine sandy clay loam, massive hardpan, very firm consistence, pH 6.0. Gradual transition to
B22	32-60 cm	Dark reddish brown (5YR3/2) clay loam, massive, very firm consistence, a few organic segregations, pH 6.0. Clear transition to
B23	60+ cm	Reddish brown (5YR4/3) fine sandy loam, bleached (5YR7/3) when dry, massive, firm consistence, many ironstone fragments, pH 6.0

Soil classification:

Factual Key (Northcote):	Um 5.31
Australian Soil Classification:	Haplic, Duric, Red Kandosol, deep, thin, clay loamy, non-gravelly
Unified Soil Group:	ML

Interpretation of soil analyses*

Horizon	pH	Gravel %	E.C. (salts)	Nutrient Status	P	K	Al	Organic Matter	Dispersibility
A	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.
B21	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.
B22	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.
B23	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.

* See Appendix 4 for analytical results

Land capability assessment

Land Use	Class	Major limiting feature(s)/ landuse
Agriculture (CTS values)	C₃T₂S₄	Shallow top soil
Effluent disposal (septic tanks)	3	Moderate drainage, moderate permeability
Farm dams (earthen)	4	Low suitability of subsoil, highly dispersible subsoil
Building foundations - slab	3	Moderate drainage
Building foundations - stumps/footings	3	Moderate drainage
Secondary roads	4	Universal Soil Group
Urban residential	4	Secondary roads
Rural residential	4	Farm dams, secondary roads

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A Land Capability Study of the Rural City of Marong - map unit Qa5 - (PDF - 39.5 KB)

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