Victorian Resources Online (archived)
SFS6
Location: Windermere/Cardigan
Aust. Soil Class.:Vertic (& Ferric), Mottled-Mesonatric, Yellow SODOSOL
Site Description: Profile description midway down gilgai hollow
 SFS 6 |
Soil Profile Morphology:
| Surface Soil |  SFS 6 - Gilgai profile along drain | ||
| Ap | 0 – 15 cm | Brown (10YR 4/3); fine sandy clay loam; apedal; firm consistence; surface soil weak (powdery); surface seal; contains a large amount of coarse buckshot at surface (5-20 mm), <10 % magnetic, >10 % of surface has exposed buckshot; pH 5.7; clear change to: | |
| A2c | 15 – 40/45 cm | Pale Brown (10YR 6/3), conspicuously bleached (10YR 7/3 dry); light fine sandy clay loam; apedal; abundant (~50 %), medium (5-25 mm) buckshot gravel, becoming cemented at base of horizon, hard but can be broken with some finger force, black manganiferous centres; pH 5.4; clear change to: | |
| Subsoil | |||
| B1c | 45 – 60 cm | Fine sandy clay loam; abundant (~80 %) manganiferous buckshot/ironstone gravel (10-40 mm); pH 6.7; abrupt change to: | |
| B21tg | 60 – 120 cm + | Light Yellowish Brown (2.5Y 6/4 moist) with prominent, small, dark red (2.5YR 4/8) mottles, tending to linear and Brownish Yellow (10YR 6/8) fringes; light medium clay; 30-50 %, fine (5-10 mm) polyhedral structure; pH 7.2. | |
Soil surface
Key Profile Features:
- Lateral variation in soil horizons due to gilgai microrelief (e.g. variations in subsurface A1 horizon thickness).
Soil Profile Characteristics:
pH | Salinity Rating | |||
Surface (A1 horizon) | Moderately Acid | Low | Non-Sodic | None |
Subsoil (B21 horizon) | Slightly Alkaline | Low | Sodic | None |
 |
Horizon | Horizon Depth (cm) | pH (water) | pH (CaCl2) | EC dS/m | NaCl | Exchangeable Cations | |||
Ca | Mg | K | Na | ||||||
meq/100g | |||||||||
Ap | 0-10 | 5.7 | 4.9 | 0.09 | 3.1 | 0.81 | 0.38 | 0.14 | |
A2 | 15-40/45 | 5.4 | 4.6 | <0.05 | 1.9 | 0.51 | 0.17 | 0.08 | |
B1 | 45-60 | 6.7 | 5.7 | 0.05 | 2.1 | 2.6 | 0.17 | 0.51 | |
B21 | 80-180 | 7.2 | 6.3 | 0.17 | 3.9 | 10 | 0.35 | 2.6 | |
Horizon | Horizon Depth (cm) | Exchangeable Aluminium mg/kg | Exchangeable Acidity meq/100g | Field Capacity pF2.5 | Wilting Point pF4.2 | Coarse Sand (0.2-2.0 mm) | Fine Sand (0.02-0.2 mm) | Silt (0.002-0.02 mm) | Clay (<0.002 mm) |
Ap | 0-10 | <10 | 6.9 | 29 | 7 | 4.4 | 45.8 | 24.5 | 19 |
A2 | 15-40/45 | 18 | 6.5 | 27.9 | 18.5 | 7.8 | 46.1 | 25 | 15.5 |
B1 | 45-60 | 6.3 | 27.3 | 9.9 | 11.4 | 38.9 | 20 | 27 | |
B21 | 80-180 | 9.4 | 46 | 25.1 | 2.8 | 16.3 | 11.5 | 65.5 |
Management Considerations:
Whole Profile
- Plant available water capacity (PAWC) in the gilgai hollow is considered to be low (estimated at 88 mm) in the upper 100 cm of this soil profile.
- Soil type similar to SFS5a & SFS5b. Paddock in raised beds adjacent to Avenue of Honour (Windermere-Learmouth Rd). Soil pit excavated close to northern fence and 150 m from side road.
- Profile described by Richard MacEwan, May 1999.
