Victorian Resources Online (archived)
GRES487
Location: Meerlieu
Australian Soil Classification: Epihypersodic, Epipedal, Black VERTOSOL
Map Unit: Roseneath
Previous Site Name: AL41
General Landscape Description: Plain.
Site Description: <1% slope.
Land Use: Grazing.
Native Vegetation: Swamp scrub.
Geology: Holocene lacustrine sediments.
Soil Profile Morphology:
Surface Soil
| A11 | 0 - 4 cm | Very dark brown (10YR2/2); organic clay loam; weak very fine (5 mm) subangular blocky structure; slightly hard consistence, dry; pH 5.7; abrupt change to: | |
| A12 | 4 - 12 cm | Very dark grey (10YR3/1); loamy clay; weak fine (10 mm) subangular blocky structure; hard consistence dry; pH 5.9; clear change to: | |
Subsoil | |||
| B21 | 12 - 25 cm | Very dark greyish brown (10YR3/2); medium clay; moderate fine (10 mm) subangular blocky structure; very firm consistence moist; pH 6.8; clear change to: | |
| B22 | 28 - 80 cm | Yellowish brown (10YR5/4); heavy clay; common distinct yellowish brown mottles (5 – 14 mm); moderate medium angular blocky structure; very firm moist; some water-worn gravel between 10 and 30 cm; pH 8.3; clear boundary to: | |
| C1 | 80 - 110 cm | Light grey (10YR7/2); clay loam; common distinct yellowish brown mottles (>15 mm); moderate angular block structure; firm moist; 3% calcareous nodules; pH 9.3. | |
Key Profile Features:
- Clay textures throughout the profile.
Chemical and Physical Analysis:
Horizon | Horizon Depth (cm) | pH (water) | EC dS/m | Organic Carbon % | Total Nitrogen % | Free Fe2O3 % w/w | 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 | 0-4 | 5.7 | 0.18 | 7.7 | 0.57 | 0.7 | 23.9 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 8 | 2 | 21 | 13 | 51 |
A12 | 4-10 | 5.9 | 0.11 | 3.0 | 0.27 | 0.7 | 16.8 | 2.8 | 3.2 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 5 | 13 | 25 | 14 | 45 |
B21 | 12-20 | 6.8 | 0.14 | 1.5 | 0.14 | 1.1 | 8.6 | 4.1 | 6.8 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 17 | 4 | 30 | 25 | 38 |
B22 | 30-60 | 8.3 | 1.20 | 1.7 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 11.4 | 1.0 | 7.9 | 11 | 7 | 32 | 13 | 51 | ||
C1 | 90-110 | 9.3 | 2.20 | 0.4 | 4.8 | 9.2 | 0.7 | 7.7 | 41 | 4 | 38 | 15 | 45 | |||
Management Considerations
Whole profile
- No additional lime or potassium is needed for pasture growth.
Surface (A) horizons
- When the soil is dry, heavy rains will move down cracks. This rapid recharge will be valuable for the survival of plants near wilting. When wet, the soil will swell and further infiltration of water will be relatively slow.
- The surface soil will be difficult to manage, being hard and cloddy when dry and firm and sticky when wet. As a consequence, these soils are generally suited to pasture production. Tillage or overstocking of these soils should be avoided if the soil is wet.
- From a depth of 30 cm the soil is extremely sodic and has high and harmful levels of soluble salts. This would greatly restrict root growth.
Profile Described By: J.M. Aldrick, 1978.
