WLRA140

WLRA - soil pit WLRA140- landscape
Gully erosion of higher slopes

Site Code

WLRA140

Mottled, Magnesic, Brown CHROMOSOL

Location

Ararat-St Arnaud Road, Joel South, western Victoria

Landform

Hill

Geology

Palaeozoic (Cambrian) Warrak Formation: marine sandstone, siltstone, schist

Element

Hillslope

Slope

15%

Aspect

West

Horizon

Depth (cm)

Description

0–15

Strong brown (7.5YR4/6); loam, fine sandy; apedal (structureless); firm dry consistence; many small to medium angular quartz and angular platy weakly metamorphosed siltstone; few fine and very fine roots; pH 5.4; clear and smooth boundary to:

15–35

Light olive brown (2.5Y5/4) with many medium distinct red (2.5YR4/6) inclusions of substrate material as mottles; silty clay loam; moderate fine to medium subangular blocky structure; smooth ped-fabric; very firm dry consistence; many small to medium angular quartz and angular platy weakly metamorphosed siltstone; few fine and very fine roots; pH 5.9; clear irregular boundary to:

35–75+

Weathered weakly metamorphosed siltstone; field pH 7.0.

Management Considerations

Shallow texture contrast profile, slightly acidic.
Shallow clayey magnesic subsoil, not sodic, overlying weathered sediments (variable depth?). Slightly dispersive.
Nutrient status of subsoil is high per clay percentage but magnesium is dominant.
Red mottling, drainage slightly impeded.
Landscape position, lower and mid slope, highly susceptible to sheet and gully erosion.

Horizon

Depth (cm)

pH (water)

pH (CaCl₂)

EC
dS/m

Exch. Al
mg/kg

Exchangeable Cations
cmol-/kg

Field Capacity
(pF2.5)

Wilting Point
(pF4.2)

Coarse Sand
%

Fine Sand
%

Silt
%

Clay
%

0–15

5.4

4.5

<0.05

1.4

0.46

0.11

25.3

6.3

19.8

45.6

18.5

15–35

5.9

4.9

0.06

0.46

0.6

0.45

33.3

17.9

26.3

41.5

This page contains material sourced from the Victorian Resources Online (VRO) website, originally published by the State Government of Victoria.

The content is provided under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Australia licence (CC BY 4.0 AU).

This material is presented in an archived form and is no longer maintained or updated. It is provided for general information only and should not be relied upon as current advice.

This site is hosted by the Centre for eResearch and Digital Innovation (CeRDI), Federation University Australia. It is not endorsed by Agriculture Victoria.

Agriculture Victoria does not accept liability for any loss, damage or consequences arising from the use of, or reliance on, this material.

Gully erosion of higher slopes		Site Code	WLRA140	Mottled, Magnesic, Brown CHROMOSOL
		Location	Ararat-St Arnaud Road, Joel South, western Victoria
		Landform	Hill
		Geology	Palaeozoic (Cambrian) Warrak Formation: marine sandstone, siltstone, schist
		Element	Hillslope
		Slope	15%
		Aspect	West


Horizon	Depth (cm)	Description
A1	0–15	Strong brown (7.5YR4/6); loam, fine sandy; apedal (structureless); firm dry consistence; many small to medium angular quartz and angular platy weakly metamorphosed siltstone; few fine and very fine roots; pH 5.4; clear and smooth boundary to:
B2	15–35	Light olive brown (2.5Y5/4) with many medium distinct red (2.5YR4/6) inclusions of substrate material as mottles; silty clay loam; moderate fine to medium subangular blocky structure; smooth ped-fabric; very firm dry consistence; many small to medium angular quartz and angular platy weakly metamorphosed siltstone; few fine and very fine roots; pH 5.9; clear irregular boundary to:
C	35–75+	Weathered weakly metamorphosed siltstone; field pH 7.0.
Management Considerations
Shallow texture contrast profile, slightly acidic. Shallow clayey magnesic subsoil, not sodic, overlying weathered sediments (variable depth?). Slightly dispersive. Nutrient status of subsoil is high per clay percentage but magnesium is dominant. Red mottling, drainage slightly impeded. Landscape position, lower and mid slope, highly susceptible to sheet and gully erosion.