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THE STONY TABLELAND SOILS OF THE SOUTHEASTERN PORTION OF THE AUSTRALIAN ARID ZONE AND THEIR EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY
Author(s) -
JESSUP R. W.
Publication year - 1960
Publication title -
journal of soil science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.244
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1365-2389
pISSN - 0022-4588
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2389.1960.tb01078.x
Subject(s) - geology , gypsum , arid , soil water , carbonate , paleosol , quaternary , soil horizon , geochemistry , geomorphology , soil science , paleontology , loess , materials science , metallurgy
Summary The stony tableland soils which are paleosols of Quaternary age have a clay profile, high proportion of exchangeable sodium, strong salinity, large amounts of stone in the upper few inches of the profile, a surface stone pavement, low carbonate but high gypsum contents and gypsum at shallower depths than carbonate. The surface of the soil layer has a gilgai micro‐relief. The soils formed on deposits of wind‐blown clays. Underlying the soil layer is a discontinuous layer of wind‐deposited gypsite. These wind‐blown materials (called lakulangite) were derived from lacustrine sediments; deflation of these sediments led to the formation of wind‐excavated hollows that are often of large extent. Stones originally buried beneath the clay deposit have been moved upwards and concentrated on or near the soil surface.