Soil

Ind

icat

ors

of Q

uee

nsla

nd W

etla

nds Drainage Depression

Lakefield National Park

Study AreaLakefield National Park is the second largest national park in Queensland. Its centre is approximately 160 km north-west of Cooktown, Northern Queensland.

The area is predominantly alluvial plains, old stream channels, infilled prior stream channels and shallow lagoons which are seasonally inundated1.

This site is located on Battle Camp Road and is an example of a coastal and sub-coastal floodplain tree swamp (melaleuca and eucalyptus spp.) within the Cape York Peninsula Bioregion.

Climate2

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov DecMonth

Rain

fall-

Evap

orat

ion

(mm

)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Tem

pera

ture

(Deg

.C)

Rain Evap

Temp (min) Temp (max)

The study area is located within a tropical/equatorial climatic region with a distinct wet and dry season. Evaporation exceeds rainfall in the majority of months. The average annual rainfall for the area is 1077 mm.

Landform and Inundation

Inland drainage depression Freshwater seasonally inundated areas from overland flow

Soils3 Hydrosols and Chromosols

Vegetation4 Melaleuca viridiflora with or without Petalostigma pubescens low open woodland on low plains (RE 3.3.50)

Geology5 Alluvium grey silty clay, sand and gravel Interfluvial sand: loose orange and white sand Mottled clayey sand, gritty and pebbly

Disturbance No effective disturbance

Soil

In

dic

ator

s of

Q

ue

ensl

and

W

etla

nd

s Location GDA94 • MGA Coordinates : 240302 E, 8305267 N, Zone 55 • Lat/Long : -15.31606 S, 144.58140 E

Landscape Diagram

Colluvial sand

Clay sediments

Site 53

Site 52

Saturated zone

Open woodland in drainage depression

Transition zone

Thick melaleuca stand

40 m

Soil Indicators present (within 0.3m of surface)

Indicator6 Site 52 Site 53Organic materials and organic carbon (OC)*

No organic materials OC: 0.5%

No organic materials OC: 0.39%

Matrix colour Dark grey to pale red Brown

Chroma (thickness of layer)**

Present (0.05 m) Not present

Mottles and Segregations Many <5 mm faint orange mottles Few <5 mm faint grey mottles Few 2-6 mm manganiferous nodules Few 6-20 mm manganiferous nodules

Not present

Depth to groundwater Not present Not present

Ferruginous root channel and pore linings

Not present Not present

pH*7 Very strongly acid Very strongly acid

Texture Loamy sand to sandy light medium clay Sand

Acid sulfate material Not present Not present

Electrical Conductivity (EC)7

Non saline Non saline

*Organic carbon % (Dumas method) and pH taken from surface (0-0.1 m)

**Chroma value is less than or equal to 2

Soil

In

dic

ator

s of

Q

ue

ensl

and

W

etla

nd

s

Summary of field observations• Faint orange and grey mottles and manganiferous nodules within 0.3 m are indicative of intermittent waterlogging within the saturated zone• Grey surface colours and low chroma values within the saturated zone suggest reducing conditions and a seasonally saturated environment • No soil features to indicate a wetland soil within the transition zone with mottling features only present at depth • The presence of melaleuca vegetation in the transition zone suggests waterlogging but sandy colluvial materials in the surface may inhibit the formation of redox features• Columnar structure in the B horizon of the saturated zone impedes drainage and can cause prolonged waterlogging • Landscape and vegetation indicate seepage and waterlogging occurring at the contact between alluvium and sandy colluvial deposits, but there is insufficient development to call a wetland feature

Site 53Site 52A10.05 m

0.15 m

0.4 m

A2

B2

A21

0.1 m

0.4 m

A22e

A1

BC

0.85 m

1.25 m

1.3 m

1.0 m

B21

B22

Presence of pale surface colours,

mottling and manganiferous nodules suggest that the area is periodically

inundated No wetland indicators within 0.85 m of the

surface, this is expected in a sandy textured soil likely to be naturally lacking in

iron

Some mottling is present within the lower horizons where clay textures occur

The presence of a thick melaleuca stand suggests

this area remains saturated for a period of time,

even with the lack of soil indicators0.0 m

0.15 m

Columnar structured horizons impede drainage and promote waterlogging

Soil Profiles

Columnar structured B horizon

Site 52

Soil Indicators of Queensland WetlandsSo

il M

orph

olog

y

Site

52

Clas

sifi

cati

on

Aus

tral

ian

Soil

Clas

sifi

cati

on

Eutr

ophi

c, K

uros

olic

, O

xyaq

uic

Hyd

roso

l

Land

form

Ele

men

t D

rain

age

Dep

ress

ion

Mor

phol

ogic

al T

ype

Flat

H

oriz

onD

epth

(m

)Bo

unda

ryTe

xtur

eCo

lour

Mot

tles

Coar

se F

ragm

ents

Stru

ctur

eSe

greg

atio

nsCo

nsis

tenc

e

A10

to .

05cl

ear

tolo

amy

sand

very

da

rk g

rey

(2.5

Y31)

none

none

mas

sive

none

wea

k dr

y

A2

.05

to .1

5ab

rupt

to

clay

ey s

and

yello

wis

h re

d (5

YR46

) m

any

(20-

50%)

fine

(<5

mm

) fa

int

oran

ge m

ottl

es,

few

(2

-10%

) fin

e (<

5 m

m)

fain

t gr

ey m

ottl

es

none

mas

sive

few

(2-

10%)

med

ium

(2

-6 m

m)

man

gani

fero

us

nodu

les,

few

(2-

10%)

coa

rse

(6-2

0 m

m)

man

gani

fero

us

nodu

les

wea

k dr

y

B2.1

5 to

.4

-sa

ndy

light

m

ediu

m c

lay

pale

red

(2

.5YR

62)

few

(2-

10%)

fine

(<5

mm

) fa

int

oran

ge m

ottl

es,

few

(2

-10%

) fin

e (<

5 m

m)

fain

t gr

ey m

ottl

es

none

stro

ng

20-5

0 m

m

colu

mna

r

few

(2-

10%)

med

ium

(2

-6m

m)

man

gani

fero

us

nodu

les

very

firm

dry

Site

53

Clas

sifi

cati

on

Aus

tral

ian

Soil

Clas

sifi

cati

on

Blea

ched

-mot

tled

, D

ystr

ophi

c, G

rey

Chro

mos

ol

Land

form

Ele

men

t Pl

ain

Mor

phol

ogic

al T

ype

Flat

H

oriz

onD

epth

(m

)Bo

unda

ryTe

xtur

eCo

lour

Mot

tles

Coar

se F

ragm

ents

Stru

ctur

eSe

greg

atio

nsCo

nsis

tenc

e

A10

to .1

cle

ar t

osa

ndda

rk y

ello

wis

h br

own

(10Y

R44)

no

neno

nesi

ngle

gra

in

none

very

wea

k m

oder

atel

y m

oist

A21

.1 t

o .4

gra

dual

to

sand

brow

n (7

.5YR

54)

none

none

sing

le g

rain

none

very

wea

k m

oder

atel

y m

oist

A22

e.4

to

.85

abr

upt

tosa

ndlig

ht b

row

n (7

.5YR

64)

none

none

sing

le g

rain

none

very

wea

k m

oder

atel

y m

oist

B21

.85

to 1

cle

ar t

osa

ndy

clay

lo

amlig

ht g

rey

(10Y

R72)

co

mm

on (

10-2

0%)

med

ium

(5-

15 m

m)

dist

inct

ora

nge

mot

tles

none

wea

k 10

-20

mm

an

gula

r bl

ocky

no

neve

ry fi

rm

mod

erat

ely

moi

st

B22

1 to

1.2

5 c

lear

to

sand

y cl

ay

loam

light

gre

y (1

0YR7

2)

man

y (2

0-50

%) m

ediu

m

(5-1

5 m

m)

dist

inct

or

ange

mot

tles

, co

mm

on (

10-2

0%)

fine

(<5

mm

) di

stin

ct y

ello

w

mot

tles

none

wea

k 10

-20

mm

an

gula

r bl

ocky

none

very

firm

m

oder

atel

y m

oist

BC1.

25 t

o 1.

3-

sand

y cl

ay

loam

light

gre

y (1

0YR7

2)

man

y (2

0-50

%) m

ediu

m

(5-1

5 m

m)

dist

inct

or

ange

mot

tles

, co

mm

on (

10-2

0%)

fine

(<5

mm

) di

stin

ct y

ello

w

mot

tles

abun

dant

(5

0-90

%) a

ngul

ar

plat

y si

ltst

one

stro

ng m

ediu

m

pebb

les

(6-2

0 m

m)

-no

ne-

Soil

In

dic

ator

s of

Q

ue

ensl

and

W

etla

nd

s Soil Chemistry

Site Depth (m) pH* EC (dS/m) Cl (mg/kg) NO3-N(mg/kg)

TC%** TN%**

52 0.00-0.10 4.9 0.01 26 3 0.5 0.04

0.15-0.25 7 0.08 54 1 0.2 <0.03

53 0.00-0.10 4.3 0.02 <20 6 0.39 <0.03

0.20-0.30 4.5 0.01 <20 3 0.09 <0.03

0.40-0.50 4.9 0.01 <20 2 0.08 <0.03

*Aqueous 1:5**Total carbon and total nitrogen

References1. DEWHA (2008). Australian Wetlands Database. [online]. Available at http://www.environment.gov.au/water/publications/environmental/wetlands/database/ [accessed 21/08/08]

2. Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Water (2008). SILO [online]. Available at http://www.longpaddock.qld.gov.au/silo/ [accessed 5/11/2007].

3. Isbell RF (2002). The Australian Soil Classification. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Victoria, revised edition.

4. EPA (2008) Regional Ecosystems. [online]. Available at http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/nature_conservation/biodiversity/regional_ecosystems/ [accessed 28/06/08].

5. Bureau of Mineral Resources (1966). Cooktown: Australia 1:250,000 Geological Series, Bureau of Mineral Resources, Canberra.

6. Bryant KB, Wilson PR, Biggs AJW, Brough DM and Burgess JW (2008). Soil Indicators of Queensland Wetlands: State-wide assessment and methodology. Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Water. Brisbane.

7. Hazelton P and Murphy B (2007). Interpreting Soil Test Results: What do all the numbers mean?. [2nd ed]. CSIRO publishing. Collingwood Victoria

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