Soils of the Babinda - Cairns Area, North Queensland G.G
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
IMPORTANT NOTICE © Copyright Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (‘CSIRO’) Australia. All rights are reserved and no part of this publication covered by copyright may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means except with the written permission of CSIRO Division of Land and Water. The data, results and analyses contained in this publication are based on a number of technical, circumstantial or otherwise specified assumptions and parameters. The user must make its own assessment of the suitability for its use of the information or material contained in or generated from the publication. To the extend permitted by law, CSIRO excludes all liability to any person or organisation for expenses, losses, liability and costs arising directly or indirectly from using this publication (in whole or in part) and any information or material contained in it. The publication must not be used as a means of endorsement without the prior written consent of CSIRO. NOTE This report and accompanying maps are scanned and some detail may be illegible or lost. Before acting on this information, readers are strongly advised to ensure that numerals, percentages and details are correct. This digital document is provided as information by the Department of Natural Resources and Water under agreement with CSIRO Division of Land and Water and remains their property. All enquiries regarding the content of this document should be referred to CSIRO Division of Land and Water. The Department of Natural Resources and Water nor its officers or staff accepts any responsibility for any loss or damage that may result in any inaccuracy or omission in the information contained herein. No 123 ISSN 0725-8526 > CSIRO AUSTRALIA DIVISION OF SOILS Divisional Report Soils of the Babinda - Cairns Area, North Queensland G.G. Murtha, M.G, Cannon and CD. Smith < CSIRO AUSTRALIA DIVISION OF SOILS Soils of the Babinda - Cairns Area, North Queensland G.G. Murtha, M.G. Cannon and CD. Smith Divisional Report No 123 National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication Entry Murtha, G. G. (Grahame George). Soils of the Babinda-Cairns area, North Queensland. Bibliography. ISBN 0 643 05861 3. 1. Soils - Queensland - Babinda Region. 2. Soils - Queensland - Cairns Region. I. Cannon, M. G. II. Smith, CD. III. CSIRO. Division of Soils. IV. Title. (Series : Division of Soils divisional report; no. 123). 631.499436 Contents Page Index to soil series and map unit descriptions iv Abstract 1 Introduction 1 General 1 The Environment 3 Soil Series 5 Soil Mapping Units 5 Soils formed on beach ridges 6 Soils of basic rock origin 15 Soils of Metamorphic rock origin 24 Soils of granitic origin 35 Well drained soils formed on alluvium 47 Poorly drained soils formed on alluvium 60 Soils of the swamps and tidal zone 71 Analytical methods and abbreviations 76 Acknowledgements 77 References 77 IV CSIRO Division of Soils Divisional Report No 123 INDEX TO SOIL SERIES AND MAP UNIT DESCRIPTIONS Name Soil Series Map Unit Sample No. Original Series definition page page Alma 38 T361 Cannon etal. 1992 Babinda 72 75 T474 This report Bicton 28 33 T268 Murtha 1986 Bingil 20 23 T289 Murtha 1986 Brosnan 10 14 T284 Murtha 1986 Buchan 29 34 C10 Thompson and Cannon 1988 Bulgun 67 70 T271 Murtha 1986 Bulguru 75 Murtha 1986 Canoe 54 59 T445 Cannon et at. 1992 Clifton 26 34 T482 Thompson and Cannon 1988 Coom 61 68 T65 Murtha 1986 Dag mar 32 Murtha 1989 Daradgee 68 70 This report Edmonton 30 34 T484 Holz 1985 Eubenangee 18 23 T489 Murtha 1986 Galmara 25 33 T66 Murtha 1986 Garradunga 21 23 T279 Murtha 1986 Googara 13 14 Murtha 1986 Goolboo 56 Murtha 1986 Hewitt 63 69 T475 Murtha 1986 Holloway 65 69 C3 Thompson and Cannon 1988 Hull 8 14 C1 Murtha 1986 Inlet 64 69 T481 This report Innisfail 49 58 T281 Murtha 1986 Japoon 55 57 C11 Murtha 1986 Jarra 53 59 T479 Cannon etal. 1992 Kimberley 22 24 T308 Murtha 1989 Kirrama 42 46 T362 Cannon etal. 1992 Liverpool 51 57 T287 Murtha 1986 Lugger 39 45 T292 Murtha 1986 M1 34 Murtha 1986 M2 46 Murtha 1986 M7 15 This report Malbon 43 45 T488 Holz 1985 Mangrove soil 72 75 C2 This report Mena 17 T483 Murtha 1986 Mission 31 33 T485 Murtha 1986 Mossman 50 59 T324 Murtha 1989 Needep 12 15 T276 Murtha 1986 Nind 75 Murtha 1986 Pin Gin 16 23 T490 Murtha 1986 Prior 41 45 T367 Holz 1985 Ramleh 66 70 T290 Murtha 1986 Seymour 27 This report Silkwood 56 59 Murtha 1986 Spanos 12 14 T282 Murtha 1986 Sumalee 74 75 T476 This report Thorpe 40 44 T487 Murtha 1986 Timara 62 69 T486 Murtha 1986 Toolakea 10 C4 Murtha 1975 Tully 48 57 T257 Murtha 1986 Tyson 36 44 T241 Murtha 1986 Utchee 37 44 T242 Murtha 1986 Virgil 52 58 T478 Murtha 1989 Wongaling 9 15 T277 Murtha 1986 SOILS OF THE BABINDA CAIRNS AREA, NORTH QUEENSLAND G.G.Murtha1 , M.G.Cannon2 and CD.Smith3. Abstract The Babinda-Cairns area is located at about 17° 15' south latitude and 145° 50' east longitude. It forms part of what is locally known as the wet tropical coast of north Queensland. Mean annual rainfall ranges from about 1900mm to over 4500mm and has a pronounced summer dominance. A soil survey at 1:50 000 scale has been conducted over an area of about 200 000 ha. Forty eight soil series have been recognised and characterised in terms of their field morphology and major chemical and physical properties. The mapping units are associations of soil series. The soils of the area are formed on granite, basalt and low grade metamorphic rocks, on mixed alluvium derived from those parent materials and to a minor extent alluvium of marine origin. The major physiographic units include, precipitous mountains, granite peaks, minor basalt flow surfaces, and depositional surfaces. The depositional surfaces range from alluvial fans to riverine and marine plains and narrow beach ridge systems. The alluvial fans are often extensive, of very low angle and appear to have originated as mud flows rather than by gradual accretion. The upland soils exhibit many properties characteristic of the humid tropics such as thick sola or very deeply weathered saprolite, freely draining and friable nature, acid reaction, and low base status. The lowland soils are a much more diverse with profile wetness, which is usually site dependent being the dominant factor influencing soil morphology. INTRODUCTION General The area covered by this survey (Figure 1) is bounded by the North Johnstone River in the south, Buchan Point in the north and extends from the coast to the Lamb Range in the west. It is an area of approximately 200,000ha of which about 55% is very steep rainforest-clad mountains. The survey was undertaken to provide maps at 1:50 000 scale by a free survey technique (Reid 1988). Colour aerial photographs taken in September 1983 of approximately 1:30 000 scale were used as the major aid in map unit delineation. Monochrome aerial photographs taken in 1961 at approximately 1:80 000 scale were also used to take advantage of the original vegetation patterns which assisted in the selection of inspection sites and in soil mapping. Large areas of the coastal lowland country to the east of the Murray-Prior, Malbon- Thompson, Graham, and Seymour Ranges were inaccessible at the time of this survey and hence the map units in this area have been delineated and interpreted on the basis of air photo pattern with little or no ground truthing. There also is minimal access to the mountainous lands and they have been simply mapped as such and differentiated only on the basis of geology. A reliability diagram is given on the accompanying maps. 1 Previously Division of Soils now retired. 2 CSIRO Division of Soils, PMB P.O. Aitkenvale , Qld 4814. 3 QDPI Land Resources and Evaluation, P.O. Box 1054, Mareeba Qld. 4880. CSIRO Division of Soils Divisional Report No 123 Figure 1. Locality map This report provides a morphological description of the soil series recognised and a description of the mapping units depicted on the accompanying map. Chemical and physical data are presented for representative profiles but there is no discussion of the data. Unless otherwise stated on the table the analytical methods used are those described in the appropriate section of this report. This report should be read in conjunction with the land evaluation report of Smith et al (in press) where the soil and land suitability for a wide range of crops has been determined. The soils have been classified in terms of the Factual Key (Northcote 1979), Great Soil Groups (Stace et al. 1968), and to the sub-group level in the new Australian Soil Classification (Isbell 1993). CSIRO Division of Soils Divisional Report Mo 123 3 A 'p' following the principal profile form (PPF) denotes soils that have an Ap horizon. All cultivated soils have an Ap horizon which is usually about 25cm thick but may be as thick as 40cm. In addition, deep ripping further disturbs horizonation and A horizon materials may occur as deep as 80cm. In many soils it is likely that deep cultivation has modified the original profile form to the extent that subsurface horizons such as A2, A3, and Bl have been destroyed. Where possible, the PPF from undisturbed sites has been recorded. For a number of soils there is no provision in the Great Soil Groups (Stace et al. 1968), and for others the classification is doubtful. The latter are identified by a question mark. The classification given applies to the representative profile and the accompanying laboratory data.