Soils of the Northern Territory | factsheet Soils are developed over thousands of years and are made up of air, water, minerals, organic material and microorganisms. They can take on a wide variety of characteristics and form ecosystems which support all life on earth. In the NT, soils are an important natural resource for land-based agricultural industries. These industries and the soils that they depend on are a major contributor to the Northern Territory economy and need to be managed sustainably.

Common Soils in the Northern Territory

Kandosols Tenosols Hydrosols Often referred to as red, These weakly developed or sandy These seasonally inundated yellow and brown earths, soils are important for horticulture in soils support both high value these massive and earthy the Ali Curung and Alice Springs conservation areas important soils are important for regions. They soils show some for ecotourism as well as the agricultural and horticultural degree of development (minor pastoral industry. They production. They occur colour or soil texture increase in generally occur in higher throughout the NT and are subsoil) down the profile. They rainfall areas on coastal widespread across the Top include sandplains, granitic soils floodplains, swamps and End, Sturt plateau, Tennant and the sand dunes of beach ridges drainage lines. They also Creek and Central Australian and deserts. include soils in mangroves and regions. salt flats.

Darwin sandy Katherine loamy Red Alice Springs Coastal floodplain Red Kandosol Kandosol sandplainTenosol Hydrosol

Rudosols Chromosols These are very shallow soils or those with minimal These are soils with an abrupt increase in clay soil development. Rudosols include very shallow content below the top soil. They are generally rocky and gravelly soils across rugged terrain restricted to small occurrences across colluvial such as the Arnhem Plateau but also pure sand and alluvial plains. soils in deserts.

www.lrm.nt.gov.au Vertosols Calcarosols Dermosols These cracking These are soils with These are soils with highly developed structural clays or blacksoils calcium carbonate characteristics. They occur in the Tindal area and are critical to the often formed on other parts of the Daly River Basin. pastoral industry. limestone. They are They are common restricted to small Ferrosols across coastal pockets in Central These are iron rich soils generally formed on basalt. floodplains of the Australia, the Victoria They are restricted to volcanic landscapes of the Top End, the Barkly River District Victoria River District and to a smaller extent in the Tablelands and including Gregory Roper River Catchment. basalt and alluvial National Park and plains of the the Katherine and Soil Map of the NT Victoria River Mataranka Districts. District.

Victoria River Alice Springs District Vertosol Calcarosol

Less common soils in the NT:

Sodosols Dispersive soils high in sodium with an abrupt increase in clay content between the topsoil and subsoil. They are restricted to small occurrences in the southern region.

Anthroposols Resulting from human activities. i.e. urban environments, industrial areas and mine sites.

Organosols Organic and peaty soils in coastal floodplain TENOSOLS RUDOSOLS KANDOSOLS VERTOSOLS back swamp environments. HYDROSOLS CALCAROSOLS DERMO/FERROSOLS CHROMOSOLS

www.lrm.nt.gov.au