Australian Natural Resources Atlas

Natural Resource Topics

Australian Agriculture Assessment 2001

Australian agriculture assessment 2001
National Land and Water Resources Audit, 2001

Appendix 3 - Tenosols

Tenosols may be considered as intermediate between Rudosols (characterised by having only a minimal development of soil features such as horizons) and Kandosols in which B horizon development is clearly expressed with more than 15% of clay. Tenosols thus encompass a fairly wide range of soils which, apart from some A horizons, do not have a strong degree of horizon development.

Orthic Tenosols

These soils are characterised by a weakly developed B horizon, usually in terms of colour, texture or structure or a combination of these. A description of a Basic, Arenic, Orthic Tenosol is given below.

Environment

Distribution: The most extensive areas of Orthic Tenosols are in the semi-arid to arid regions of Western Australia and the Northern Territory, with much smaller occurrences in eastern Australia.

Climate: These soils span a large mean annual rainfall range, approximately 200 mm to over 2000 mm, and a similarly wide latitudinal range from tropical to temperate.

Parent materials or substrate: A diverse range of siliceous alluvial and aeolian deposits with lesser occurrences derived from acidic rocks.

Landform: Vast, gently undulating plains are characteristic but hilly to mountainous topography is common, particularly in eastern Australia.

Native vegetation: Very diverse and dependent on rainfall, ranging from spinifex hummock grassland in the arid regions to tall open forests in the high rainfall eastern occurrences.

Land use

Because of their general acidity or unfavourable topography, many Orthic Tenosols are used only for sparse grazing. Important exceptions are the sand plains of southern Western Australia which support winter cereal cropping and lupins where rainfall is adequate.

Common variants

Red forms (mainly in the arid zones) occupy the greatest area of Orthic Tenosols. The yellow soils vary in texture and the presence of ferruginous nodules. Arenic Tenosols (sandy textured throughout) are common.

Nomenclature

Commonly known as Earthy Sands.

Soil qualities

Water availability: Moderate to high, varying with soil depth.

Drainage: Highly permeable and well drained.

Aeration: No restriction.

Physical root limitations: Few in general.

Erosion hazard: Susceptible to wind erosion on bare surface soils.

Nutrient availability: Very low inherent fertility.

Toxicities: Acidification can lead to aluminium toxicity.

Workability: Good.

Acknowledgment

Photo and soil description from Agriculture Western Australia. Laboratory data for a typical profile from McArthur (1991), p. 138.

Typical profile

Typical profile from South-east of Geraldton, Western Australia.
South-east of Geraldton, Western Australia.

Soil description of a typical profile

A1 0 – 0.10 m Brown (10YR 5/3) loamy sand; single grain structure; loose consistence; gradual boundary to:

B1w 0.10 – 0.75 m Brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) clayey sand; massive structure; loose consistence; diffuse boundary to:

B2w 0.75 – 1.50 m Yellow (10 YR 7/8) clayey sand; massive structure; loose consistence.

Laboratory data for the typical profile

Laboratory data for the typical profile

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