SOIL ASSOCIATIONS -
 DARLEITH

DERIVATION:

Basaltic lavas and various igneous rocks 
e.g. dolerites, agglomerates.

TYPES OF PARENT MATERIALS MAPPED:

Glacial till
Glacial drift
Shallow drift onto shattered rock
Shattered rock in situ

COLOUR:

Dark brown to brown or reddish brown in subsoil.

TEXTURE:

Sandy silt loam to sandy loam with loamy sand more common on drifts derived from dolerites and basic agglomerates. Till deposits are finer textured with clay loam textures throughout the soils profile. Moderately stony with subsoil, increasing stone content if shattered rock is present.

DOMINANT LAND USE:

Arable, grassland, rough grazing.

LANDFORMS:

Undulating lowlands with gentle slopes to steep hill and valley sides, non-to moderate rocky.

SOIL CHEMISTRY:

Percentage base saturation and cation exchange capacity are low to high in the topsoil, increasing with depth. Total phosphorus is medium to high. 
Low cobalt levels but risk of high molybdenum in herbage of poor draining soils.

SOIL PHYSICAL PROPERTIES:

Potential rooting depth up to 90cm restricted only by underlying rock or weak induration. 
Moderate structural development within subsoil.

 * Occurs only as component in soil complexes       ** Survey completed but map not published