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"Soils of the Awatere Valley, supplied by Landcare"OrangeAnthropic soils - soils drastically disturbed/created by man e.g. as a result of mining activity.BrownBown soils - have yellowish brown subsoils, stable well structured topsoils, are well to imperfectly drained, with low to moderate fertility and are generally drought free.GreyMelanic soils - have high fertility, dark well structured topsoils, and are associated with ime-rich rocks or dark (basic) volcanic rocksBlueGley soils - are saturated by water for prolonged periods and have pale greyish subsoils, originally wetlands.DarkBlueOrganic soils - formed from partly decomposed plant materials (peat), are strongly acidic and have high water tables.GreenPallic soils - have pale coloured high bulk density subsoils, weak structure, are slowly permeable and have limited rooting depths. They are dry in summer and wet in winter.YellowRecent soils - formed in young sediments. Have a distinct topsoil, but weakly developed subsoils, with moderate to high fertility and well to imperfect drainage. They have widely variable rooting depths and water storage capacities.PinkSemiarid soils - are dry for most of growing season, with moderate to high natural fertility, and well to imperfect drainage. They are fragile with weak soil structure, and very low organic matter.LightYellowRaw soils – are very young soils lacking distinct topsoil, on active sites of deposition or erosion.PurplePodzol soils - occur in high rainfall areas, are strongly acid and strongly leached, with very low fertility. Drainage is variable from well to poorly drained. |