Bulletin 4359 - Soils of the Swan Coastal Plain

Authors

Mike Bolland, Agriculture Western Australia

Files

Publication Date

4-1999

Series Number

4359

Abstract

Almost all the soils of the Swan coastal plain are formed by material deposited by sea, rivers and wind. The Yilgarn Block, east and south of the Scarp bordering the Swan Coastal Plain (Fig. 1), rose about 40 to 50 million years ago. This caused erosion of the block by rivers and streams, and the eroded material was either deposited onto the Swan Coastal Plain or washed into the sea. The eroded material formed new soils on the Plain.

Broadly there are two major types of soils on the Coastal Plain. The first is a series of dune system near the coast formed as a result of deposits from the sea, and including material originally derived from erosion of the Yilgarn block mixed with material from the sea. Once formed, the dunes can be eroded by strong winds. The sand is mostly eroded from the dunes nearest the coast, and is re-deposited on the dunes further inland. The second major soil types are a series of soils formed by deposits directly eroded from the Yilgarn block and which comprise soils of the Pinjarra plain, occurring between the dunes and the scarp. There is a third, very narrow strip of soil, called the ridge hill shelf, next to the scarp, formed from material eroded from the scarp. It is too small to be of any significance.

Number of Pages

13

ISSN

1326 — 415X

Publisher

Agriculture Western Australia

City

Perth

Keywords

Soils, Soil management, Swan Coastal Plain, Dune system, Western Australia

Disciplines

Agricultural Science | Agriculture | Agronomy and Crop Sciences | Environmental Monitoring | Hydrology | Natural Resources and Conservation | Natural Resources Management and Policy | Sedimentology | Soil Science

Comments

Agdex 520

Recommended Citation

Bolland, M. (1999), Bulletin 4359 - Soils of the Swan Coastal Plain. Agriculture Western Australia, Perth. Bulletin 4359.
https://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/bulletins/345

Maps

Maps are not included as part of the complete document download. If this report contains a map, it will be available in the individual parts list below.