A theory of prior streams as a casual factor of soil occurrence in the riverine plain of South-Eastern Australia

Abstract

A new theory is submitted on the origin of the soil formations in the alluvial plains region of southern New South Wales and Victoria embracing the Murray River and tributaries which has been given the name of the Riverine Plain of South-Eastern Australia. The Riverine Plain is delineated and the climate and physiography of the environment are briefly described. The theory postulates the occurrence of a system of prior streams independent of the present stream pattern; from the activity of this system the present soils and land surface were derived. The formations are discussed in terms of sedimentary array, salinity, and degree of leaching. Figures illustrate the ideal sediment pattern of a prior stream formation, a typical alluvial fan, and a simplified map of the region showing prior and present stream systems. A classification of the named soils from local soil surveys is given in the form of 15 sequences of general catenary relationship. The influence of halomorphism in soil development is discussed with the deduction that solonetzous and solodous soils occur generally throughout the region. The age of prior stream activity is set at late Pleistocene to early Recent.