Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2025L00287:reg:3:p18
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2025L00287
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 3 (pt 18/276)
Character Range: 60156–63682

point on Phillip Island with steep cliffs fringing the perimeter. There are no permanent streams on the island. The tuff and ash beds are very friable and sensitive to erosion. There has been severe erosion on Phillip Island as a result of vegetation destruction by introduced goats (Capra aegagrus hircus), pigs (Sus scrofa) and rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus); in some places at least two metres of topsoil was lost (Melville 1969; see also section 1.2.7). Some of the valleys on Phillip Island have formed within living memory, and soil washed from the island colours the sea red following rain.

1.2.3        Soils
Clay-rich soils, produced by normal weathering of basalt rock, cover much of Norfolk Island (Abell & Taylor 1981). These soils are nutrient rich, well structured, friable and highly permeable. They do not hold moisture well, so native vegetation is susceptible to stress during long dry periods. The soils are also prone to mass movement such as soil creep, slumps and landslips in areas where vegetation cover has been reduced (Petheram et al. 2020).
CSIRO identified 11 soils on Norfolk Island during surveys in 1954 (Stephens and Hutton 1954). Petheram et al. (2020) also describe the Norfolk Island soils with additional hydrological context—see Map 2 and Table 5 for the soils mapped in these studies and their properties.
A digital soil attributes modelling exercise was undertaken as part of the Norfolk Island Water Resource Assessment (Petheram et al. 2020), mapping attributes relevant to ground and surface water such as permeability, water holding capacity, drainage, clay content, and soil thickness. These data are available from the CSIRO data access portal.
Map 2 Soil map of Norfolk Island
Source: Stephens and Hutton 1954.
Table 5 Soils of Norfolk Island
Soil group                           Soil type                                                                                                                                                                                              1954 description of topography and drainage                                                                                                                              2020 description of soil                                                                                                                  Parent material
Krasnozems / Ferrosols               Palm Glen clay (Red Ferrosol)                                                                                                                                                                          Steep to moderate slopes, located on the upper and middle slopes of Mt Pitt and Mt Bates and along Stockyard Road to the north-west of Ball Bay. Unrestricted drainage.  Very deep, rapidly drained, highly permeable, Red Ferrosol with an acid to neutral strongly structured brown or dark light clay surface.  Basalt
Mt Pitt clay (Red Ferrosol)          Moderate slopes, located on the middle and lower slopes of Mt Pitt and Mt Bates and north of Ball Bay. Unrestricted drainage. Generally, has been cleared for pasture and horticulture.                Moderately deep to deep, well drained, moderately permeable, Red Ferrosol with a neutral dark or brown light clay surface.                                               Basalt
Rooty Hill clay (Red Ferrosol)       Steep to moderate convex slopes and ridge tops, located on the dissected slopes and spurs of the eastern and central part of the island. Unrestricted drainage. Is largely under