Land zone definitions

Land Zone 1

	Short description	deposits subject to periodic tidal inundation
	General term	tidal flats and beaches

Quaternary estuarine and marine deposits subject to periodic inundation by saline or brackish marine waters. Includes mangroves, saltpans, off-shore tidal flats and tidal beaches. Soils are predominantly Hydrosols (saline muds, clays and sands) or beach sand.

Land Zone 2

	Short description	Quaternary coastal sand deposits
	General term	coastal dunes

Quaternary coastal dunes and beach ridges. Includes degraded dunes, sand plains and swales, lakes and swamps enclosed by dunes, as well as coral and sand cays. Soils are predominantly Rudosols and Tenosols (siliceous or calcareous sands), Podosols and Organosols.

Land Zone 3

	Short description	Quaternary alluvial systems
	General term	alluvium (river and creek flats)

Quaternary alluvial systems, including floodplains, alluvial plains, alluvial fans, terraces, levees, swamps, channels, closed depressions and fine textured palaeo-estuarine deposits. Also includes estuarine plains currently under fresh water influence, inland lakes and associated dune systems (lunettes). Excludes talus slopes, colluvial deposits and pediments.Includes a diverse range of soils, predominantly Vertosols and Sodosols, also with Hydrosols in higher rainfall areas.

Land Zone 4

	Short description	flat to gently undulating Tertiary clay plains
	General term	clay plains not associated with current alluvium

Cainozoic clay deposits, usually forming level to gently undulating plains above current alluvial systems. Excludes clay plains and downs formed in-situ on bedrock. Mainly Vertosols with gilgai microrelief, but includes small areas of thin sandy or loamy surfaced Sodosols and Chromosols.

Land Zone 5

	Short description	plains and plateaus on Tertiary land surfaces, generally with medium to coarse textured soils
	General term	old loamy and sandy plains

Extensive, uniform near level or gently undulating Cainozoic plains with sandy or loamy soils. Includes dissected remnants of these surfaces. Also includes plains with sandy or loamy soils of uncertain origin, and plateau remnants with deep soils usually overlying duricrust. Excludes Quaternary alluvial deposits (land zone 3), exposed duricrust (land zone 7), and soils derived from underlying bedrock (land zones 8 to 12). Soils are usually Tenosols and Kandosols, also minor deep sandy surfaced Sodosols and Chromosols. There may be a duricrust at depth.

Land Zone 6

	Short description	Quaternary inland dunefields
	General term	inland dunefields

Quaternary inland dunefields, interdune areas, degraded dunefields, and associated aeolian sandplains. Excludes alluvial systems, which may traverse this zone, and intermittent lakes and claypans (land zone 3). Soils are predominantly Rudosols and Tenosols, some Kandosols and minor Calcarosols.

Land Zone 7

	Short description	exposed or shallowly covered duricrusts
	General term	ironstone jump-ups

Cainozoic duricrusts formed on a variety of rock types, usually forming mesas or scarps. Includes exposed ferruginous, siliceous or mottled horizons and associated talus and colluvium, and remnants of these features, for example low stony rises on downs. Soils are usually shallow Rudosols and Tenosols, with minor Sodosols and Chromosols on associated pediments, and shallow Kandosols on plateau margins and larger mesas.

Land Zone 8

	Short description	plains and hills on Cainozoic flood basalts
	General term	basalt plains and hills

Cainozoic igneous rocks, predominantly flood basalts forming extensive plains and occasional low scarps. Also includes hills, cones and plugs on trachytes and rhyolites, and associated interbedded sediments, and talus. Excludes springs (land zone 3), and deep soils overlying duricrust (land zone 5). Soils include Vertosols, Ferrosols, and shallow Dermosols.

Land Zone 9

	Short description	gently undulating landscapes on more or less horizontally bedded fine grained sedimentary rocks
	General term	undulating country on fine grained sedimentary rocks

Fine-grained sedimentary rocks, generally with little or no deformation, forming undulating landscapes with a broad range of fine textured soils of moderate to high fertility. Siltstones, mudstones, shales, calcareous sediments, and lithic and labile sandstones are typical rock types although minor interbedded volcanics may occur. Excludes areas of duricrust (land zone 7). Includes a diverse range of soils of moderate to high fertility, predominantly Vertosols, Sodosols, and Chromosols.

Land Zone 10

	Short description	plateaus, scarps and ledges with shallow soils on more or less horizontally bedded medium- to coarse-grained sedimentary rocks
	General term	sandstone ranges

Medium to coarse-grained sedimentary rocks, with little or no deformation, forming plateaus, ledges and scarps. Includes siliceous sandstones, conglomerates and minor interbedded volcanics, and springs associated with these rocks. Excludes overlying Cainozoic sand deposits (land zone 5). Soils are predominantly shallow Rudosols and Tenosols of low fertility, but include sandy surfaced Kandosols, Kurosols, Sodosols and Chromosols.

Land Zone 11

	Short description	hills and lowlands on metamorphosed sedimentary rocks
	General term	hills and lowlands on metamorphic rocks

Metamorphosed rocks, forming ranges, hills and lowlands. Primarily lower Permian and older sedimentary formations which are generally moderately to strongly deformed. Includes low- to high-grade and contact metamorphics such as phyllites, slates, gneisses of indeterminate origin and serpentinite, and interbedded volcanics. Soils are mainly shallow, gravelly Rudosols and Tenosols, with Sodosols and Chromosols on lower slopes and gently undulating areas. Soils are typically of low to moderate fertility.

Land Zone 12

	Short description	hills and lowlands on granitic and other pre Cainozoic igneous rocks
	General term	hills and lowlands on granitic rocks

Mesozoic to Proterozoic igneous rocks, forming ranges, hills and lowlands. Predominantly granitic rocks and intermediate to acid volcanics such as granites, granodiorites, andesites and rhyolites, as well as minor areas of associated interbedded sediments and basic intrusive rock types such as gabbros and dolerites. Excludes serpentinites (land zone 11) and younger igneous rocks (land zone 8). Soils are mainly Tenosols and Rudosols on steeper slopes with Chromosols and Sodosols on lower slopes and gently undulating areas. Soils are typically of low to moderate fertility.

Last reviewed 12 April 2011
Last updated 18 November 2010

Regional ecosystem descriptions

• Introduction
• Biodiversity status and VM Class
• Conditions of use
• Explanation of fields in RE descriptions
• Regional ecosystem framework
• Land zone definitions
• Fire management guidelines
• Broad vegetation groups
• How to download REDD
• Remnant vegetation in Queensland
• RE maps
• RE data