Conventional methods of soil analysis for mapping soils are time consuming and restrictive and this catalysed the development of both laboratory based and in situ field methods of spectral soil sampling to cheaply and efficiently determine soil properties. Soil spectral analysis has thus far been limited to isolated samples which have been used to determine various soil properties including organic matter content, water content, electrical conductivity and mineral content.
The HyLogger Core scanner launched by CSIRO’s Mineral Mapping Technologies Group in 2002 has previously been used largely in the spectral sensing of diamond drill cores in the exploration field. The instrument is capable of continuous visible and infrared spectroscopy at a resolution of 10mm which produces a detailed spectral log within the wavelength range of 400 to 2500nm, which allows the identification and characterisation of dominant minerals.
The advantage of the HyLogger is in its ability to sample continuously down the soil profile as opposed to the traditional isolated single point soil samples. This may enable not only the conventional properties of organic matter, water content and minerals to be characterised but also evolutionary features such as leaching, erosion and other properties detailing how the soil changes throughout the profile.
This study intends to determine what properties the HyLogger can determine in a soil profile and to what extent they can be quantified and qualified. We will discuss the implications for soil mapping.