REGOLITH ASSESSMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

The biophysical aspect of natural resource assessment draws on information from a range of disciplines. Regolithgeology is a specialty that links many facets of the natural environment, and so can contribute valuable information to management decision-making. Examples from north Queensland are used to show that deeper regolithmaterials influence soil properties, interact with deep-rooted trees and perennial pasture species and control water movement into and out of groundwater systems. The methodology for assessing regolithon a broad scale involves the iterative development of conceptual models, based on a range of datasets, which are tested and refined through targeted field work. Additional Keywords: weathering, groundwater, soil forming factors, Burdekin catchment