20

Site number:

20

Authors:

IBC, GGC

Date recorded:

1964/11/02

Reason Sampled:

Soil characterisation

Description:

On the edge of a narrow beach ridge on the northeastern side of Felsite Island; the surface is a beach remnant, about 5m above sea level and has been partly eroded by ice from the Edisto Glacier;

Altitude:

5 m

Aspect:

NE

Slope:

4 °

Climate

Soil climate zone:

Coastal Antarctic

Estimated mean annual temperature:

-15 °C

Frozen ground depth:

40 cm

Frozen type:

Hard ice-cemented

Frozen comment:

40cm

Geology

Geological setting:

Small remnant coastal beach deposits, formed either through uplift or as a result of higher sea levels, occur just above sea level in places around the coast at Felsite Island; the deposits are well sorted, form small flat topped terraces and are derived mainly from metagreywacke rocks of the Robertson Bay Group

Patterned ground:

Nil

Surface weathering or surface features:

subrounded to subangular pavement of pebbles, cobbles and occasional boulders, unstained

Soil

Soil parent material:

Subrounded moderately sorted beach gravel, mainly metagreywacke but some basalt also present

Previous disturbance:

Nil

Soil weathering stage:

1 (Campbell & Claridge 1975)

Soil moisture status:

Oceanic subxerous, soil moisture derived from occasional snowfalls

Biological activity:

Nil observed