240

Site number:

240

Authors:

IBC, GGC

Date recorded:

1969/12/08

Reason Sampled:

Soil weathering examination

Description:

At the southern end of Long Valley, on the north side of a dry valley and 6km north of Mount Blackburn; a valley side, lower midslope with an uneven surface

Altitude:

1950 m

Aspect:

SW

Slope:

26 °

Climate

Soil climate zone:

Inland Mountain

Estimated mean annual temperature:

-40 °C

Frozen ground depth:

35 > cm

Frozen type:

Dry frozen

Frozen comment:

>35cm

Geology

Geological setting:

The basement rocks are granitic with sedimentary above lying on the Kukri Peneplane and dolerite intrusions; a thin moraine cover of dominantly granite but with some dolerite lies on the valley slope; a transverse weathering zone occurs in the granitic bedrock with distinct weathering changes over a 75cm wide band; the weathering may be related to a crush or fault zone in the bedrock or to proximity to and alteration by an intrusion

Patterned ground:

Nil

Surface weathering or surface features:

Granite boulders are exfoliating, partly rounded and have some cavernous weathering; dolerite boulders are moderately stained and show some exfoliation; granite erratics are up to 5m; reddish weathered material extends away from the sample location

Soil

Soil parent material:

Altered and partly altered granitic bedrock

Previous disturbance:

Nil

Soil weathering stage:

Soil moisture status:

A dry surface with no residual snow patches or signs of snow thaw

Biological activity:

Nil observed