274

Site number:

274

Authors:

IBC, GGC

Date recorded:

1970/01/03

Reason Sampled:

Soil weathering examination

Description:

At the southern end of Taylor Ridge, at the upper (eastern end) of a westward sloping terrain comprising a sequence of glacial retreat surfaces of differing age; an intermediate shoulder with a broad flattish surface; this site is beneath a 0.5m x 0.3m granitic boulder with an underlying salt layer

Altitude:

1200 m

Aspect:

W

Slope:

5 °

Climate

Soil climate zone:

Coastal Mountain

Estimated mean annual temperature:

-25 °C

Frozen ground depth:

55 > cm

Frozen type:

Dry frozen

Frozen comment:

>55cm

Geology

Geological setting:

The local rocks are medium to fine grained granite; thin patchy till overlies bedrock at higher altitude but the till cover is more continuous at lower altitude with several distinctive moraine loops

Patterned ground:

Nil

Surface weathering or surface features:

Some cavernous weathering of boulders and exposed local rock outcrops; surface boulders generally well rounded with weathering through exfoliation; darker rocks fragmenting through thermal disaggregation; staining generally on upper sides of boulders only

Soil

Soil parent material:

Granitic till with occasional dolerite and other rock types

Previous disturbance:

Nil

Soil weathering stage:

6 3 (Campbell & Claridge 1975)

Soil moisture status:

No water observed but soils are moist in patches after recent snowfall

Biological activity:

Nil observed