Mt Rigby at the northwest side of the mouth of the Robert Scott Glacier; low undulating hills at the northern end where rock outcrops widely with intermittent cover of till; a sloping site on a patch of till
Altitude:
925 m
Aspect:
E
Slope:
7 °
Location Data
Observer
IBC
GGC
GPS
No
Latitude Longitude DMS
85° 32.8' S 154° 36' W
85° 32.8' S 154° 36' W
Latitude Longitude DD
-85.5467 -154.600
-85.5467 -154.600
Latitude longitude precision DD
0.0008 0.008
0.0008 0.008
Locality
Scott Glacier region, southern Trans-antarctic Mountains, on the West side of the Robert Scott Glacier, about 8km from the coast in the Medina Peaks region
Survey
Mount Goodale
Climate
Soil climate zone:
Coastal Mountain
Estimated mean annual temperature:
-20
°C
Frozen ground depth:
35 cm
Frozen type:
Ice-cemented
Frozen comment:
35cm
Geology
Geological setting:
Rocks of this area include granites and a series of metsedimentary rocks; at Mt Rigby the rocks are mainly granites but the landscape has an old appearance which has been inundated by later ice advances, most probably from an expanded and grounded Ross Ice Shelf
Patterned ground:
Nil
Surface weathering or surface features:
Rock outcrops have strong surface oxidation; cavernous weathering is well developed but caverns are in places filled with younger till deposits, indicating the weathering is fossil; powdery salts efflorescences occur beneath some surface stones; little polish on dark coloured rocks; dolerite strongly stained and some granite boulders crumbly
Soil
Soil parent material:
Granitic till with some dolerite, Beacon Group rocks and marble
Scattered snow patches with thaw water on adjacent rock surfaces; some water in pools adjacent to ice edges
Biological activity:
Lichen and algae observed in the general area
Profile Description
Horizon
Depth
Description
285a
-2
–
0
cm
surface granular sand, pebbles and small boulders; moderately to strongly stained; some clasts disaggregating and partly altered; subangular to rounded,
285b
0
–
7
cm
yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) sandy pebble gravel; loose; few scattered salts around rocks; rock particles moderately stained and subangular to subrounded; distinct boundary,
285c
10
–
15
cm
brown (10YR 5/4) sandy pebble gravel; profuse salts with fresh efflorescences on exposed soil face; weakly cohesive and frosted; rock particles subangular, crumbly and moderately stained; distinct boundary,
285d
30
–
35
cm
light yellowish brown to pale yellow (2.5Y 6/4 -7/4) sandy gravel; firmly cohesive; frosted; rock particles angular and partly crumbly; sharp boundary, on ice-cemented ground