Near a dolerite knoll, about 1km W of the Rhone Glacier and 4.5km S of Taylor Glacier; a residual well weathered dolerite surface with scattered rounded bedrock outcrops separated by small flattish surfaces in between; this site is a small gravelly hollow with a distinct salt horizon
Altitude:
1520 m
Aspect:
Nil
Slope:
0 °
Location Data
Observer
IBC
GGC
GPS
No
Latitude Longitude DMS
77° 41.6' S 162° 1.9' E
77° 41.5' S 162° 08' E
Latitude Longitude DD
-77.6933 162.0320
-77.692 162.133
Latitude longitude precision DD
0.0008 0.0008
0.004 0.008
Locality
Taylor Dry Valley, McMurdo Dry Valley region, Rhone Glacier
Survey
USGS 1:50,000 Antarctic Topo. Ser. Lake Bonney Quadrangle
Climate
Soil climate zone:
Inland Mountain
Estimated mean annual temperature:
-27
°C
Frozen ground depth:
0 cm
Frozen type:
Frozen comment:
Geology
Geological setting:
Higher altitude surfaces west of the Rhone Glacier are very old and show strong weathering; bedrock ventiforms are present with exfoliation and wind removal of up to 1m of bedrock; erratics are absent indicating there has been no ice cover for a long time; patches of more strongly weathered soil are preserved in clefts between bedrock; salt accumulations are occasionally present
Patterned ground:
Nil
Surface weathering or surface features:
Surface dolerite boulders are well rounded and fine textured dolerite is distinctly pitted; coarse dolerite shows, surface exfoliation; distinct surface staining; salts are present below surface clasts in nodular form