Sessrumnir Valley in the Asgard Range on the SE side on a bouldery till surface about 150m from the cirque head alpine glacier; a bouldery uneven sloping surface
Alpine valleys of the Asgard Range are amongst the oldest known landscapes in Antarctica dating back to the Miocene based on till, soil and volcanic ash deposits; the present cirque head glacier is a remnant of a former glacier which filled the valley; tills associated with this glacier are derived from valley head wall attrition of dolerite and are very bouldery and young; although further from the ice front the till age is probably Alpine I
Patterned ground:
Weakly developed patterned ground cracks and ice-cored; inactivity may be due to lower temperatures
Surface weathering or surface features:
Boulders from 0.6 to 1.5m, moderate boulder rounding with some clast reduction; moderate surface staining that may be inherited from head wall rock source; a few scattered surface salts
Scattered snow in pockets amongst boulders; no visible thawing or soil moistening
Biological activity:
Nil observed but endolithic lichens common in sandstone
Profile Description
Horizon
Depth
Description
337a
-1
–
0
cm
surface boulders, cobbles and granular sand; rock particles subrounded and strongly stained with surface exfoliation; many smaller particles moderately altered,
337b
0
–
5
cm
strong brown (7.5YR 5/7) granular bouldery gravel; weakly cohesive; weakly developed vesicular structure; rock particles angular, moderately stained and some moderately altered; distinct boundary,
337c
5
–
10
cm
yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) sandy to granular bouldery gravel; firmly cohesive; frosted; rock particles angular weakly to moderately stained with some moderately altered; sharp boundary,