Site Information

Site number:
343
Authors:
IBC, GGC
Date recorded:
1972/12/02
Reason Sampled:
Soil weathering examination
Description:
South side of the Labyrinth, upper Wright Valley; a soil from a salty basin in one of the dissected channelways
Altitude:
775 m
Aspect:
Nil
Slope:
0 °
Location Data
Observer IBC GGC
GPS No
Latitude Longitude DMS 77° 34.0' S 160° 49' E 77° 34' S 160° 49' E
Latitude Longitude DD -77.567 160.817 -77.567 160.817
Latitude longitude precision DD 0.008 0.008 0.008 0.008
Locality Wright Valley, McMurdo Dry Valley region
Survey USGS 1:50,000 Antarctic Topo. Ser. Labyrinth Quadrangle

Climate

Soil climate zone:
Central Mountain
Estimated mean annual temperature:
-25 °C
Frozen ground depth:
0 cm
Frozen type:
Frozen comment:

Geology

Geological setting:
The Labyrinth is a fossil erosional landscape with a complex geomorphic and glacial history; there is scarcely any till in the channelised landscape but there are accumulations of slope debris and wind drift materials; some parts of the landscape have no external drainage and salts accumulate in small basins
Patterned ground:
Nil
Surface weathering or surface features:
Surface salt efflorescences

Soil

Soil parent material:
Sandy clayey alluvium/colluvium
Previous disturbance:
Nil
Soil weathering stage:
6 3 (Campbell & Claridge 1975)
Soil moisture status:
A moist site with wet soil
Biological activity:
Nil observed
Profile Description
HorizonDepthDescription
343a 0 – 5 cm brown to dark brown to yellowish red (7.5YR 4/4 - 5YR 4/6) silty sandy gravel; diffuse salts precipitated at the soils surface; slightly sticky; moderately cohesive; silty clay coatings on many rock particles; rock particles subangular, unstained and unaltered but partly crumbly

Sample Data

Physical Data
Sample nameDepth descriptionTop (cm)Base (cm)Bulk DensityDry Bulk DensityGravimetric MoistureVol. Moisture (BD=2)
343 0-5cm 0 5 No
Sample solution chemistry
Sample namepHNa meq/100gCa meq/100gMg meq/100gK meq/100gCl meq/100gSO4 meq/100gNO3 meq/100gEC mmho/cmSoluble SaltNotes
343 . 18.5 1.6 11.7 1.6 21.1 3.2 8.4 5.4 .  
Particle size distribution
Sample name< 2 mm2 - 0.5 mm0.5 - 0.25 mm0.25 - 0.1 mm0.1 - 0.05 mm0.05 - 0.02 mm0.02 - 0.002 mm< 0.002 mmFe2O3CaCO3Notes
343 31.4 32.5 14.3 1.5 1.2 1.4 17.0 0.53 .
Clay Mineralogy
Sample nameMicaIHMHIV - IHMICHLVTHIVCHLSMCHL SMFE - CHLHTQTZFLDHBCALNotes
343 :
National Soil Archive Samples
Sample nameNSA Sample IdContainer typeFraction type
343 M22/1873 White lid small coarse
343 M22/1874 medium fine
343 M22/7305 Glass vial metal lid

Photos

Photo record:
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