392

Site number:

392

Authors:

IBC, GGC

Date recorded:

1977/11/24

Reason Sampled:

Soil weathering examination

Description:

A broad sloping slightly hummocky bouldery bench surface towards the mouth of Koenig Valley on the E side; the site is near the centre of an even sloping part of the surface

Altitude:

1725 m

Aspect:

NW

Slope:

3 °

Climate

Soil climate zone:

Inland Mountain

Estimated mean annual temperature:

-30 °C

Frozen ground depth:

45 cm

Frozen type:

Hard ice-cemented

Frozen comment:

45cm

Geology

Geological setting:

The Asgard Range is comprised of Beacon Sandstone and Ferrar Dolerite; the landscape is ancient with the high altitude valley cirques cut in pre-Miocene time; Koenig Valley has a similar moraine and till sequence to that found in Sessrumnir Valley; the high shoulder surfaces may relate to early valley filling ice episodes as soils here tend to be the oldest; this surface is above the level at which granite erratics are found

Patterned ground:

Nil

Surface weathering or surface features:

Predominantly dolerite boulders, up to 1m but many having fractured; most show some rounding with strong surface staining; fine grained dolerite strongly pitted; marked exfoliation of coarse grained dolerite; sandstone clasts with reddish oxide coatings and showing marked cavernous weathering; salts beneath some surface stones

Soil

Soil parent material:

Dolerite and sandstone bouldery till

Previous disturbance:

Nil at site but previous activity in the area

Soil weathering stage:

4 (Campbell & Claridge 1975)

Soil moisture status:

A snow covered surface but some thaw on rock surfaces; soil surface mainly dry

Biological activity:

Nil observed