On a valley floor till-covered surface near the head of Jotunheim Valley; a narrow surface with occasional small rises and with strongly developed patterned ground
Altitude:
1675 m
Aspect:
Nil
Slope:
0 °
Location Data
Observer
IBC
GGC
GPS
No
Latitude Longitude DMS
77° 38.6' S 161° 10' E
77° 38.6' S 161° 12' E
Latitude Longitude DD
-77.6433 161.17
-77.6433 161.200
Latitude longitude precision DD
0.0008 0.08
0.0008 0.008
Locality
Wright Valley near the centre of the Asgard Range, to the SW of Lake Vanda in Jotunheim Valley
Survey
USGS, Antarctica 1:50,000 Topo. Ser. 1977 Lake Vanda Antarctica
Climate
Soil climate zone:
Inland Mountain
Estimated mean annual temperature:
-30
°C
Frozen ground depth:
40 cm
Frozen type:
Hard ice-cemented
Frozen comment:
40cm
Geology
Geological setting:
Tills near the head of the valley are derived from local alpine glaciation with a dolerite sandstone composition; the tills become younger up-valley and the surface expression is distinguished by prominent high relief patterned ground which is probably ice-cored; the surface may be of Alpine II to Alpine III age
Patterned ground:
Strongly developed medium nets; cracks up to 2m deep from polygon centres
Surface weathering or surface features:
Weak surface weathering; patchy stain on boulders; negligible ventiforms and pitting; few fine salt accumulations beneath some clasts
Soil
Soil parent material:
Dolerite and sandstone ablation moraine; probably partly preweathered from erosion of valley wall surfaces
surface boulders cobbles and granular gravel; rock particles angular to subangular with weak surface staining but some internal alteration,
401b
0
–
20
cm
yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) bouldery sandy gravel; loose to very weakly cohesive; rock particles mainly angular to subangular and unstained; some particles slightly altered; indistinct boundary,
401c
20
–
40
cm
yellowish brown to light yellowish brown (10YR 5/4 - 6/4) bouldery sandy gravel; loose; rock particles mainly angular and unstained; sharp boundary,; yellowish brown to light yellowish brown (10YR 5/4 - 6/4) ice-cemented ground