416

Site number:

416

Authors:

IBC, GGC

Date recorded:

1977/12/12

Reason Sampled:

Soil weathering examination

Description:

Art Beacon Heights, between east Beacon and West Beacon, a small alpine cirque valley; the site is located at the valley mouth on a ridge of granitic moraine, near the centre of the valley and on the crest of the ridge

Altitude:

1700 m

Aspect:

Nil

Slope:

0 °

Climate

Soil climate zone:

Inland Mountain

Estimated mean annual temperature:

-30 °C

Frozen ground depth:

15 > cm

Frozen type:

Frozen comment:

>15cm

Geology

Geological setting:

Valley mouth moraines in the Asgard Range of Wright Valley have originated from ice entering the valleys, similar to the more recent invasions of Ross tills into the Lower Taylor and Lower Wright Valleys; at Beacon Heights, the valley mouth moraine has a distinct granite erratic component, similar to that at New Mountain indicating a distant source from a large ice invasion; the local rocks are Ferrar Dolerite and Beacon Sandstone

Patterned ground:

Nil

Surface weathering or surface features:

A moderately developed cobble pavement; dolerite and sandstone clasts are subrounded, moderately ventiformed and strongly stained; some salts beneath surface stones

Soil

Soil parent material:

Predominantly sandstone and dolerite stony till with some granite

Previous disturbance:

Nil

Soil weathering stage:

4 (Campbell & Claridge 1975)

Soil moisture status:

Patchy snow but the soil is dry

Biological activity:

Nil observed