Just below the summit of Mt Ash, on the western side; an undulating uneven surface comprising flattish and moderately slopes with oxidised sandstone and unweathered sandstone outcrops interspersed with patches of sorted drift deposits
Altitude:
2010 m
Aspect:
N
Slope:
4 °
Location Data
Observer
IBC
GGC
GPS
No
Latitude Longitude DMS
79° 57' S 156° 37.5' E
79° 57' S 156° 37.5' E
Latitude Longitude DD
-79.950 156.625
-79.950 156.625
Latitude longitude precision DD
0.008 0.004
0.008 0.004
Locality
Darwin/Hatherton Glacier, Darwin Mountains Transantarctic Mountains
Survey
United States Geological Survey 1966; 1:250,000 Carlyon Glacier Antarctica
Climate
Soil climate zone:
Inland Mountain
Estimated mean annual temperature:
-35
°C
Frozen ground depth:
24 > cm
Frozen type:
Bedrock
Frozen comment:
>24cm
Geology
Geological setting:
Beacon Group quartzose sedimentary rocks occur at the summit of Mt Ash; some granitic rocks up to large boulder size are present but are thought to have come from tillite in the Beacon Group; thin scattered drift deposits are thought to represent accumulations of local erosional materials concentrated by nivation cirque ice activity
Patterned ground:
Moderately developed 5m nets with 50cm troughs
Surface weathering or surface features:
A moderately developed cobble and pebble pavement with subrounded clasts; strongly stained and polished; some sandstone clasts with a greyish glazed appearance and appear to be silicified
Abundant small scattered snow patches; no thaw or soil moistening
Biological activity:
Nil observed
Profile Description
Horizon
Depth
Description
417a
-3
–
0
cm
surface cobbles and pebbles and sand; subrounded and strongly stained; a few fine salt encrustations,
417b
0
–
1
cm
light brown (7.5YR 6/4) sandy gravel; weakly cohesive; moderately developed vesicular structure; few fine salt flecks; rock particles rounded, strongly stained and altered; sharp boundary,
417c
1
–
8
cm
light brown (7.5Y 6/4) sandy gravel; moderately cohesive; moderately developed vesicular structure; few salt precipitations; rock particles rounded strongly to moderately stained and some altered; distinct boundary,
417d
8
–
24
cm
light reddish brown (5YR 6/3) sandy gravel; loose but with some cohesive patches; pulverulent; rock particles rounded and moderately stained with some fine particles strongly altered; sharp boundary,
417e
24
–
27
cm
reddish brown (5YR 5/3 - 4/3 moist) hard ice-cemented sandy gravel