Site Information

Site number:
465
Authors:
IBC, GGC
Date recorded:
1979/12/14
Reason Sampled:
Soil weathering examination
Description:
Meyer Hills in the southeast of the Heritage Range, approximately 1km northeast of Beaudoin Peak on a narrow rocky ridge; a cleft in the ridge
Altitude:
875 m
Aspect:
Nil
Slope:
0 °
Location Data
Observer IBC GGC
GPS No
Latitude Longitude DMS 79° 48' S 80° 58.5' W 79° 48' S 81° 00' W
Latitude Longitude DD -79.800 -80.975 -79.800 -81.00
Latitude longitude precision DD 0.008 0.004 0.008 0.08
Locality West Antarctica in Ellsworth Land at the southern end of the Ellsworth Mountains
Survey US Geological Survey, 1:250 000, 1967, Union Glacier

Climate

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

Geology

Geological setting:
The Ellsworth Mountains comprise a thick sequence of folded metasedimentary rocks comprising limestones, conglomerates and quartzites dating to Precambrian; the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is believed to have fluctuated greatly in response to global sea level changes and evidence of these fluctuations should be present in the tills and soil weathering record; the Meyer Hills are predominantly quartzitic sandstones
Patterned ground:
Nil
Surface weathering or surface features:
Rock outcrops fragmented with patchy surface staining; carbonate encrustations on some rocks

Soil

Soil parent material:
Fragmented greywacke/argillite; fines possibly windblown
Previous disturbance:
Nil
Soil weathering stage:
6 2 (Campbell & Claridge 1975)
Soil moisture status:
No moisture seen at the site
Biological activity:
Nil observed
Profile Description
HorizonDepthDescription
465a 0 – 3 cm pale yellow to light yellowish brown (2.5Y 7/4 - 6/4) granular gravel; moderately cohesive; moderately developed vesicular structure; many distinct calcium carbonate coatings on rock particles; rock particles angular to subangular and dominantly unstained, 464b rock particles with whitish salt precipitations and distinct thick calcium carbonate

Sample Data

Physical Data
Sample nameDepth descriptionTop (cm)Base (cm)Bulk DensityDry Bulk DensityGravimetric MoistureVol. Moisture (BD=2)
465a 0-3cm 0.0 3.0 No
465b No
Sample solution chemistry
Sample namepHNa meq/100gCa meq/100gMg meq/100gK meq/100gCl meq/100gSO4 meq/100gNO3 meq/100gEC mmho/cmSoluble SaltNotes
465a 7.4 0.16 2.12 0.255 0.113 0.03 1.46 0.02 0.74 .  
465b                      
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
465a
465b
Clay Mineralogy
Sample nameMicaIHMHIV - IHMICHLVTHIVCHLSMCHL SMFE - CHLHTQTZFLDHBCALNotes
465a :
465b 55.0 . . . . 5.0 5.0 5.0 . 25.0 . 5.0 . . :
National Soil Archive Samples
Sample nameNSA Sample IdContainer typeFraction type
465a M22/2927 White lid small coarse
465a M22/2928 White lid small fine
465a M22/7739 Glass vial metal lid
465b M22/2929 medium coarse
465b M22/7740 Glass vial metal lid

Photos

Photo record:
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