469

Site number:

469

Authors:

IBC, GGC

Date recorded:

1979/12/16

Reason Sampled:

Soil weathering examination

Description:

At the northern end of the Edson Hills on the southwest side of the Schanz Glacier and just north of Drake Icefall; a broad stepped ridge; below the ridge crest on an undulating step surface

Altitude:

1200 m

Aspect:

N

Slope:

6 °

Climate

Soil climate zone:

Inland/Coastal Mountain

Estimated mean annual temperature:

-25 °C

Frozen ground depth:

52 cm

Frozen type:

Ice-cemented

Frozen comment:

52cm

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 Edson Hills are predominantly metasedimentary rocks including marble

Patterned ground:

Weakly developed broad nets with troughs <20cm deep but non active

Surface weathering or surface features:

Surface staining is variable according to rock type but generally weak to moderate; some rounding of larger clasts but most angular to subangular; upstanding boulders up to 2m; slight exfoliation of some sandstones; a weakly developed pavement; a few small salt patches beneath some stones

Soil

Soil parent material:

Till with a mixed lithology including quartzite, conglomerate, sandstone, marble and some dolerite

Previous disturbance:

Nil

Soil weathering stage:

6 2/3 (Campbell & Claridge 1975)

Soil moisture status:

Some local extensive snow drift patches but the dry site with no soil moistening

Biological activity:

Nil observed