470

Site number:

470

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 and a high knoll on the ridge; the site is on the side of a marble ridge which has a thin overlying till cover

Altitude:

1300 m

Aspect:

NW

Slope:

4 °

Climate

Soil climate zone:

Inland/Coastal Mountain

Estimated mean annual temperature:

-25 °C

Frozen ground depth:

55 cm

Frozen type:

Ice-cemented

Frozen comment:

55cm

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:

Nil

Surface weathering or surface features:

Most surface boulders flat lying and rounded with few upstanding; distinct surface staining; a well developed pebble pavement with some polish and varnish on sandstone clasts; some spalling of larger boulders; some clasts with a distinct oxidised rhind

Soil

Soil parent material:

Till from quartzofeldspathic and metasedimentary rocks

Previous disturbance:

Nil

Soil weathering stage:

3 (Campbell & Claridge 1975)

Soil moisture status:

Some small snow drift patches 30m away but the dry site with no soil moistening

Biological activity:

Nil observed