485

Site number:

485

Authors:

IBC, GGC

Date recorded:

1983/01/02

Reason Sampled:

Salts examination

Description:

Southern Hut Point Peninsula approximately 850m west of Scott Base and north of the Scott Base-McMurdo road; on an undisturbed surface; at the edge of a shallow gully or nivation cirque exposed by recent snow pack retreat

Altitude:

120 m

Aspect:

Nil

Slope:

0 °

Climate

Soil climate zone:

Coastal Antarctic

Estimated mean annual temperature:

-18 °C

Frozen ground depth:

0 cm

Frozen type:

Frozen comment:

Geology

Geological setting:

The rocks of the area are McMurdo Volcanics, predominantly scoria; the surface materials are thin scoria drift material with some accessions of sedimentary and crystalline rocks derived via glacial activity from the mainland; finer textured accumulations may be windblown dust; some areas of the landscape appear to have been recently exposed by snowpack retreat

Patterned ground:

Nil

Surface weathering or surface features:

The ground surface has a fresh and unweathered appearance suggesting recent exposure following loss of 'permanent' snow patches; patchy surface salt precipitations

Soil

Soil parent material:

Volcanic drift material with some pale coloured fines,

Previous disturbance:

Nil

Soil weathering stage:

6 1 (Campbell & Claridge 1975)

Soil moisture status:

Oceanic xerous; the site is moist from thawing of a remnant snow patch

Biological activity:

Nil observed