503

Site number:

503

Authors:

IBC, GGC

Date recorded:

1983/01/14

Reason Sampled:

Soil characterisation

Description:

Approximately 2km W of the SW end of the Northwind Glacier; an even, bouldery sloping moraine surface formed below a broad cirque basin

Altitude:

700 m

Aspect:

S

Slope:

15 °

Climate

Soil climate zone:

Central mountain

Estimated mean annual temperature:

-24 °C

Frozen ground depth:

25 cm

Frozen type:

Hard ice-cemented

Frozen comment:

25cm

Geology

Geological setting:

The till has originated from a formerly more extensive cirque glacier at the SW end of Elkhorn Ridge; soil weathering is less advanced than in soil 502, indicating that glacial retreat occurred later than at site 502; the till contains few large boulders of pink Irizar Granite but has much fine granular pink feldspar; an expanded Northwind Glacier may have extended into the cirque basin, depositing the granitic till, which has subsequently been reworked by the local cirque head glacier

Patterned ground:

Well developed nets with shallow but distinct borders and much sand in the troughs

Surface weathering or surface features:

Boulders are dominantly subangular and mostly between 40-100cm; there is some slight rounding moderate surface staining, and exfoliation of weathering rinds but most clasts are weakly stained and abraded; the pavement is poorly developed

Soil

Soil parent material:

Predominantly doleritic till with some granite and minor sandstone

Previous disturbance:

Nil

Soil weathering stage:

6 2 (Campbell & Claridge 1975)

Soil moisture status:

Xerous; no snow patches, snow banks or seepage

Biological activity:

Algae are absent in this highly saline pond but are present in an adjacent less saline lake