507

Site number:

507

Authors:

IBC, GGC

Date recorded:

1983/01/19

Reason Sampled:

Soil weathering examination

Description:

Approximately 2km WSW of Battleship Promontory; a very old dolerite surface with dolerite tors and rounded spheroidal weathering; an undulating surface with small smooth hollows; the site is on the upper side of a hollow where crumbled bedrock outcrops

Altitude:

1500 m

Aspect:

N

Slope:

4 °

Climate

Soil climate zone:

Central mountain

Estimated mean annual temperature:

-30 °C

Frozen ground depth:

20 cm

Frozen type:

Ice-cemented

Frozen comment:

20cm

Geology

Geological setting:

Ferrar Dolerite forms extensive sills; the surface is an old over-ridden landscape with a mammillated topography;

Patterned ground:

Nil

Surface weathering or surface features:

Dolerite is strongly stained; rock surfaces are exfoliating and rounded; some salts present; fine grained dolerite is strongly pitted; weakly developed pavement

Soil

Soil parent material:

Disaggregated dolerite bedrock

Previous disturbance:

Nil

Soil weathering stage:

6 5 (Campbell & Claridge 1975)

Soil moisture status:

Xerous; scattered small snow patches on adjacent slopes but no indications of soil moistening

Biological activity:

Occasional yellow lichen observed