On the north side of the Asgard Range in Folkvangar Valley; a high sloping bench like surface; 2m away from site 517
Altitude:
1650 m
Aspect:
N
Slope:
4 °
Location Data
Observer
IBC
GGC
GPS
No
Latitude Longitude DMS
76° 35.09' S 161° 01' E
77° 36.5' S 161° 01' E
Latitude Longitude DD
-76.58480 161.017
-77.608 161.017
Latitude longitude precision DD
0.00008 0.008
0.004 0.008
Locality
Dry Valley region, Transantarctic Mountains, Wright Valley
Survey
Climate
Soil climate zone:
Central mountain
Estimated mean annual temperature:
-30
°C
Frozen ground depth:
0 cm
Frozen type:
Frozen comment:
Geology
Geological setting:
Surfaces in the mouths of valleys in the Asgard Range have old Miocene aged tills; at this site, old till is present with a well weathered soil; a few granite erratics occur indicating a non local origin for the till
Patterned ground:
Nil
Surface weathering or surface features:
Weathering of the surface soil layers is patchy; in some places the soil is red near the surface
Some small local snow patches; no soil moistening visible
Biological activity:
Endolithic lichen locally present
Profile Description
Horizon
Depth
Description
518a
0
–
6
cm
red (2.5Y 4/6) sandy gravel; weakly cohesive; weakly developed vesicular structure; many fine salt precipitations; larger rock particles subangular, weakly stained and weakly to moderately altered; smaller particles rounded to subrounded