520

Site number:

520

Authors:

IBC, GGC

Date recorded:

1988/01/03

Reason Sampled:

Soil biological examination

Description:

Approximately 150m NW of Scott Base; a shallow gully/nivation cirque; on the lower side slope of the gully

Altitude:

75 m

Aspect:

SE

Slope:

3 °

Climate

Soil climate zone:

Coastal Antarctic, Oceanic subxerous

Estimated mean annual temperature:

-18 °C

Frozen ground depth:

0 cm

Frozen type:

Hard ice-cemented

Frozen comment:

Geology

Geological setting:

Rocks of the area are McMurdo Volcanics, a series of flows of mainly scoria; Last Glaciation ice resulted in small accessions of sedimentary and crystalline rocks from the mainland

Patterned ground:

Weakly developed small nets

Surface weathering or surface features:

A predominantly bouldery surface with calcium carbonate coatings beneath many surface stones; clasts unweathered but some with surface polish; some thin scattered salt efflorescences

Soil

Soil parent material:

Bouldery scoria drift deposits with some glaciogenic quartzo-feldspathic finer material

Previous disturbance:

Probably some surface treading

Soil weathering stage:

6 1 (Campbell & Claridge 1975)

Soil moisture status:

A snow thaw site with periodic thaw water seepages;

Biological activity:

Some small yellow lichen patches