On the floor of the western end of Alatna Valley and north of Battleship Promontory; a low salty hollow in the valley floor; the samples were collected in a sequence from the drier soil surface just above the wet edge of the hollow, 5m from the wet edge and onto the wet floor
Altitude:
875 m
Aspect:
W-Nil
Slope:
2 °
Location Data
Observer
IBC
GGC
GPS
No
Latitude Longitude DMS
76° 53.8' S 160° 58' E
76° 54' S 160° 56' E
Latitude Longitude DD
-76.8967 160.967
-76.900 160.933
Latitude longitude precision DD
0.0008 0.008
0.008 0.008
Locality
Convoy Range, Transantarctic Mountains; Alatna Valley
Survey
Ross Island & Vicinity, Antarctica, 1:250 000 US Geological Survey, 1986
Climate
Soil climate zone:
Coastal Mountain, xerous to subxerous
Estimated mean annual temperature:
-28
°C
Frozen ground depth:
0 cm
Frozen type:
Frozen comment:
Geology
Geological setting:
Alatna Valley has formed through ice recession from the Benson Glacier and ice from Staten Island Heights; the local rocks are extensive Beacon Sandstone outcrops capped with Ferrar Dolerite; the tills include granites and gneissic rocks which occur nearer the coast and indicate ice movement from the east; some hollows may be kettle holes
Patterned ground:
Nil
Surface weathering or surface features:
Salts are precipitated on the floor of the moist depression; on the slope immediately adjacent to the depression floor, the soil is very spongy; this may be due to a high salt content
Soil
Soil parent material:
Sandy gravel till modified by pond hydrological variations
Previous disturbance:
The site was visited in 1983; a soil pit was still very evident
The floor of the depression is wet; the soil becomes progressively less moist with increasing distance from the flat floor
Biological activity:
Nil observed; the samples were collected to see if there was any evidence of a biological activity gradient between the moist floor and the adjacent drier toe slopes
Profile Description
Horizon
Depth
Description
524a
0
–
5
cm
light yellowish brown (2.5Y 5/4) sandy gravel 5m from the edge of the depression floor,
524b
0
–
5
cm
light yellowish brown (2.5Y 5/4) sandy gravel at the top of the spongy area; moderately cohesive; moderately developed surface crust,
524c
0
–
5
cm
light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) sandy gravel at the lower edge of the soft spongy area; moderately developed surface crust,