Approximately 4km east of Battleship Promontory; at the edge of a small pond the samples were collected at 25m intervals from near the edge of the pond
Altitude:
925 m
Aspect:
Nil
Slope:
0 °
Location Data
Observer
IBC
GGC
GPS
No
Latitude Longitude DMS
76° 53' S 161° 08' E
76° 53' S 161° 08' E
Latitude Longitude DD
-76.883 161.133
-76.883 161.133
Latitude longitude precision DD
0.008 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:
-25
°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; till is extensive on the valley floor and includes granite from near the coast
Patterned ground:
Nil
Surface weathering or surface features:
A largely bouldery surface with many boulders upstanding, slightly rounded and partly stained
Soil
Soil parent material:
Bouldery till with minor sorting from water level fluctuations
Previous disturbance:
Nil
Soil weathering stage:
6
Soil moisture status:
Moist adjacent to the pond, dry further away; adjacent extensive snow patches are probably the source of the pond waters
Biological activity:
Cyanobacterial mats extensive at the pond edge becoming less abundant with increasing distance
Profile Description
Horizon
Depth
Description
528a
0
–
5
cm
adjacent to the edge of the pond; moist sandy gravel with dried cyanobacterial material,
528b
0
–
5
cm
25m from the pond edge; moist sandy gravel with dried cyanobacterial material,
528c
0
–
5
cm
50m from the pond; sandy gravel; some cyanobacterial material