On the floor of the Towle Valley, approximately 3km southwest of the Towle Glacier; to the NE of a large snowbank; an uneven, slightly terraced, bouldery surface
Altitude:
975 m
Aspect:
Nil
Slope:
0 °
Location Data
Observer
IBC
GGC
GPS
No
Latitude Longitude DMS
76° 40.5' S 160° 45' E
76° 40.5' S 160° 45' E
Latitude Longitude DD
-76.675 160.75
-76.675 160.75
Latitude longitude precision DD
0.004 0.04
0.004 0.04
Locality
Convoy Range, Transantarctic Mountains; Towle Valley
Survey
Ross Island & Vicinity, Antarctica, 1:250 000 US Geological Survey, 1986
Climate
Soil climate zone:
Coastal Mountain, xerous to subxerous
Site temperature profile
Depth (cm)
Soil temp (°C)
Notes
0
10
surface
1
6
5
5
12
3
20
1.5
0
10
surface
1
6
5
5
12
3
20
2
0
6
surface
1
9
5
3.5
12
1
20
0.5
0
-7.5
surface
1
-2
5
0.5
12
0.5
20
0.5
0
-8
surface
1
-5
5
-3
12
0
20
0.5
Estimated mean annual temperature:
-24
°C
Frozen ground depth:
15 cm
Frozen type:
Hard ice-cemented
Frozen comment:
15cm
Geology
Geological setting:
Towle Valley is formed almost entirely in dolerite; the tills, moraines and soils indicate a northeasterly retreat of the Towle Glacier from the valley; land surfaces on the lower valley floor appear not to be very old; some soils are ice-cemented close to the ground surface
Patterned ground:
Weakly developed nets; troughs up to 25cm deep
Surface weathering or surface features:
Surface boulders mainly subangular to subrounded; weakly to moderately developed pavement; moderate surface oxidation with some very slight pitting; some surface exfoliation and fretting; salt encrustations on the undersides of some surface stones