Walcott Bay, to the northeast of the Howchin Glacier; approximately 1km northeast of the Howchin Glacier on a moraine ridge on the lower northeast side of the Howchin Glacier; an elevated moraine surface probably related to a former level of the glacier; on a broad level site
Altitude:
775 m
Aspect:
Nil
Slope:
0 °
Location Data
Observer
IBC
GGC
GPS
No
Latitude Longitude DMS
78° 11.50' S 163° 30' E
78° 11' S 163° 24' E
Latitude Longitude DD
-78.1917 163.50
-78.183 163.400
Latitude longitude precision DD
0.0008 0.08
0.008 0.008
Locality
Royal Society Range; Transantarctic Mountains
Survey
Ross Island & Vicinity, Antarctica, 1:250 000 US Geological Survey, 1986
Climate
Soil climate zone:
Coastal Antarctic
Estimated mean annual temperature:
-23
°C
Frozen ground depth:
30 cm
Frozen type:
Hard ice-cemented
Frozen comment:
30cm
Geology
Geological setting:
The Walcott Bay area has a complex geology with basement rocks, small volcanic cones and an extensive drift mantle which include a wide range of rocks; the Howchin Glacier was probably previously joined with the Koetlitz Glacier during the Ross Glaciation and tills in this valley mark its retreat
Patterned ground:
Patterned ground in the area is distinct broad nets but with sshallow troughs
Surface weathering or surface features:
Weakly developed predominantly pebble pavement; very weakly developed ventiform; little surface disaggregation; some weak cavernous weathering on granite clasts; some slight surface staaining on dolerite; carbonte coatings on undersides of some clasts
Soil
Soil parent material:
Sandy pebble to cobble gravel till with very mixed lithology; granites, schist, gneiss, marble sandstone and basalts
Oceanic subxerous; a dry site with no adjacent snow patches
Biological activity:
Nil observed
Profile Description
Horizon
Depth
Description
555a
-3
–
0
cm
surface pebbles and granular sand; carbonate coatings on some clasts and silt coatings beneath a few clasts; rock particles subangular to subrounded with weak staining on a few,
555b
0
–
10
cm
light brownish grey to greyish brown (10YR 6/2 - 5/2) gravelly sand; loose to weakly cohesive; larger rock particles subangular and unstained, smaller particles subrounded to rounded; many carbonate and silt coatings; indistinct boundary,
555c
10
–
30
cm
dark greyish brown (2.5Y 4/2 slightly moist) gravelly sand; weakly cohesive; larger clasts subangula, non to weakly stained and with distinct carbonate coatings, mainly on undersides; smaller particles rounded to subrounded; sharp boundary,
555d
30
–
35
cm
light brownish grey (2.5Y 6/2) sandy to silty gravel; very hard ice-cemented; vesicular structure; abundant diffuse silt coatings