561

Site number:

561

Authors:

IBC, GGC

Date recorded:

1988/01/24

Reason Sampled:

Soil Weathering examination

Description:

Approximately 10km from the northern end of Brown Peninsula and about 200m from the coast; hummocky moraine surface with nearby small stream channels

Altitude:

35 m

Aspect:

Nil

Slope:

0 °

Climate

Soil climate zone:

Coastal Antarctic

Estimated mean annual temperature:

-18 °C

Frozen ground depth:

35 cm

Frozen type:

Hard ice-cemented

Frozen comment:

35cm

Geology

Geological setting:

Brown Peninsula comprises volcanic rocks, mainly scoria flows of the McMurdo Volcanics Group; the area was over-ridden during the Ross Glaciation by the expanded Ross Ice Sheet; evidence of extensive ice sheet covering is provided by the presence of erratics, sandstone, dolerite and granite from the west; lower altitude slopes are youngest and appear to be ice-cored

Patterned ground:

Active nets related to subsurface ice ablation

Surface weathering or surface features:

A moderately developed cobble and pebble pavement; unweathered; occasional thin salt efflorescences; some carbonate coatings

Soil

Soil parent material:

Sandy basaltic till, dominantly olivine basalt; probable inclusion of crystalline and other mainland material indicated by the presence of granite and other erratics

Previous disturbance:

Nil

Soil weathering stage:

1 (Campbell & Claridge 1975)

Soil moisture status:

Oceanic subxerous; no local snow patches; occasional summer snow falls

Biological activity:

Abundant moss in stream channels; 20-30 m2 patches