562

Site number:

562

Authors:

IBC, GGC

Date recorded:

1988/01/24

Reason Sampled:

Soil Weathering examination

Description:

Approximately 4km from the northern end of Brown Peninsula and on the crest of a moraine ridge with a hummocky knoll surface

Altitude:

200 m

Aspect:

NW

Slope:

5 °

Climate

Soil climate zone:

Coastal Antarctic

Estimated mean annual temperature:

-19 °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; higher altitude surfaces may indicate age differences in the Ross tills

Patterned ground:

Moderately developed nets with 30cm troughs

Surface weathering or surface features:

Non to weakly developed pavement; some salts beneath surface stones; surface clasts subangular and unstained

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; some local snow patches but no visible thawing; occasional summer snow falls

Biological activity:

Nil observed