574

Site number:

574

Authors:

IBC, GGGC, MRB

Date recorded:

1990/01/22

Reason Sampled:

Permafrost investigations, and environmental impact study; examination of a recent fuel spill

Description:

2m north of the southernmost building at the Marble Point air facility, on the east corner, at the site of a recent spill of DFA; the site was investigated to determine the depth to which the spilt fuel had migrated

Altitude:

75 m

Aspect:

Nil

Slope:

0 °

Climate

Soil climate zone:

Coastal Antarctic

Estimated mean annual temperature:

-18 °C

Frozen ground depth:

50 cm

Frozen type:

Ice-cemented

Frozen comment:

50cm

Geology

Geological setting:

The land surface is a gently undulating till plain formed by retreat of the Wilson Piedmont Glacier; The Marble Point region is an old landscape, as evidenced by deposits of phillipsite, buried soils and oxidised gneiss, which have been covered by advances of the grounded Ross Ice Shelf; later ice retreat and glaciological features have been controlled by changes in the stranded Wilson Piedmont Glacier; the till mantle is patchy and dominated largely by locally occurring rocks

Patterned ground:

Nil

Surface weathering or surface features:

The surface is fuel stained at the site of the spill

Soil

Soil parent material:

Old runway surface construction fill contaminated with recently spilt DFA

Previous disturbance:

Heavily disturbed from construction activity and ongoing site activity

Soil weathering stage:

1 (Campbell & Claridge 1975)

Soil moisture status:

Oceanic subxerous,

Biological activity:

Nil observed at site