602

Site number:

602

Authors:

IBC, GGGC, MRB

Date recorded:

1990/02/06

Reason Sampled:

Soil contamination examination from a previous fuel leakage situation

Description:

Near the northwest end of Scott Base buildings and 30m from a survey benchmark; 5m downslope from a post carrying lines; 2m downslope from the fuel pipeline from McMurdo Station; the site is at the lower end of a sloping hollow, perhaps a nivation cirque in otherwise gently sloping terrain

Altitude:

18 m

Aspect:

SE

Slope:

1 °

Climate

Soil climate zone:

Coastal Antarctic

Estimated mean annual temperature:

-18 °C

Frozen ground depth:

45 cm

Frozen type:

hard ice-cemented

Frozen comment:

45cm

Geology

Geological setting:

Rocks are predominantly scoria flows of the McMurdo Volcanics; Last Glaciation Ross 1 ice covered the site and traces of rocks (sandstone and granite granules and small pebbles) probably from the Royal Society Range can be found; the drift mantle is thin and patchy with bedrock a little below the surface; the site appears to have an accumulation of some finer textured sediment or drift material

Patterned ground:

Nil but indications of some flow feaatures

Surface weathering or surface features:

Unweathered surface but calcium carbonate accumulations beneath some surface clasts

Soil

Soil parent material:

Sandy to silty drift with some scattered small scoria boulders

Previous disturbance:

Treading activity and probably some mechanical disturbance; fuel leakage from pipe joints observed on previous occasions

Soil weathering stage:

1 (Campbell & Claridge 1975)

Soil moisture status:

Some surface thaw water during summer; site often moist; some snow patches from recent snowfall; just above the frozen ground, material resembling compacted snow was noted

Biological activity:

Some dried algae at the surface