Site Information

Site number:
607
Authors:
IBC, GGGC, MRB
Date recorded:
1990/02/08
Reason Sampled:
Lithium chloride leaching experiment; first resample from 'wet' gully site 1m down slope to determine if there is lateral leaching
Description:
Approximately 350m northwest of the western end of Scott Base in the floor of a shallow gully, 20m NW of site 587 and 3-4m lower in altitude; about 50m north of the Scott Base to McMurdo Station; at this site, 4 contiguous 1m X 1m plots were set out and 3 irrigated with LiCl, the 4th (northernmost) with H2O; this sampling was from 1m down slope from the first application plot
Altitude:
55 m
Aspect:
E
Slope:
3 °
Location Data
Observer GGC IBC
GPS Yes
Latitude Longitude DMS 77° 50.83' S 166° 45.41' E 77° 51' 23" S 166° 45' 40" E
Latitude Longitude DD -77.84717 166.75683 -77.8564 166.761
Latitude longitude precision DD 0.00008 0.00008 0.00015 0.0015
Locality Pram Point, Scott Base, Ross Island
Survey Dept of Interior US Geological Survey 1986

Climate

Soil climate zone:
Coastal Antarctic
Estimated mean annual temperature:
-18 °C
Frozen ground depth:
20 cm
Frozen type:
Hard ice-cemented
Frozen comment:
20cm

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
Patterned ground:
Weakly developed frost heave polygons
Surface weathering or surface features:

Soil

Soil parent material:
Bouldery till and slope debris predominantly from scoria with minor accessions of sedimentary and granitic rocks
Previous disturbance:
Nil
Soil weathering stage:
6 1 (Campbell & Claridge 1975)
Soil moisture status:
Oceanic subxerous; a 'wet' site in a gully below a snow patch which thaws in some years
Biological activity:
Nil
Profile Description
HorizonDepthDescription
607a 0 – 5 cm greyish brown (2.5Y 5/2) cobbly sandy scoria gravel; loose; rock particles subrounded and unstained; indistinct boundary,
607b 5 – 10 cm greyish brown (2.5Y 5/2) cobbly sandy scoria gravel; weakly cohesive; moist; smaller rock particles subrounded; indistinct boundary,
607c 10 – 15 cm light brownish grey (2.5Y 6/2) cobbly sandy scoria gravel; moderately cohesive; moist; smaller rock particles subrounded; indistinct boundary,
607d 15 – 20 cm light brownish grey (2.5Y 6/2) cobbly sandy scoria gravel; moderately cohesive; moist; smaller rock particles subrounded; sharp boundary, on ice-cemented ground

Sample Data

Physical Data
Sample nameDepth descriptionTop (cm)Base (cm)Bulk DensityDry Bulk DensityGravimetric MoistureVol. Moisture (BD=2)
607a 0-5cm 0.0 5.0 3.2
607b 5-10cm 5.0 10.0 4.6
607c 10-15cm 10.0 15.0 7.3
607d 15-20cm 15.0 20.0 7.2
Particle size distribution
Sample name< 2 mm2 - 0.5 mm0.5 - 0.25 mm0.25 - 0.1 mm0.1 - 0.05 mm0.05 - 0.02 mm0.02 - 0.002 mm< 0.002 mmFe2O3CaCO3Notes
607a 48.0
607b 52.0
607c 41.0
607d 50.0
Clay Mineralogy
Sample nameMicaIHMHIV - IHMICHLVTHIVCHLSMCHL SMFE - CHLHTQTZFLDHBCALNotes
607a lithium plots:
607b see Claridge et al:
607c perm. perigl. proc (10) 223-233:
607d :

Photos

Photo record:
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