Southwest end of 'The Gap' on a recently levelled area of land for construction and storage activity; at the southern side near the foot of Observation Hill
Altitude:
60 m
Aspect:
Nil
Slope:
0 °
Location Data
Observer
GGC
IBC
GPS
Yes
Latitude Longitude DMS
77° 50.93' S 166° 41.56' E
77° 51' 33" S 166° 41' 56" E
Latitude Longitude DD
-77.84883 166.69267
-77.8592 166.6990
Latitude longitude precision DD
0.00008 0.00008
0.00015 0.00015
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:
0 cm
Frozen type:
unconsolidated ice-cemented
Frozen comment:
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; locally much ground surface scraping has occurred
Patterned ground:
Nil
Surface weathering or surface features:
Soil
Soil parent material:
Scoria fill and basaltic flow material derived from around McMurdo through ground scraping of the active layer; the upper part of the soil is strongly compacted
Previous disturbance:
This area has been subject to previous heavy disturbance, rubbish dumping but now under fuel storage tanks
Soil weathering stage:
6
Soil moisture status:
A dry site presently not receiving runoff; water may have been added during fill and compaction activity