On a broad, gently sloping moraine ridge surface on the northeast side of Inexpressible Island, about 1km from the coast; on a patterned ground surface midway between the centre and edge of a polygon
Altitude:
130 m
Aspect:
E
Slope:
3 °
Location Data
Observer
IBC
GPS
No
Latitude Longitude DMS
74° 53' S 163° 44' E
Latitude Longitude DD
-74.883 163.733
Latitude longitude precision DD
0.008 0.008
Locality
Inexpressible Island, Terra Nova Bay
Survey
USGS 1:250 000 1968; Mt Melbourne SS 58-60/9
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:
The surface materials are bouldery tills derived principally from rocks of the Granite Harbour Intrusives; sorting within the upper regolith by patterned ground processes is less obvious than in soil 52
Patterned ground:
Weakly developed nets with poorly demarcated borders
Surface weathering or surface features:
Surface boulders and cobbles mainly subangular to subrounded; some fracturing and wind abrasion
Oceanic subxerous; no liquid water but some small residual snow patches present
Biological activity:
Some yellow and black lichen on boulders
Profile Description
Horizon
Depth
Description
53a
0
–
9
cm
pale olive (5Y 6/3) sandy cobble gravel; weakly cohesive; rock fragments subangular to subrounded; some smaller fragments weakly to moderately stained; distinct boundary,
53b
9
–
13
cm
light olive grey (5Y 6/2) sandy cobble gravel; loose; rock fragments subangular to subrounded and unstained but a few moderately oxidised fragments; abrupt boundary,
53c
13
–
20
cm
light olive grey (5Y 6/2) sandy cobble gravel; weakly cohesive; frosted; rock fragments subangular to subrounded and unstained and some moderately oxidised fragments; distinct boundary, on frozen ground.