Site Information

Site number:
616
Authors:
IBC, GGC, MRB
Date recorded:
1991/11/22
Reason Sampled:
Permafrost and soil moisture examinations; investigation of moisture differences at a patterned ground crack
Description:
Approximately 4.5km NW of Marble Point peninsula and W of the Marble Point Air Facility; about 100m from the Wilson Piedmont Glacier; on a surface about 1m from a small thawing snow patch; in the center of a patterned ground crack; a gently sloping surface, half way between a knoll crest and a pond at the foot of the slope
Altitude:
70 m
Aspect:
N
Slope:
2 °
Location Data
Observer IBC GGC
GPS Yes
Latitude Longitude DMS 77° 24.94' S 163° 39.78' E 77° 25.1' S 163° 0.0' E
Latitude Longitude DD -77.41570 163.66300 -77.4183 163.000
Latitude longitude precision DD 0.00008 0.00008 0.0008 0.008
Locality Marble Point, western McMurdo Sound
Survey USGS Antarctica Topographic Series 1:50,000; Marble Point, Antarctica

Climate

Soil climate zone:
Coastal Antarctic
Site temperature profile
Depth (cm)Soil temp (°C)Notes
167 -12.9
Estimated mean annual temperature:
-18 °C
Frozen ground depth:
18 cm
Frozen type:
Hard ice-cemented
Frozen comment:
18cm

Geology

Geological setting:
The surface is a gently undulating till plain formed by retreat of the Wilson Piedmont Glacier; the Marble Point region is an old landscape, with 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; granodiorite, granite, marble, gneiss, and dolerite
Patterned ground:
Weakly developed 20m nets; 5cm troughs with active open cracks
Surface weathering or surface features:
Most boulders angular and unstained; a few with distinct oxide staining; a moderately developed pebble and cobble pavement; calcium carbonate coatings beneath many surface clasts; some surface salt efflorescences adjacent to thawing snow patches

Soil

Soil parent material:
Bouldery sandy gravel till
Previous disturbance:
Extensive mechanical and human activity in the region since the mid-1950's
Soil weathering stage:
6 1 (Campbell & Claridge 1975)
Soil moisture status:
Dry at the edge of the patterned ground crack; no indication of an underlying ice wedge
Biological activity:
Nil at site; moss patches and cyanobacteria are common locally
Profile Description
HorizonDepthDescription
616a -2 – 0 cm surface granular to bouldery gravel; rock particles dominantly subangular and unstained but some weakly oxidised,
616b 0 – 3 cm light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) sandy gravel; loose; a few small cyanobacterial particles; rock particles subangular and unstained; distinct boundary,
616c 3 – 18 cm light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) sandy gravel; loose to weakly cohesisve; slightly moist; rock particles subangular and unstained; distinct boundary,
616d 18 – 32 cm pale olive (5Y 6/4) sandy to silty gravel; firmly frosted; rock particles angular to subangular and unstained; sharp boundary,
616e 37 – 48 cm drill core; pale olive (5Y 6/3) sandy to silty gravel; rock particles subangular and unstained,
616f 48 – 56 cm drill core; pale olive (5Y 6/3) sandy to silty gravel; rock particles subangular and unstained,
616g 56 – 67 cm drill core; pale olive (5Y 6/3) sandy to silty gravel; rock particles subangular and unstained,
616h 67 – 93 cm drill core; light grey (5Y 7/3) sandy to silty gravel; rock particles subangular and unstained,
616i 93 – 104 cm drill core; pale olive (5Y 6/3) sandy to silty gravel; rock particles subangular and unstained,
616j 104 – 120 cm drill core; pale olive (5Y 6/3) sandy to silty gravel; rock particles subangular and unstained,
616k 120 – 141 cm drill core; pale olive (5Y 6/3) sandy to silty gravel; rock particles subangular and unstained,
616l 141 – 167 cm drill core; pale olive (5Y 6/3) sandy to silty gravel; rock particles subangular and unstained

Sample Data

Physical Data
Sample nameDepth descriptionTop (cm)Base (cm)Bulk DensityDry Bulk DensityGravimetric MoistureVol. Moisture (BD=2)
616a 2-0cm -2.0 0.0 No
616b 0-3cm 0.0 3.0 1.33
616c 3-18cm 3.0 18.0 4.41
616d 18-35cm 18.0 35.0 6.65
616e 35-48cm 35.0 48.0 11.68
616f 48-56cm 48.0 56.0 15.09
616g 56-67cm 56.0 67.0 52.81
616h 67-93cm 67.0 93.0 46.14
616i 93-104cm 93.0 104.0 49.41
616j 104-120cm 104.0 120.0 48.47
616k 120-141cm 120.0 141.0 36.77
616l 141-167cm 141.0 167.0 34.84
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
616a 17.0
616b 36.0
616c 76.0
616d 72.0
616e 63.0
616f 81.0
616g 65.0
616h 54.0
616i 80.0
616j 76.0
616k 89.0
616l 76.0
Clay Mineralogy
Sample nameMicaIHMHIV - IHMICHLVTHIVCHLSMCHL SMFE - CHLHTQTZFLDHBCALNotes
616a :
616b :
616c :
616d :
616e :
616f :
616g :
616h :
616i :
616j :
616k :
616l :

Photos

Photo record:
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