a gently sloping facet of a broad ridge surface formed as a result of volcanic flow debris, situated about 250m upslope and to the NW of Scott Base; this site is situated 2m downslope from the initial 1989/90 site of application of LiCl
Altitude:
100 m
Aspect:
SE
Slope:
2 °
Location Data
Observer
IBC
GGC
GPS
No
Latitude Longitude DMS
75° 50' S 166° 45' E
77° 51.47' S 166° 45.54' E
Latitude Longitude DD
-75.83 166.75
-77.85783 166.75900
Latitude longitude precision DD
0.08 0.04
0.00008 0.00008
Locality
Pram Point near Scott Base
Survey
not recorded
Climate
Soil climate zone:
coastal mountain
Estimated mean annual temperature:
-18
°C
Frozen ground depth:
28 cm
Frozen type:
hard ice-cemented
Frozen comment:
28
Geology
Geological setting:
the deposit comprises old scoria flows of the McMurdo Volcanics with the surface rock being fragmented mainly into cobble and boulder sized clasts; commonly found are small rounded pebbles of granitic and sedimentary rocks and these are probably derived from the mainland, having been transported by the former expanded Ross Sea Glacier, and deposited as it retreated from Ross Island
Patterned ground:
weakly developed
Surface weathering or surface features:
non to weakly developed
Soil
Soil parent material:
predominantly fragmented basaltic scoria, probably with minor inclusions of glaciogenic detritus
Previous disturbance:
the site is in an area which is subject to relatively high human impact from walking, cable laying etc; there have been previous disturbances at the sample locality from establishing the leaching trial and subsequent samplings from adjacent plots
xerous to subxerous; the site receives annual snowfall much of which blows away or ablates; summer snowfalls may moisten the upper few cm of the soil
Biological activity:
nil at site but some lichen and small moss patches in the general area
Profile Description
Horizon
Depth
Description
669a
-2
–
0
cm
surface pavement of basalt pebbles, cobbles and boulders with some smaall granitic pebbles and granules; loose; subrounded to subangular; unweathered,
669b
0
–
5
cm
light olive grey to olive grey (5Y 6/2-5/2) pebble gravel; loose but with a weakly cohesive surface crust; some small surface salt accumulations; rock particles subrounded to subangular and unweathered; indistinct boundary,
669c
5
–
18
cm
light olive grey to olive grey (5Y 6/2) granule and pebble gravel; loose to weakly cohesive; slightly moist; rock particles mainly subangular and unweathered; indistinct boundary,
669d
18
–
28
cm
light grey to grey (5Y 6/1) granule and pebble gravel; moist and moderately cohesive; rock particles subrounded to subangular and unweathered; sharp boundary,
669e
28
–
35
cm
pale olive (5Y 6/3) silty granule and pebble gravel; very hard and ice cemented; rock particles subangular and subrounded,
669f
35
–
54
cm
]
669g
49
–
69
cm
] drill core; dark grey (10YR 4/1) cobbly to bouldery
669h
66
–
83
cm
] basaltic gravel and bedrock; hard and ice-cemented.