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 at the centre of one of the control plots which had water only added in 1989/90
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
Site temperature profile
Depth (cm)
Soil temp (°C)
Notes
3
16
12
3.6
26
0.5
30
-1.3
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 on the plot but some small 1/2 cm lichen patches nearby
Profile Description
Horizon
Depth
Description
672a
-2
–
0
cm
surface pavement of basalt pebbles, cobbles and boulders with some small granitic pebbles and granules; loose; subrounded to subangular; unweathered,
672b
0
–
7
cm
light olive grey (5Y 6/2) granular pebbly gravel; loose to weakly cohesive with weak vesicular structure and a distinct surface crust; rock particles subrounded to subangular and unweathered; distinct boundary,
672c
7
–
18
cm
light olive grey to grey to dark grey (5Y 6/2-6/1) bouldery granular pebble gravel; loose to weakly cohesive and moist; rock particles mainly subangular and unweathered; distinct boundary,
672d
18
–
28
cm
light olive grey to grey to dark grey (5Y 6/2- 6/1) granular pebble gravel; moist and cohesive; rock particles subrounded to subangular and unweathered; sharp boundary, on; hard frozen ground.