assessment of environmental impacts from past human activities at Vanda Station; sampled for indications of contaminations from greywater at a greywater disposal site
Description:
22m southeast of the Vanda Station Mess building on sloping site forming part of the upper side slope of an elongated gully; a greywater disposal site
Altitude:
94 m
Aspect:
SE
Slope:
10 °
Location Data
Observer
IBC
GGC
GPS
No
Latitude Longitude DMS
77° 31.65' S 161° 40.14' E
77° 0.0' S 161° 40.0' E
Latitude Longitude DD
-77.5275 161.66900
-77.000 161.667
Latitude longitude precision DD
0.0004 0.00008
0.008 0.008
Locality
Vanda Station, Wright Valley at the eastern end of Lake Vanda
Survey
not recorded
Climate
Soil climate zone:
central mountain
Estimated mean annual temperature:
-20
°C
Frozen ground depth:
35 ~
Frozen type:
dry frozen
Frozen comment:
~35
Geology
Geological setting:
the rocks of the area are granodiorites that have been cut with lamprophyre dykes and form a strongly undulating ridge and gully topography as a result of ice over riding from down-valley and up-valley glaciations and to a lesser extent, subaerial weathering; this site is just below a lamprophyre dyke with the rock being intensively fractured into angular medium (60cm) boulders; subsequent to glaciation, the terrain has been subjected to drowning and emergence from fluctuating lake levels from Lake Vanda with some sorting or resorting of surficial materials
Patterned ground:
Surface weathering or surface features:
surface rocks are angular and unstained and between them there is much loose windblown sand
Soil
Soil parent material:
fractured granodiorite and lamprophyre dyke rock and windblown sand
Previous disturbance:
the surface has been heavily disturbed by base activities; this site has been a disposal area for greywater
xerous; the soil surface is occasionally moistened by summer snowfall; there is some moisture present below 17cm in the soil; this may be residual greywater
Biological activity:
Profile Description
Horizon
Depth
Description
685a
0
–
7
cm
dark greyish brown (10YR 4/2) pebbly to bouldery sand; weakly to moderately cohesive; many foreign particles and fibres and a slight odour; rock particles angular and unweathered; distinct boundary,
685b
7
–
17
cm
pale brown (10YR 6/3) bouldery gravelly sand; weakly cohesive; rock particles angular and unweathered; distinct boundary,
685c
17
–
36
cm
pale brown (10YR 6/3) bouldery gravelly sand; weakly cohesive and slightly moist; rock particles angular and partly interlocked; distinct boundary,
685d
36
–
48
cm
light brownish grey to light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/2-6/4) cobbly to pebbly fragmented granodiorite bedrock with 10% sand in fissures; slightly moist disstinct boundary, on firm granodiorite.