soil moisture investigation of lake edge wetting front
Description:
80 m southwest of the Vanda Station Mess building on the small island on which the two disused helo pads are located, the site is located at the lake edge, 2.7m downslope from site 708
Altitude:
92 m
Aspect:
SE
Slope:
7 °
Location Data
Observer
GGC
IBC
GPS
No
Latitude Longitude DMS
77° 0.0' S 161° 40.0' E
75° 50' S 166° 45' E
Latitude Longitude DD
-77.000 161.667
-75.83 166.75
Latitude longitude precision DD
0.008 0.008
0.08 0.04
Locality
Vanda Station, Wright Valley at the eastern end of Lake Vanda
Survey
not recorded
Climate
Soil climate zone:
coastal mountain
Estimated mean annual temperature:
-20
°C
Frozen ground depth:
35 ~
Frozen type:
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; 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 clasts are mainly angular and unstained
Soil
Soil parent material:
fractured, mainly lamprophyre dyke rock forming a sandy gravel mantle
Previous disturbance:
a relatively undisturbed site apart from treking
Soil weathering stage:
6
Soil moisture status:
the soil is saturated
Biological activity:
Profile Description
Horizon
Depth
Description
709a
0
–
10
cm
pale olive (5Y 6/3) pebbly sandy gravel; loose; saturated; rock particles angular and unstained; indistinct boundary, on saturated sandy gravel.