740

Site number:

740

Authors:

IBC, GGC, DSS

Date recorded:

1994/01/06

Reason Sampled:

For determination of sources and levels of soil contaminants around Scott Base

Description:

SS5 T1; this site is located 25.5 m south of the stairway to the main entrance to Scott Base; the ground surface is a concave and moderately sloping being adjacent to or at the site of the old Scott Base garage; the area is used for vehicle traffic access to the base

Altitude:

9 m

Aspect:

SE

Slope:

10 °

Climate

Soil climate zone:

Coastal mountain

Estimated mean annual temperature:

-18 °C

Frozen ground depth:

50 cm

Frozen type:

Ice-cemented

Frozen comment:

50

Geology

Geological setting:

The materials comprise volcanics of the McMurdo Volcanics Formation mainly as scoriaceous lava flows; the surface materials are a thin cover of mainly fractured bedrock with addition of some glacially derived granular and pebble clasts from outside the immediate area; the volcanic bedrock has been considerably fractured by patterned ground freeze thaw; the surface age is probably very late Pleistocene (Ross Sea Glaciation) having been modified by McMurdo Sound filling glacial ice

Patterned ground:

Nil

Surface weathering or surface features:

The ground surface has been mechanically smoothed and lacks normal pavement and other features; some small patches of salt efflorescences are present; numerous fragments of foreign materials are present

Soil

Soil parent material:

Fill materials, somewhat compacted derived from soil and fragmented bedrock and built up for land levelling;

Previous disturbance:

Close to the site of the previous Scott Base garage and generator building; the ground surface has been subsequently smoothed and reshaped

Soil weathering stage:

6 1 (Campbell & Claridge 1975)

Soil moisture status:

Xerous to subxerous; the soil is dry at the surface but moist throughout below

Biological activity:

None observed