741

Site number:

741

Authors:

IBC, GGC, DSS

Date recorded:

1994/01/06

Reason Sampled:

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

Description:

SS6 T1; this site is situated 3.8 m southeast of the southern corner of the field store building at the foot of a small slope; just of the edge of a traffic way

Altitude:

7 m

Aspect:

SW

Slope:

8 °

Climate

Soil climate zone:

Coastal mountain

Estimated mean annual temperature:

-18 °C

Frozen ground depth:

40 cm

Frozen type:

Ice-cemented

Frozen comment:

40

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:

Some small patches of salt are present within a metre of the site; the surface is just outside of vehicle access areas; foreign materials include copper cable

Soil

Soil parent material:

Old fill materials formed for construction of the field store building; probably included accumulations of younger materials derived from activities outside the field store

Previous disturbance:

The land surface was shaped at the time of construction of the field store building; probably minimal disturbance since apart from activities around the field store

Soil weathering stage:

6 1 (Campbell & Claridge 1975)

Soil moisture status:

Xerous to subxerous; some remnants of snow against the building; the soil is moist throughout

Biological activity:

None observed