744

Site number:

744

Authors:

IBC, GGC, DSS

Date recorded:

1994/01/07

Reason Sampled:

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

Description:

SS10 T2; 29.5 m north northwest of the north corner of the powerhouse building; on the northern edge of a cut surface forming the road access to the north side of Scott Base buildings

Altitude:

17 m

Aspect:

S

Slope:

7 °

Climate

Soil climate zone:

Coastal mountain

Estimated mean annual temperature:

-18 °C

Frozen ground depth:

35 cm

Frozen type:

Hard ice-cemented

Frozen comment:

35

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 thin salt efflorescent patches; some foreign materials present

Soil

Soil parent material:

Sub-surface fragmented scoria bedrock and gravel formed through removal of unfrozen surface layers

Previous disturbance:

The ground surface has been cut to form road access to base buildings

Soil weathering stage:

6 1 (Campbell & Claridge 1975)

Soil moisture status:

Xerous to subxerous; the site is currently dry but receives runoff water during thaw periods

Biological activity:

None observed