762

Site number:

762

Authors:

IBC,GGC,MRB,DSS

Date recorded:

1994/01/13

Reason Sampled:

LiCl soil leaching experiment

Description:

On the north side of Lake Vanda, opposite and north of Vanda Station on a broad even sloping lake bench/fan surface about 200m from the lake edge; two sites were established across the slope and approximately 20m apart and were marked by pegs; the sites are adjacent 1 metre square plots onto which LiCl (3 plots) and H2O (1 plot) were irrigated; the plots will be sampled at intervals in subsequent years to determine the rate of movement of LiCl from or within the plots and to compare the rates of movement with that found for a similar experiment at Scott Base; this site was from the edge of one of the plots that had LiCl added

Altitude:

200 m

Aspect:

S

Slope:

8 °

Climate

Soil climate zone:

Central Mountain

Estimated mean annual temperature:

-23 °C

Frozen ground depth:

0 cm

Frozen type:

Dry frozen

Frozen comment:

Geology

Geological setting:

The site lies within the zone of lake benches formed by former rises in level of Lake Vanda and the deposits are probably lake sediments that have been resorted from fan gravels and older glacial till deposits; reworking of the sediments takes place primarily by gentle wave action during periods when there has been seasonal thawing of the lake margin; periodic low energy flows from nearby fans may have contributed some sediment; the sediments are primarily fine gravelly sands

Patterned ground:

A broad weakly developed rectangular net pattern with shallow troughs, predominantly sand filled

Surface weathering or surface features:

The surface has a weakly developed pebble pavement with occasional cobble clasts; there is little surface staining; larger clasts show some abrasion and moderate ventifaction

Soil

Soil parent material:

Fine gravelly sand from fan sediments with lake edge reworking

Previous disturbance:

Not previously disturbed apart from some occasional foot trafficking

Soil weathering stage:

6 1 (Campbell & Claridge 1975)

Soil moisture status:

Xerous; no readily available source of water; there may be occasional flows from associated fan surfaces with possibly some occasional subsurface moisture flows

Biological activity:

None observed