Permafrost and soil moisture investigations for comparison with soils from moist coastal regions
Description:
On the southeast side of the valley on a higher part of the valley floor surface, towards the mouth of the valley; approximately 1.8km east of West Beacon and 1.6km north-northwest of East Beacon; a broad high bench surface possibly formed from older moraines; the surface is relatively smooth with fewer boulders than elsewhere
Altitude:
1860 m
Aspect:
NW
Slope:
7 °
Location Data
Observer
IBC
GGC
GPS
No
Latitude Longitude DMS
77° 49.4' S 160° 52.3' E
77° 49.4' S 160° 52.3' E
Latitude Longitude DD
-77.8233 160.8720
-77.8233 160.8717
Latitude longitude precision DD
0.0008 0.0008
0.0008 0.0008
Locality
Beacon Heights, on the south side of Upper Taylor Glacier between East and West Beacon
Survey
not recorded
Climate
Soil climate zone:
Central Mountain
Estimated mean annual temperature:
-30
°C
Frozen ground depth:
5 ~ cm
Frozen type:
dry frozen over hard ice-cemented
Frozen comment:
~ 5cm
Geology
Geological setting:
Local outcropping rocks are Ferrar Dolerite and Beacon Sandstone; the till at this site comprises predominantly dolerite and sandstone but the till has probably come from multiple glaciations with thin accessions of till; till lithology appears to represent locally derived rocks and is bouldery to cobbly but some finer layers are present which might be old volcanic ash; the landscape morphology is complex and the site may be on older till complexes
Patterned ground:
Nil
Surface weathering or surface features:
The boulder and cobble pavement is well developed; oxidation and polish of dolerite clasts is strong; clasts are subrounded and many are pitted; salts occur beneath surface stones
Soil
Soil parent material:
Bouldery to cobbly sandy gravel till derived from dolerite and sandstone with some layered low density silty textured material; larger clasts are mainly dolerite
Xerous; some snow falls in winter and summer months but most is lost through ablation or by blowing away
Biological activity:
Only endolithic algae observed below the surface of sandstone boulders or outcrops
Profile Description
Horizon
Depth
Description
771a
-4
–
0
cm
surface pebbles, cobbles and boulders; subrounded to subangular; moderately to strongly stained; weakly developed pavement; some smaller rock particles strongly altered,
771b
0
–
4
cm
brown (7.5YR 5/4) pebbly to bouldery sandy gravel; moderately to strongly cohesive; moderately developed vesicular structure; rock particles subrounded and stained but some quartz particles unstained; distinct boundary,
771c
4
–
15
cm
yellowish red (5YR 5/6) sandy pebble and cobble gravel; moderately cohesive; abundant salt small salt flecks; rock particles mainly subangular and weakly stained but some moderately altered; indistinct boundary,
771d
15
–
30
cm
light brown to pink (7.5YR 6/4-7/4) silty cobble to boulder gravel; weakly to moderately cohesive; low density; rock particles subrounded to subangular, weakly stained and some partly altered; indistinct boundary,
771e
30
–
40
cm
light brown (7.5YR 6/4) bouldery gravel with patches of siltyish faintly mottled silty soil; moderately cohesive; rock particles mainly subangular and non to weakly stained; distinct boundary,
771f
40
–
60
cm
light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) bouldery sandy gravel; loose; rock particles angular to subangular and non to very weakly stained; sharp boundary; drill core samples in ice-cemented ground