Permafrost and soil moisture investigations for comparison with soils from moist coastal regions
Description:
Near the mouth of the valley, 2km east of West Beacon and 1.7km north of East Beacon; the surface is a broad moraine ridge complex that slopes from the southeast side of the valley towards the valley mouth; the ground surface is uneven and broken by broad polygon mounds; the site is on the up-valley side of the moraine ridge complex with boulders up to 2m
Altitude:
1760 m
Aspect:
SW
Slope:
5 °
Location Data
Observer
IBC
GGC
GPS
No
Latitude Longitude DMS
77° 49' S 160° 53.3' E
77° 49.0' S 160° 53.3' E
Latitude Longitude DD
-77.817 160.8880
-77.817 160.8883
Latitude longitude precision DD
0.008 0.0008
0.008 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:
45 cm
Frozen type:
hard ice-cemented
Frozen comment:
45
Geology
Geological setting:
Local outcropping rocks are Ferrar Dolerite and Beacon Sandstone; the till at this site differs from other tills in the valley in that it contains a significant proportion of relatively fresh looking granodiorite clasts ranging from large boulders to cobbles; the till is considered to have been derived from an up-valley movement of ice which deposited the till as it entered and retreated from this higher altitude valley, currently some 650m above the ice level of the Upper Taylor Glacier; the nearest known granodiorite outcrops are several km down valley
Patterned ground:
Polygons are 15-20m across with troughs that are 1m wide and 50cm deep; some weakly developed inactive cracks
Surface weathering or surface features:
Dolerite and sandstone clasts are subrounded and strongly stained and dolerite clasts are moderately pitted; some sandstone clasts are exfoliated and cavernously weathered; granodiorite clasts have a fresher appearance and may have been more recently deposited; salts occur beneath some stones
Soil
Soil parent material:
Bouldery to cobbly sandy gravel till derived from dolerite, sandstone and granodiorite; some sandstone clasts disaggregated
Xerous; some snow falls in winter and summer months but most is lost through ablation or by blowing away; some small pockets of snow in patterned ground cracks
Biological activity:
Only endolithic algae observed below the surface of sandstone boulders or outcrops
Profile Description
Horizon
Depth
Description
772a
-3
–
0
cm
surface pebbles, cobbles and boulders of dolerite and granite and loose sand; dolerite clasts subrounded, strongly stained and partly pitted and granite clasts subrounded and partly crumbled; moderately developed pavement,
772b
0
–
3
cm
brown (7.5YR 5/4) pebbly to cobbly gravelly sand; loose; rock particles subrounded to subangular, moderately stained and partly altered; distinct boundary,
772c
3
–
12
cm
yellowish red (5YR 5/6) bouldery to pebbly sandy gravel; moderately cohesive; some diffuse salt accumulations; rock particles subrounded to subangular and moderately to weakly stained; indistinct boundary,
772d
12
–
25
cm
strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) sandy bouldery to pebbly gravel; loose; few fine salt flecks; rock particles mainly subangular and non to weakly stained; indistinct boundary,
772e
25
–
45
cm
strong brown to reddish yellow (7.5YR 5/6-6/6) sandy bouldery to pebbly gravel; loose; rock particles mainly subangular and unstained; sharp boundary;