Permafrost and soil moisture investigations for comparison with soils from moist coastal regions
Description:
On the western side of the valley, less than half way between the western shoulder and the valley bottom on a moraine ridge which is one of a series of small moraine ridges and hollows formed as retreat moraines from up-valley ice advances; about 1.2km just north of east of West Beacon and 2km northwest of East Beacon; a broad surface with micro undulations on the back slope of a moraine ridge near to a 20m wide depression
Altitude:
1750 m
Aspect:
E
Slope:
1 °
Location Data
Observer
IBC
GGC
GPS
No
Latitude Longitude DMS
77° 49.1' S 160° 51.2' E
77° 49.10' S 160° 51.2' E
Latitude Longitude DD
-77.8183 160.8530
-77.8183 160.8533
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:
43 cm
Frozen type:
hard ice-cemented
Frozen comment:
43
Geology
Geological setting:
Local outcropping rocks are Ferrar Dolerite and Beacon Sandstone; the till at this site is similar to most of the valley floor tills being dominated by dolerite and sandstone but some foreign rocks, possibly crystalline basement, are present indicating a till source from outside the valley; the tills are probably older then the granodioritic up-valley till at the mouth of the valley
Patterned ground:
No polygon cracks within 25m; some old infilled cracks
Surface weathering or surface features:
Dark brown stained, polished and pitted dolerite rocks forming a cobble and boulder pavement; a small sand wedge present in the surface 10cm; some salts beneath surface stones
Soil
Soil parent material:
Bouldery to cobbly gravelly sand; some finer material possibly ash, in the upper part of the profile, over coarse gravel
Xerous; some snow falls in winter and summer months but most is lost through ablation or by blowing away; a small snow remnant 15m away
Biological activity:
Only endolithic algae observed below the surface of sandstone boulders or outcrops
Profile Description
Horizon
Depth
Description
775a
-5
–
0
cm
surface small boulders, cobbles and pebbles and granular sand; clasts strongly stained, and subrounded to rounded; weakly developed pavement; salts beneath some stones,
775b
0
–
10
cm
strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) cobbly, pebbly silty to sandy gravel; strongly cohesive; weakly developed platy structure with some small sand wedges; many small salt flecks; rock particles rounded to subrounded; moderately to strongly stained and some moderately altered; distinct boundary,
775c
10
–
30
cm
strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) sandy pebbly to bouldery gravel; loose; few fine salt flecks; rock particles mainly angular to subangular and weakly stained but partly altered; indistinct boundary,
775d
30
–
49
cm
strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) bouldery to pebbly sandy gravel; loose; rock particles angular to subangular and unstained but some partly altered; sharp boundary; drill core smples in ice-cemented ground