781

Site number:

781

Authors:

IBC, GGC, DSS

Date recorded:

1994/01/25

Reason Sampled:

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

Description:

SS14 T3; 8m southwest of the pump shed and 1.5m from the wet lab on a disturbed fill surface

Altitude:

6 m

Aspect:

NE

Slope:

2 °

Climate

Soil climate zone:

Coastal mountain

Estimated mean annual temperature:

-18 °C

Frozen ground depth:

30 cm

Frozen type:

Ice-cemented

Frozen comment:

30

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 small salt efflorescences; foreign materials include wood fragments, nails and various other debris

Soil

Soil parent material:

Fill materials from local volcanic materials formed for the purpose of landsurface reshaping and general landscaping

Previous disturbance:

The land surface has been reshaped for the purpose of landscaping and improving accessibility around Scott Base

Soil weathering stage:

6 1 (Campbell & Claridge 1975)

Soil moisture status:

Xerous to subxerous; the soil is moist below the surface

Biological activity:

None observed