Approximately 2.4km NNE of Mt Brooke on the floor of a valley; the site is on the crest of a small moraine knoll on the undulating surface of the valley floor, about 300m SW of site 801
Altitude:
2015 m
Aspect:
Nil
Slope:
0 °
Location Data
Observer
GGC
IBC
GPS
No
Latitude Longitude DMS
76° 48.5' S 159° 54.7' E
76° 48.9' S 159° 54.5' E
Latitude Longitude DD
-76.808 159.9117
-76.8150 159.908
Latitude longitude precision DD
0.004 0.0008
0.0008 0.004
Locality
Coombs Hills, northern Dry Valley region and to the north of Mt Brooke
Survey
not recorded
Climate
Soil climate zone:
Central Mountain
Estimated mean annual temperature:
-32
°C
Frozen ground depth:
0 cm
Frozen type:
dry frozen
Frozen comment:
Geology
Geological setting:
Rocks of the area are dominantly volcanic (doleritic but dark coloured, fine grained and with a somewhat vesicular form compared with usual dolerite) and softer 'haloclastite', (earlier described as tillite); the haloclastite contains basement rocks, dolerite and sandstone clasts with sedimentary structures in places; it is softer and more erodible than the dolerite; the till cover across the area is quite variable and is generally thinner towards Mt Brooke and towards the higher ridges; the till mantle has formed an undulating ridge and swale surface across the landscape with a mega- ripple appearance, which may relate to the manner in which the ice sheets have retreated and ablated, rather than to subsequent landscape modification by wind; although the land surface has a mega ripple, low dune-like surface, the deposits have no dune like characteristics
Patterned ground:
Nil at site
Surface weathering or surface features:
Cobbly to bouldery surface with a weakly developed pavement; coarse grained dolerite strongly stained and fine grained dark dolerite unstained but moderately polished; slight surface rounding and weakly ventiform; some rocks pitted and some showing disaggregation
Soil
Soil parent material:
Dominantly dolerite/volcanic till but with the fine fraction from the more erodible haloclastite; partly crumbled dolerite/volcanic bouldery till
Xerous; several snowfalls and a recent fall within 12 hours which produced 7mm of snow with approximately .68mm of water; most ablated with little sign of soil moistening
Biological activity:
Nil observed at site
Profile Description
Horizon
Depth
Description
802a
-4
–
0
cm
surface cobbles, pebbles and boulders; subangular to subrounded; weakly stained,
802b
0
–
2
cm
reddish brown to brown (5YR 5/4 - 7.5YR 5/4) cobbly gravelly sand; loose; few fine salt flecks and some accumulations beneath surface stones; rock particles subangular and non to weakly stained with some moderately altered; distinct boundary,
802c
2
–
14
cm
yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) cobbly to pebbly gravel; weakly to moderately cohesive; abundant salt accumulations especially around some clasts; rock particles mainly subangular and unstained but oxidation ghosts around some clasts; distinct boundary,
802d
14
–
30
cm
light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very stony cobble, pebble and boulder gravel; weakly cohesive; scattered salts; rock particles angular and unstained; indistinct boundary,
802e
30
–
50
cm
light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very stony pebble and cobble gravel; weakly cohesive; some scattered salts; rock particles angular to subangular and unstained; indistinct boundary,
802f
50
–
70
cm
light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very stony pebble and cobble gravel; weakly cohesive; some scattered salts; rock particles angular to subangular and unstained; indistinct boundary,
802g
70
–
90
cm
light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very stony pebble and cobble gravel; weakly cohesive; some scattered salts; rock particles angular to subangular and unstained; indistinct boundary,
802h
90
–
110
cm
light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) stony gravel; loose; rock particles angular to subangular and unstained,