Site Information

Site number:
806
Authors:
IBC, GGC
Date recorded:
1995/01/18
Reason Sampled:
Permafrost and soil moisture investigations
Description:
Approximately 200 m north of site 805; approximately 9 km WSW of Larsen Crag, on the south west side of Greenville Valley, on an undulating surface near the northern end of a small basin forming the lower part of the valley floor; the site is on the northern lip of a small depression
Altitude:
1250 m
Aspect:
Nil
Slope:
0 °
Location Data
Observer GGC IBC
GPS No
Latitude Longitude DMS 76° 46.6' S 160° 44.5' E 76° 45.4' S 160° 48.9' E
Latitude Longitude DD -76.7767 160.742 -76.7567 160.8150
Latitude longitude precision DD 0.0008 0.004 0.0008 0.0008
Locality Greenville Valley, southwest of Northwind Glacier in the Convoy Range
Survey not recorded

Climate

Soil climate zone:
Central Mountain
Site temperature profile
Depth (cm)Soil temp (°C)Notes
1 -1
5 -2
10 -2
20 -4
30 -6
40 -6.5
50 -7
60 -7.5
70 -8.8
80 -9
Estimated mean annual temperature:
-27 °C
Frozen ground depth:
0 cm
Frozen type:
Dry frozen
Frozen comment:
0 cm

Geology

Geological setting:
Greenville Valley comprises mainly dolerite with some minor sedimentary rocks (Weller Coal Measures) and has been formed by ancient ice over riding the Convoy Range from the west; valley head-wall deposits occur mainly around the south-western side of the valley and represent alpine glacial deposits; towards the western end of Greenville Valley, the surface is a dolerite platform with a thin irregular till cover with occasional sandstone and decomposed granite erratics; on the lower surfaces which slope and drain towards the north-east, tills deposits are more extensive, have more strongly developed patterned ground and have a greater abundance of pink granite erratics
Patterned ground:
Some weakly developed shallow patterned ground cracks near by
Surface weathering or surface features:
Strongly developed pebble and cobble pavement with fine grained dolerite strongly pitted, oxidised and polished; coarse grained clasts strongly oxidised and crumbled; abundant salts beneath surface clasts

Soil

Soil parent material:
Thin weathered doleritic and sandstone (Weller Coal Measures) drift over dark coloured sandstone drift or bedrock
Previous disturbance:
Nil
Soil weathering stage:
5 (Campbell & Claridge 1975)
Soil moisture status:
Xerous to sub xerous; several snowfalls and a recent fall within 36 hours; most snow cover removed by ablation but some soil moistening in the upper few centimetres; no liquid flows
Biological activity:
Occasional yellow and green lichen in rock fissures and some patches of black lichen
Profile Description
HorizonDepthDescription
806a -3 – 0 cm surface pebbles, cobbles and small boulders; well developed pavement; dolerite and sandstone clasts rounded, strongly stained, weakly ventiform but strongly pitted; coarse grained dolerite strongly disaggregated,
806b 0 – 3 cm dark reddish brown (2.5Y 3/4) gravelly pebbly sand; moist; moderately cohesive with weakly developed vesicular structure; rock particles sub rounded, moderately stained and partly altered with some granite fragments highly altered; distinct boundary,
806c 3 – 10 cm yellowish red (5YR 5/6) bouldery gravelly sand; moist and slightly sticky; moderately cohesive; profuse salts; larger rock particles subangular and unstained but smaller particles moderately stained and altered; some larger clasts forming ghosts; indistinct boundary,
806d 10 – 32 cm yellowish red (5YR 4/6) bouldery sandy gravel; moderately cohesive; abundant diffuse salts; rock particles mainly unstained but some altered and crumbly; distinct boundary,
806e 32 – 50 cm very dark gray (5YR 3/1) bouldery gravel; firmly cohesive; boulders angular to subangular but some crumbly; indistinct boundary,
806f 50 – 70 cm very dark gray (5YR 3/1) bouldery gravel; firmly cohesive; boulders angular to subangular and unstained but some crumbly; indistinct boundary,
806g 70 – 90 cm very dark gray (5YR 3/1) bouldery gravel; indistinct boundary,
806h 90 – 95 cm very dark gray (5YR 3/1) bouldery gravel

Sample Data

Physical Data
Sample nameDepth descriptionTop (cm)Base (cm)Bulk DensityDry Bulk DensityGravimetric MoistureVol. Moisture (BD=2)
806a 3-0 -3 0 0.78
806b 0-3 0 3 1.41 4.4
806c 3-10 3 10 1.3 6.65
806d 10-32 10 32 1.48 2.62
806e 32-50 32 50 1.36 3.69
806f 50-70 50 70 1.52 3.69
806g 70-90 70 90 1.52 4.82
806h 90-95 90 95 1.44 3.38
Particle size distribution
Sample name< 2 mm2 - 0.5 mm0.5 - 0.25 mm0.25 - 0.1 mm0.1 - 0.05 mm0.05 - 0.02 mm0.02 - 0.002 mm< 0.002 mmFe2O3CaCO3Notes
806a 14.01
806b 70.14
806c 68.8
806d 54.74
806e 64.4
806f 50.31
806g 37.61
806h 14.89
Clay Mineralogy
Sample nameMicaIHMHIV - IHMICHLVTHIVCHLSMCHL SMFE - CHLHTQTZFLDHBCALNotes
806a :
806b :
806c :
806d :
806e :
806f :
806g :
806h :

Photos

Photo record:
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