Site Information

Site number:
810
Authors:
IBC, GGC
Date recorded:
1995/01/20
Reason Sampled:
Permafrost and soil moisture investigations
Description:
Approximately 10.5km SW of Larsen Crag, at the head of Greenville Valley, about 200m from outcrops of the Weller Coal Measures Formation; the surface is part of an extensive almost flat surface forming the head of the valley but which has minor undulations about 1m high resulting from ice scouring; the profile site is 20m W of site 809 on the side of a shallow swale
Altitude:
1400 m
Aspect:
W
Slope:
6 °
Location Data
Observer GGC IBC
GPS No
Latitude Longitude DMS 76° 46.6' S 160° 44.5' E 76° 46.3' S 160° 45.1' E
Latitude Longitude DD -76.7767 160.742 -76.7717 160.7520
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
0 -0.6 Surface,
5 -0.5
10 -3.4
20 -5.5
Estimated mean annual temperature:
-27 °C
Frozen ground depth:
0 cm
Frozen type:
Hard frozen
Frozen comment:
ice cement at 25cm

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; at this site dolerite and sedimentary rocks intermix in narrow bands and form a mosaic on the ground surface; the till cover is thin and patchy with the regolith consisting mainly of fractured bedrock
Patterned ground:
Nil at site
Surface weathering or surface features:
A strongly developed cobble and pebble pavement surface with sandstone and dolerite clasts strongly oxidised and polished; some surface pitting; salts abundant beneath some surface stones

Soil

Soil parent material:
Predominantly sandstone (95%) with some dolerite, as a thin cover of local drift over dolerite
Previous disturbance:
Nil
Soil weathering stage:
6
Soil moisture status:
Xerous to sub xerous; several snowfalls and a recent fall within 7 days; most snow cover removed by ablation but some soil moistening in the upper few centimetres
Biological activity:
Occasional yellow and green lichen in rock fissures and some patches of black lichen, some endolithic algae
Profile Description
HorizonDepthDescription
810a -6 – 0 cm surface cobbles, pebbles and small boulders 60% sandstone, 40% dolerite; strongly developed pavement; clasts mainly subrounded to rounded, strongly stained and polished; dolerite strongly oxidised and partly pitted; clasts moderately ventiform; salts beneath many surface stones,
810b 0 – 1 cm dark greyish brown (10YR 4/2) sandy pebble and granule gravel; loose; rock particles rounded to angular and weakly to strongly stained with some strongly altered; distinct boundary,
810c 1 – 3 cm dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) gravelly sand; moist; moderately cohesive; some diffuse reddish oxidised patches; rock particles mainly subangular and unstained; but some strongly stained and altered; sharp boundary,
810d 3 – 6 cm yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) sandy pebble and granule gravel; profuse patchy salts more especially beneath surface boulders; rock particles subrounded with some disaggregated and altered; sharp boundary,
810e 6 – 25 cm dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) pebble and cobble gravel; moist; weakly cohesive; rock particles angular and unstained with some smaller particles moderately altered; sharp boundary,
810f 25 – 45 cm olive (5Y 5/3) ice-cemented gravel (drill core); rock particles angular and unweathered,
810g 45 – 55 cm olive (5Y 5/3) ice-cemented gravel (drill core),
810h 55 – 66 cm olive (5Y 5/3) ice-cemented gravel (drill core),
810i 66 – 72 cm olive (5Y 5/3) ice-cemented gravel (drill core),
810j 72 – 82 cm olive (5Y 5/3) ice-cemented gravel (drill core)

Sample Data

Physical Data
Sample nameDepth descriptionTop (cm)Base (cm)Bulk DensityDry Bulk DensityGravimetric MoistureVol. Moisture (BD=2)
810a 6-0 -6 0 0.55
810b 0-1 0 1 1.43 2.96
810c 1-3 1 3 1.3 5.38
810d 3-6 3 6 1.22 6.05
810e 6-25 6 25 1.57 3.17
810f 25-45 25 45 10.83
810g 45-55 45 55 21.01
810h 55-66 55 66 8.06
810i 66-72 66 72 11.1
810j 72-82 72 82 7.77
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
810a 5.05
810b 70.84
810c 81.29
810d 77.77
810e 52.71
810f 36.1
810g 69.03
810h 21.48
810i 37.42
810j 14.67
Clay Mineralogy
Sample nameMicaIHMHIV - IHMICHLVTHIVCHLSMCHL SMFE - CHLHTQTZFLDHBCALNotes
810a :
810b :
810c :
810d :
810e :
810f :
810g :
810h :
810i :
810j :

Photos

Photo record:
Loading...