817

Site number:

817

Authors:

IBC

Date recorded:

2019/12/15

Reason Sampled:

Lithium chloride soil leaching experiment; the second sampling series to determining leaching rates in this environment

Description:

The site lies within the zone of lake benches formed by former rises in the level of Lake Vanda; to the south, there is some minor broad polygonal patterns indicating some ice cemented ground; the site is about half way up the fan. For the experiment in January 1994, two series of plots were established, about 20 m apart, with 3 adjacent 1 meter square plots being irrigated with a LiCl solution and 1 plot being irrigated with H2O as a control. After an initial sampling, subsequent samplings were made in January 1995 and in December 1995. Samplings were made from the irrigated plot and at 1 m intervals to 3 m down slope from above the irrigated plot and also from the H2O control plot. This sample is at the application plot in the western series

Altitude:

200 m

Aspect:

S

Slope:

8 °

Climate

Soil climate zone:

Central Mountain

Estimated mean annual temperature:

-20 °C

Frozen ground depth:

35 ~

Frozen type:

Dry frozen

Frozen comment:

~35

Geology

Geological setting:

The site lies within the zone of lake benches formed by former rises in the level of Lake Vanda. The deposits are probably lake sediments that have been subsequently reworked by somewhat mild fan depositional processes from periodic stream flows from adjacent mountain slopes. The deposits have a dominantly sandy texture and are generally weakly to non stratified

Patterned ground:

Weakly developed large polygons

Surface weathering or surface features:

Undisturbed surface with a well developed small pebble pavement with some clasts showing some ventifaction

Soil

Soil parent material:

Partly sorted sandy fan gravel

Previous disturbance:

Nil at site but previous sampling on ground 1m away for LiCl leaching trial

Soil weathering stage:

6 1 (Campbell & Claridge 1975)

Soil moisture status:

Xerous to subxerous; minimal moisture from snowfall with very low soil moisture contents

Biological activity:

None observed