The site is approximately 1 km south of site 828 in the hanging cirque valley between Arena Valley and New Mountain; the site is near the centre of the valley floor and on what appears to be the upmost identifiable up-valley till deposit; from the mouth of the valley, the valley floor rises in a series of gentle steps which probably represent subdued moraine ridges; the profile site is a little beyond the crest of a rise on a level surface
Altitude:
1600 m
Aspect:
Nil
Slope:
0 °
Location Data
Observer
IBC
GGC
GPS
GPS
Latitude Longitude DMS
77° 50.61' S 161° 4.92' E
77° 50.61' S 161° 4.91' E
Latitude Longitude DD
-77.84350 161.08200
-77.84350 161.08183
Latitude longitude precision DD
0.00008 0.00008
0.00008 0.00008
Locality
South side of Upper Taylor Glacier between West Beacon and New Mountain; a small relict hanging valley 2km E of Arena Valley
Survey
Not recorded
Climate
Soil climate zone:
Xerous to subxerous, inland mountains
Site temperature profile
Depth (cm)
Soil temp (°C)
Notes
0
-0.1
Surface
5
-2.8
8
-4.5
25
-4.8
60
-3.6
80
-7.4
120
-9.7
Estimated mean annual temperature:
-30
°C
Frozen ground depth:
10 ~ cm
Frozen type:
Dry frozen
Frozen comment:
~10cm
Geology
Geological setting:
Local outcropping rocks are Ferrar Dolerite and Beacon Sandstone; the valley entrance, floor and part of the valley sides, however, have till deposits of non-local origin which include the now familiar granite erratic tills deposited as an up-valley re-advance from the Taylor Glacier into what may have been old empty hanging cirque valleys; multiple re- invasions of ice into this valley are indicated by paleosols in the till deposits; the large granite erratic boulders present near the mouth of the valley are absent at this site but some smaller decomposed granite boulders are present indicating a non local origin for the till; the deposit should be older than the till at site 828
Patterned ground:
Nil at site; no ice cement present
Surface weathering or surface features:
Well developed stone pavement with ventifacted and pitted dolerite and well polished sandstones; surface clasts mainly <75cm; strong staining but abrasion on up-valley sides; some boulders crumbly and exfoliated and some weak cavernous weathering; salt concentrations beneath some surface stones; surface topography subdued with few upstanding boulders
Soil
Soil parent material:
Dominantly dolerite and sandstone bouldery till with some granite; non ice-cemented
Previous disturbance:
Not pristine but no indication of previous disturbances
Recent snowfall and some moisture in surface horizons which froze; lower horizons dry; snow patches are scarce and no liquid water observed
Biological activity:
Nil observed
Profile Description
Horizon
Depth
Description
829a
-3
–
0
cm
well developed pebble pavement with ventiform dolerite and sandstone clasts; mainly subrounded and well stained and polished,
829b
0
–
4
cm
brown to dark brown (7.5YR 5/4 - 4/4) granular coarse sand; moderately cohesive; moderately vesicular; rock particles mainly subrounded and strongly stained; irregular wavy boundary,
829c
4
–
10
cm
yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) pebbly gravelly sand; firmly cohesive; salt cemented in patches with salts profuse, continuous and crystalline; rock particles subrounded and moderately to strongly stained and coated with salts; distinct boundary,
829d
10
–
16
cm
yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) bouldery silty gravel; moderately cohesive; salts mainly diffuse but abundant and precipitating on drying soil surfaces; rocks mainly angular and unstained but some ghosts; indistinct boundary,
829e
16
–
27
cm
olive yellow (2.5Y 6/6) silty to sandy bouldery gravel; moderately cohesive; few scattered salts; coarse rock particles angular and unstained; indistinct boundary,
829f
27
–
65
cm
light yellowish brown to pale olive (2.5Y 6/4 - 5Y 6/3) bouldery silty sand; tightly compact; few fine salt flecks; rock particles angular and unstained,
829g
65
–
76
cm
light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) sandy gravel (paleosol?); firmly cohesive; some scattered salts; rock particles mainly subrounded to subangular and weakly stained but some oxidised ventiforms; distinct boundary,
829h
76
–
82
cm
pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) cobbly sandy to silty gravel; moderately cohesive; salts common and diffused through the horizon; rock particles subrounded and weakly to moderately oxidised; indistinct boundary,
829i
82
–
100
cm
pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) gravelly silty sand; firmly cohesive; few scattered salts; rock particles subangular and weakly oxidised; distinct boundary,
829j
100
–
110
cm
light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) pebbly to bouldery sand (paleosol?); loose; rock particles subangular to subrounded and unstained; sharp boundary,
829k
110
–
120
cm
pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) pebbly to cobbly sandy to silty gravel; firmly cohesive; rock particles subangular and unstained