831

Site number:

831

Authors:

IBC DSS WM

Date recorded:

1998/01/09

Reason Sampled:

Soil salts investigation

Description:

The site is on a rising undulating floor of an upper level valley; the ground surface is rather hummocky, possibly due to deposition of local alpine moraine; landscape features and site features were difficult to assess because of recent blanketing with snow

Altitude:

1800 m

Aspect:

nil

Slope:

0 °

Climate

Soil climate zone:

Xerous to subxerous, inland mountains

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; this part of the valley is above the level of granitic moraines and the till deposits appear to be of local origin from local cirque or alpine valley glaciation; no erratic material was observed;

Patterned ground:

Nil

Surface weathering or surface features:

Strongly stained dolerite and oxidised sandstone surface boulders; sandstones, cavernously weathered and dolerite with well developed pitting; a well developed pavement surface amongst medium boulders; abundant salts beneath surface boulders and salts are cemented and crystalline

Soil

Soil parent material:

Dolerite and sandstone, very bouldery till; the coarse fraction is mainly dolerite clasts but the fine fraction is largely sandstone quartz grains

Previous disturbance:

Not pristine but no indication of previous disturbances

Soil weathering stage:

6 4 (Campbell & Claridge 1975)

Soil moisture status:

A dry soil environment but recent snow fall has resulted in some moistening of the soil surface to 8 cm; no liquid water observed

Biological activity:

Nil observed