844

Site number:

844

Authors:

IBC DSS WM

Date recorded:

1998/01/11

Reason Sampled:

LiCl leaching trial site sampling

Description:

The site lies within the zone of lake benches formed by former rises in the level of Lake Vanda. water flows; the slope is about 4o to the south and 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 metere 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, in December 1995 and in January 1998. Samplings were made from the irrigated plot and at 1 m intervals to 3 m down slope, from above the irrigated plot and from the H2O control plot. This sample is from the H2O control plot.

Altitude:

200 m

Aspect:

S

Slope:

8 °

Climate

Soil climate zone:

Xerous to subxerous, dry valley floor zone

Estimated mean annual temperature:

-20 °C

Frozen ground depth:

35 cm

Frozen type:

dry frozen, some weak ice cementing at a few sites

Frozen comment:

Permafrost ~35cm, from 2yrs temp monitoring

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 surfaces with a well developed small pebble pavement with some clasts showing some ventifaction;

Soil

Soil parent material:

Moderately sorted sandy fan gravels

Previous disturbance:

Site previously disturbed from sampling activities for LiCl leaching trial and a treading trial; probably subject to other random treading disturbances

Soil weathering stage:

6 1 (Campbell & Claridge 1975)

Soil moisture status:

Minimal moisture from snowfall with very low soil moisture contents

Biological activity:

Nil observed