A broad valley head slope at the head of La Prade Valley, 3 km SE of Shenk Pk.; a smooth concave surface with scattered low relief Beacon Group outcrops
Altitude:
2300 m
Aspect:
NW
Slope:
13 °
Location Data
Observer
IBC
GPS
No
Latitude Longitude DMS
85° 13' S 174° 34' W
Latitude Longitude DD
-85.217 -174.567
Latitude longitude precision DD
0.008 0.008
Locality
Shackleton Glacier, Queen Maud Mountains, on mountain slopes to the south of McGregor Glacier at the northern end of the Cumulus Hills
Survey
USGS 1:250 000 1968; Liv Glacier SV 1-10/5
Climate
Soil climate zone:
Central mountain
Site temperature profile
Depth (cm)
Soil temp (°C)
Notes
0
-3
surface
15
-3
0
-14
air temp
Estimated mean annual temperature:
-35
°C
Frozen ground depth:
15 cm
Frozen type:
Hard ice-cemented
Frozen comment:
15cm
Geology
Geological setting:
Ferrar Dolerite and Beacon Group sediments outcrop principally on surrounding ridges; valley slopes are extensively mantled with a shallow deposit of talus/slope detritus over bedrock; on warmer slopes, some minor solifluct reworking of deposits has occurred
Patterned ground:
Weakly developed hummocky solifluction surface and shallow patterned ground cracks
Surface weathering or surface features:
A stable surface lag of mainly dolerite pebbles and scattered boulders; some larger stones showing distinct cleaving, separation and rounding; some surface stones well stained with some polish; salts beneath some surface stones
Soil
Soil parent material:
Valley head slope detritus from Beacon Group sediments and dolerite
Xerous; numerous small scattered snow patches but no thawing observed
Biological activity:
Nil observed
Profile Description
Horizon
Depth
Description
62a
0
–
3
cm
light brownish grey (2.5Y 6/2) gravelly silty sand; moderately cohesive; moderately developed vesicular structure; some small salt accumulations; rock particles mostly angular and unstained but some altered; abrupt boundary,
62b
3
–
8
cm
light brownish grey (2.5Y 6/2) gravelly silty sand; moderately to firmly cohesive; partly cemented by salts; rock particles mainly angular to subangular, altered and unstained; abrupt boundary,
62c
8
–
15
cm
light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) gravelly silty sand; weakly cohesive; weakly developed vesicular structure a distinct medium prismatic frost cracking structure; rock particles mainly subangular to subrounded and unstained to altered; sharp boundary, on frozen ground.