Northern end of the Cumulus Hills, 1.5km SSW of Shenk Pk. near the centre of a very bouldery ice cored rock glacier surface; profile described from an accumulation of fine material amongst boulders
Altitude:
2100 m
Aspect:
W
Slope:
3 °
Location Data
Observer
IBC
GPS
No
Latitude Longitude DMS
85° 12' S 174° 49' W
Latitude Longitude DD
-85.200 -174.817
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
0
soil/ice interface
5
-11
inside ice
Estimated mean annual temperature:
-35
°C
Frozen ground depth:
30 cm
Frozen type:
Stagnant ice
Frozen comment:
30
Geology
Geological setting:
A mantle of very coarse bouldery (dolerite) till overlies the upper surface of a stagnant alpine glacier; concentric lines in the till suggest that there may have been surface transport
Patterned ground:
Weakly developed pattern of finer textured till in <1m nets surrounded by very coarse material
Surface weathering or surface features:
Angular surface boulders mostly with a fresh appearance but some have stained patches and encrustations of white carbonate along joints
Xerous; few small scattered snow pockets but no melting observed
Biological activity:
Nil observed
Profile Description
Horizon
Depth
Description
66a
0 – 1 cm
very pale brown (10YR 7/4) gravelly silt; cohesive and crusty; fine vesicular structure; rock particles subangular and unstained; abrupt boundary,
66b
1 – 15 cm
very pale brown (10YR 7/3) gravelly silt with some boulders; loose; few very fine white salt flecks; rock particles subangular and unstained; indistinct boundary,
66c
15 – 30 cm
pale brown to light brownish grey (10YR 6/3-6/2) pebbly and bouldery sandy silt; loose; rock particles subangular and unstained; sharp boundary, on clean stagnant ice