79

Site number:

79

Authors:

IBC, GGC

Date recorded:

1964/12/10

Reason Sampled:

Soil characterisation

Description:

Approximately 1.5km ENE on the upper convex surface of a broad moraine ridge

Altitude:

2000 m

Aspect:

N

Slope:

7 °

Climate

Soil climate zone:

Inland mountain

Estimated mean annual temperature:

-40 °C

Frozen ground depth:

45 cm

Frozen type:

Dry frozen over hard ice cemented

Frozen comment:

45cm

Geology

Geological setting:

Cover deposits are patchy, varying from bouldery felsenmeer regolith to intermittent till patches; surface age is variable owing to remnant snow fields which behave as local nevee glaciers possibly reworking older surface deposits; weathered soil overlies unweathered soil but it is not clear if the soil stratigraphy is due to weathering or reworking

Patterned ground:

Nil

Surface weathering or surface features:

Surface dolerite cobbles and boulders are moderately and weakly stained, subrounded to subangular, non-pitted but have moderate exfoliation

Soil

Soil parent material:

Doleritic fine textured slightly compact till

Previous disturbance:

Nil

Soil weathering stage:

6

Soil moisture status:

Ultraxerous, intermittent snow cover and adjacent snow patch but no thawing observed

Biological activity:

Nil observed