Approximately 2 km ENE of Wiest Bluff, on the upper slopes of a very broad bouldery convex sloping ridge;
Altitude:
1950 m
Aspect:
N
Slope:
2 °
Location Data
Observer
IBC
GPS
No
Latitude Longitude DMS
85° 21' S 176° 14' W
Latitude Longitude DD
-85.350 -176.233
Latitude longitude precision DD
0.008 0.008
Locality
Shackleton Glacier, Queen Maud Mountains, at the southern end of the Cumulus Hills, just north of Zaneveld Glacier junction with Shackleton Glacier
Survey
USGS 1:250 000 1968; Liv Glacier SV 1-10/5
Climate
Soil climate zone:
Inland mountain
Estimated mean annual temperature:
-40
°C
Frozen ground depth:
0 NoObs
Frozen type:
NoObs
Frozen comment:
NoObs
Geology
Geological setting:
Cover deposits are patchy, varying from bouldery felsenmeer regolith to intermittent till; at this site, bouldery dolerite till comprising mainly angular flaggy clasts, covers the surface
Patterned ground:
10m domed nets with 50cm deep border troughs
Surface weathering or surface features:
Boulders are mainly subangular and flaggy with only slight rounding on corners; weak to moderate surface staining with no pitting or exfoliation; salts beneath surface stones; some accumulations of browner coloured soil material occur beneath some surface stones and in some cracks between surface rocks
Soil
Soil parent material:
Brown patches of doleritic soil with salt accumulations, beneath surface stones and in some cracks between surface rocks
Previous disturbance:
Nil
Soil weathering stage:
6
Soil moisture status:
Ultraxerous, isolated small (<1m) patches of snow mainly behind larger boulders
Biological activity:
Nil observed
Profile Description
Horizon
Depth
Description
82a
0
–
4
cm
strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) gravelly sand with salt accumulations .