Site Information

Site number:
853
Authors:
IBC
Date recorded:
1999/12/01
Reason Sampled:
Long Term Ecological Research (nematode experimental area) site investigation of soil properties; this site (LTER 2) was chosen for daily repeat sampling to measure changes in soil moisture content after irrigation of a meter square plot with 14 litres of water; the second sampling was on day 2 approximately 20 hours hour after the initial irrigation
Description:
15m southeast of LTM Datalogger plot, approximately 100m south of Lake Hoare, on the lower slope of a ridge which forms part of an undulating ridge and gully/basin topography; the soil sampling site was on the south and upslope side of the LTM datalogger plot, which comprises a series of plastic cones covering the soil surface; the site has an even, stony gravel surface with slope increasing towards the ridge just to the south; this sampling site is designated LTER 2b and was approximately 10m to the southeast of LTER 1
Altitude:
90 m
Aspect:
NE
Slope:
7 °
Location Data
Observer IBC
GPS Yes
Latitude Longitude DMS 77° 37.99' S 162° 52.92' E
Latitude Longitude DD -77.63320 162.88200
Latitude longitude precision DD 0.00008 0.00008
Locality Near Lake Hoare, Taylor Valley, McMurdo Dry Valley region, Transantarctic Mountains
Survey Lake Bonney Quadrangle, Antarctic 1:50,000 Topographic Series, USGS 1975

Climate

Soil climate zone:
Coastal mountain
Estimated mean annual temperature:
-20 °C
Frozen ground depth:
0 Nd
Frozen type:
Nd
Frozen comment:
Nd

Geology

Geological setting:
The deposit is unweathered Ross I till, possibly derived from the Canada Glacier but almost certainly with an up-valley influence because of the presence of marble clasts from basement rocks; the tills may be fluvio-glacial owing to complex depositional ice-marginal processes as the sand % generally increases downwards while there are noticeably more coarse clasts at the surface
Patterned ground:
Moderately developed 10x20m elongate nets with 20cm deep troughs, 75cm wide
Surface weathering or surface features:
A few clasts slightly oxidised and some weak ventifaction; grey calcium carbonate coatings abundant beneath many surface clasts

Soil

Soil parent material:
Predominantly granite/gneiss/schist sandy gravel with minor amounts of dolerite, volcanic (scoria), sandstone and marble
Previous disturbance:
Site probably disturbed by foot traffic activity during biological research activities near the site
Soil weathering stage:
6 1 (Campbell & Claridge 1975)
Soil moisture status:
Xerous to subxerous (irrigated)
Biological activity:
Nil observed at site, nematodes present in adjacent soil; some green algae beneath marble clasts in the general area
Profile Description
HorizonDepthDescription
853a 0 – 2 cm light olive grey (5Y 6/2) cobbly sandy gravel; moist; loose; rock particles unweathered with larger particles subangular and smaller particles rounded; abundant calcium carbonate coatings; indistinct boundary
853b 2 – 5 cm light olive grey (5Y 6/2) cobbly sandy gravel; moist; rock particles unweathered and larger rock particles subangular with smaller particles rounded; abundant carbonate coatings; diffuse boundary,
853c 5 – 13 cm light olive grey (5Y 6/2) cobbly sandy gravel; moist; rock particles unweathered and larger rock particles subangular with smaller particles rounded; abundant carbonate coatings; sharp boundary,
853d 13 – 18 cm light olive grey (5Y 6/2) cobbly sandy gravel; moist; loose; unweathered and larger rock particles subangular with smaller particles rounded to subrounded; abundant carbonate coatings, on light olive grey moist sandy gravel

Sample Data

Physical Data
Sample nameDepth descriptionTop (cm)Base (cm)Bulk DensityDry Bulk DensityGravimetric MoistureVol. Moisture (BD=2)
853a 0-2cm 0.0 2.0 1.41 4.34
853b 2-5cm 2.0 5.0 1.35 5.19
853c 5-13cm 5.0 13.0 1.34 3.73
853d 13-18cm 13.0 18.0 1.27 4.51
Particle size distribution
Sample name< 2 mm2 - 0.5 mm0.5 - 0.25 mm0.25 - 0.1 mm0.1 - 0.05 mm0.05 - 0.02 mm0.02 - 0.002 mm< 0.002 mmFe2O3CaCO3Notes
853a 37.0
853b 69.0
853c 73.0
853d 67.0

Photos

Photo record:
Loading...