910

Site number:

910

Authors:

IBC

Date recorded:

1999/12/14

Reason Sampled:

Long Term Ecological Research (nematode experimental area) site investigation of soil properties; this site (LTER 1) was chosen for daily repeat sampling to see if there were measurable changes in soil moisture over the length of the sampling period; this sampling is the thirteenth at this site; this sampling was done 20 hours after the snowfll event; this sampling also includes determination of H2O contents <2mm and >2mm fractions for 3 horizons

Description:

LTM Datalogger plot, on the south side of Lake Hoare, 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 1m and was immediately alongside LTER 1L

Altitude:

90 m

Aspect:

NNE

Slope:

5 °

Climate

Soil climate zone:

Coastal mountain

Estimated mean annual temperature:

-20 °C

Frozen ground depth:

45 cm

Frozen type:

Hard ice-cemented

Frozen comment:

45cm

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; the site is snow free but patchy snow persists in some parts of the landscape, mainly on more bouldery surfaces

Biological activity:

Nil observed at site, nematodes present in adjacent soil; some green algae beneath marble clasts in the general area