Approx 3.5km N of Bastion Hill, 30m below site of soil 102 on a granite surface; a broad shallow saddle on a broad undulating ridge surface with outcrops of Granite Harbour Intrusives and no till
Altitude:
770 m
Aspect:
NE
Slope:
2 °
Location Data
Observer
IBC
GPS
No
Latitude Longitude DMS
79° 48' S 158° 20' E
Latitude Longitude DD
-79.800 158.33
Latitude longitude precision DD
0.008 0.08
Locality
Victoria Land, Trans-antarctic Mountains; at the southern end of the Cook Mountains in the Brown Hills region of the Darwin Glacier
Survey
USGS 1:250,000 1963; Carlyon Glacier ST 57-60/13*
Climate
Soil climate zone:
Coastal mountain
Estimated mean annual temperature:
-24
°C
Frozen ground depth:
19 cm
Frozen type:
Hard ice-cemented
Frozen comment:
19cm
Geology
Geological setting:
Granite Harbour Intrusives are mainly granites and granodiorites and outcrop intermittently with dolerite
Patterned ground:
Surface weathering or surface features:
Granite upper surfaces are moderately stained and many boulders are cavernously weathered; salt accumulations are present beneath some boulders and cobbles; the fine fraction of the soil appears to be mainly disaggregated and exfoliated granite
Xerous to subxerous; a thin discontinuous cover of windblown snow was present with some thawing taking place
Biological activity:
Nil observed
Profile Description
Horizon
Depth
Description
103a
-3 – 0 cm
strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) pebbly granular sand; loose to weakly cohesive; some scattered salts; rock particles subangular with moderate surface staining but staining penetrating through some particles; distinct boundary,
103b
8 – 12 cm
yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) cobbly sandy gravel; weakly cohesive; rock particles angular to subangular and non to weakly stained; abrupt boundary, on frozen ground.