Blank Peaks between the Bartrum and Foggydog Glaciers; on the lower slopes of a small cirque like basin with a sloping very bouldery moraine surface
Altitude:
1150 m
Aspect:
SE
Slope:
4 °
Location Data
Observer
IBC
GPS
No
Latitude Longitude DMS
79° 45' S 158° 46' E
Latitude Longitude DD
-79.75 158.767
Latitude longitude precision DD
0.04 0.008
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
Site temperature profile
Depth (cm)
Soil temp (°C)
Notes
0
-2
air temp overcast
0
3
soil surface
5
3
10
2
15
1
20
1
25
0
30
0
35
-1
Estimated mean annual temperature:
-25
°C
Frozen ground depth:
35 cm
Frozen type:
Hard ice-cemented
Frozen comment:
35cm
Geology
Geological setting:
Granite Harbour Intrusives outcrop prominently on ridges with some smaller dolerite caps; surficial till deposits are composed mainly of granite with minor amounts of dolerite;
Patterned ground:
Moderately developed nets 6m across
Surface weathering or surface features:
Very bouldery surface with boulders up 6m across; surface staining is moderate and cavernous weathering weakly developed; some surface exfoliation; stone pavement weakly developed
Xerous to subxerous; the surface is predominantly snow free but some snow occurs in polygon troughs and in small patches on hill slopes; the soil is moist below 10cm
Biological activity:
Yellow and black lichen are present on boulders
Profile Description
Horizon
Depth
Description
110a
0 – 5 cm
light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) cobbly granular sand; loose; rock particles subrounded to subangular and weakly to moderately stained; some salt crystals within disaggregating coarse fragments; distinct boundary,
110b
15 – 25 cm
yellowish brown (moist 10YR 5/4; dry, light yellowish brown 10YR 6/4) granular sand; moderately cohesive due to moistness; rock particles mainly subrounded, weakly to moderately stained; abrupt boundary, on frozen ground