122

Site number:

122

Authors:

IBC, GGC

Date recorded:

1965/01/07

Reason Sampled:

Soil characterisation

Description:

On low moraine in the Brown Hills region, between the Foggydog and Darwin Glaciers and about 1km S of the Foggydog Glacier, approximately 30m from a partially thawed lake and on the SW side; a till covered glacial retreat surface with an uneven very bouldery surface

Altitude:

575 m

Aspect:

NE

Slope:

4 °

Climate

Soil climate zone:

Coastal mountain

Estimated mean annual temperature:

-23 °C

Frozen ground depth:

35 cm

Frozen type:

Hard ice-cemented

Frozen comment:

35cm

Geology

Geological setting:

Grounding of the Ross Ice Shelf during the Ross Glaciation and back-flooding of ice into outlet glaciers such as the Darwin caused much of the lower lying land to be covered with ice; subsequent ice retreat has gradually exposed the landscape and deposited tills, particularly on the lower altitude surfaces; the youngest tills and soils are closest to the glacier

Patterned ground:

Very weakly developed

Surface weathering or surface features:

Boulders up to 3m across with many about .3m; mostly subangular to angular with weak oxidation staining on some granites and occasional strong staining on some; a weakly developed surface pavement

Soil

Soil parent material:

Young bouldery till from mainly granite and granodiorite with minor dolerite

Previous disturbance:

Nil

Soil weathering stage:

2 (Campbell & Claridge 1975)

Soil moisture status:

Oceanic subxerous; the soil is dry; a nearby lake is partly thawed and beginning to re-freeze

Biological activity:

Nil observed