127

Site number:

127

Authors:

IBC, GGC

Date recorded:

1965/01/14

Reason Sampled:

Soil characterisation

Description:

Approximately 1km SE of Webb Lake; on the valley floor on a young ice-cored moraine surface; the site is near the centre of a frost polygon

Altitude:

725 m

Aspect:

Nil

Slope:

0 °

Climate

Soil climate zone:

Central mountains

Estimated mean annual temperature:

-23 °C

Frozen ground depth:

48 cm

Frozen type:

Stagnant ice core

Frozen comment:

48

Geology

Geological setting:

Webb Glacier in the upper Barwick Valley has retreated and left a series of till deposits and moraine surfaces of differing ages; the site is on ice-cored moraines mapped by Calkin as Packard Drift (youngest) and may be lateral moraine; the main rock types in the area are dolerite, granite, granodiorite and Beacon Group sediments and the tills have these rocks in them

Patterned ground:

Hummocky ground with a relief of 1-2m is related to subsurface ice ablation processes

Surface weathering or surface features:

Surface boulders are up to 2m and are unweathered and subangular

Soil

Soil parent material:

Ice-cored lateral moraine till

Previous disturbance:

Nil

Soil weathering stage:

1 (Campbell & Claridge 1975)

Soil moisture status:

Xerous to subxerous; the soils are moistened in the surface horizon by occasional brief snow falls

Biological activity:

Nil observed