On the floor of McKelvey Valley, a little to the West of it's junction with Bull Pass; approximately 12km SE from Lake Vashka and 8 km SW of Lake Vida; the surface is a broad till plain of very low relief with low scattered boulders
Altitude:
875 m
Aspect:
Nil
Slope:
0 °
Location Data
Observer
IBC
GPS
No
Latitude Longitude DMS
77° 25.4' S 161° 27' E
Latitude Longitude DD
-77.4233 161.450
Latitude longitude precision DD
0.0008 0.008
Locality
Victoria Land, Trans-antarctic Mountains; in Barwick Valley, part of the McMurdo Sound Dry Valley system
Survey
USGS 1:250 000 1986; Ross Island and Vicinity, Antarctica
Climate
Soil climate zone:
Central mountains
Estimated mean annual temperature:
-24
°C
Frozen ground depth:
75 cm
Frozen type:
Dry frozen over hard ice-cemented
Frozen comment:
75cm
Geology
Geological setting:
Tills in this part of McKelvey Valley were mapped by Calkin (1964) as Bull and Insel Drift; the site is on Insel Drift which is considered by Calkin to have originated from eastward flowing ice
Patterned ground:
A stable surface with old subdued inactive patterned ground
Surface weathering or surface features:
Marked fragmentation, abrasion and cavernous weathering of surface boulders; sandstones are strongly stained and dolerite rocks moderately stained; the surface is soft and has a well developed pebble pavement with many well formed ventifacts
Soil
Soil parent material:
Insel Drift till, containing much sandy/silty rock flour like material
Xerous to subxerous; a dry site but with occasional small snow patches
Biological activity:
Nil observed
Profile Description
Horizon
Depth
Description
133a
0
–
1
cm
pale brown (10YR 6/3) pebbly silty sand; moderately cohesive; strongly developed vesicular structure; rock particles mainly subrounded and weakly stained but some moderately altered; distinct boundary,
133b
1
–
8
cm
light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) cobbly silty sand; moderately cohesive; salt flecks diffused through the horizon; rock particles mainly subrounded and weakly stained but some particles strongly altered; indistinct boundary,
133c
12
–
20
cm
light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) cobbly silty sand; weakly cohesive; scattered salts; rock particles subrounded and weakly stained; distinct boundary,
133d
30
–
35
cm
light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) cobbly silty sand merging to light brownish grey (2.5Y 6/2); scattered salts; moderately cohesive; rock particles mainly subrounded and unstained; sharp boundary, on frozen ground