138

Site number:

138

Authors:

IBC, GGC

Date recorded:

1965/01/19

Reason Sampled:

Soil characterisation

Description:

About 7km NW of Lake Vida, near the junction of Upper Victoria Valley and Barwick Valley; on a surface mapped as Vida Drift by Calkin (1964) comprising low moraine ridges or loops with flat areas between; the site is on a flat surface

Altitude:

580 m

Aspect:

Nil

Slope:

0 °

Climate

Soil climate zone:

Central mountains

Estimated mean annual temperature:

-23 °C

Frozen ground depth:

60 cm

Frozen type:

Hard ice-cemented

Frozen comment:

60cm

Geology

Geological setting:

Tills in this part of Upper Victoria Valley were mapped by Calkin (1964) as Vida Drift derived from the Upper Victoria Glacier; they are marked by the occurrence of numerous large sandstone boulders

Patterned ground:

Weakly developed large polygonal nets

Surface weathering or surface features:

Sandstone or quartzite boulders are up to 5m in diameter, are partly decomposed and have some cavernous weathering; some fragmentation of dolerite; larger clasts subangular to subrounded; moderate development of a pebble pavement

Soil

Soil parent material:

Bouldery till with common Beacon Group sandstone boulders

Previous disturbance:

Nil

Soil weathering stage:

3 (Campbell & Claridge 1975)

Soil moisture status:

Xerous to subxerous; the site is dry with moisture derived only from snow fall

Biological activity:

Nil observed