About 9.5km SSW of Lake Vashka on the western end of the top of the Insel Range; a broad undulating basin like surface with patches of till; the site is a gently sloping surface at the foot of a low bouldery ridge
Altitude:
1150 m
Aspect:
W
Slope:
4 °
Location Data
Observer
IBC
GPS
No
Latitude Longitude DMS
77° 25.9' S 161° 3.8' E
Latitude Longitude DD
-77.4317 161.0630
Latitude longitude precision DD
0.0008 0.0008
Locality
Victoria Land, Trans-antarctic Mountains; Balham 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 mountain
Estimated mean annual temperature:
-26
°C
Frozen ground depth:
0 cm
Frozen type:
Dry frozen
Frozen comment:
Geology
Geological setting:
Insel Drift is considered to represent the deposits of a former eastward flowing ice stream from an early glaciation; the till at this site occurs at a higher altitude than some other deposits mapped as Insel Drift and forms small loops around the basin; some basement rocks may be present in the till, granitic rocks may indicate existence of older up-valley till as in Asgard Range
Patterned ground:
No patterned ground
Surface weathering or surface features:
Surface boulders are up to 1.5m; dolerite boulders are moderately stained and subrounded; moderate to strong surface exfoliation; well developed pavement with ventifacts; salts occur beneath surface stones
Soil
Soil parent material:
Sandy silty till from dolerite, sandstone and granitic rocks
Xerous to subxerous; the surface is almost totally covered with 2.5cm of snow from a recent fall; there is no thawing and the soil is dry
Biological activity:
Some lichens on surface boulders
Profile Description
Horizon
Depth
Description
140d
-60 – 58 cm
light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) sandy to silty cobble and boulder gravel; moderately cohesive; rock particles mainly subangular and unstained
140a
0 – 1 cm
yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) pebbly granular sand; cohesive with a moderately developed crust; moderately developed vesicular structure; reddish brown colour where patches of coarser sands occur; rock particles subangular and moderately stained with many particles strongly altered; sharp boundary,
140b
1 – 10 cm
brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) sandy to silty cobble gravel; loose to weakly cohesive; many small salt flecks scattered throughout; quartz particles mainly subrounded and weakly stained with other rock particles subangular and moderately to strongly altered; some cobbles and boulders disaggregated; indistinct boundary,
140c
18 – 25 cm
pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) sandy to silty cobble gravel; loose to weakly cohesive; weakly developed vesicular structure; scattered salt flecks; rock particles mainly subangular and unstained; indistinct boundary,