Approximately 1km NNW of Lake Vashka, on a small bench on the valley side; near the edge of a bluff on a small spur at an outcrop of granodiorite
Altitude:
900 m
Aspect:
SE
Slope:
6 °
Location Data
Observer
IBC
GPS
No
Latitude Longitude DMS
77° 19.5' S 161° 04' E
Latitude Longitude DD
-77.325 161.067
Latitude longitude precision DD
0.004 0.008
Locality
Victoria Land, Trans-antarctic Mountains; in Upper Victoria 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:
-25
°C
Frozen ground depth:
0 cm
Frozen type:
Frozen comment:
Geology
Geological setting:
Granite Harbour Intrusives (granites and granodiorites) outcrop in places between Ferrar Dolerite sills
Patterned ground:
Nil
Surface weathering or surface features:
Granodiorite bedrock has been fractured by frost weathering; boulders are is mainly flattish and flaggy; some salt accumulations beneath some surface stones; some dolerite cobbles
Soil
Soil parent material:
Bouldery granodiorite felsenmeer with some fine material between cracks in the rocks; includes some dolerite from outcrops on slopes above
Xerous to subxerous; a dry site with no surface snow accumulations
Biological activity:
Nil observed
Profile Description
Horizon
Depth
Description
142a
0
–
1
cm
greyish brown to light olive brown (2.5Y 5/2 - 5/4) granular gravel; moderately cohesive; moderately developed vesicular structure; rock particles subrounded and subangular and weakly stained; sharp boundary,
142b
15
–
30
cm
light grey (2.5Y 7/2) pebbly granular gravel; loose; rock particles angular to subangular and unstained; granodiorite clasts showing some surface disaggregation, on granodiorite bedrock