Approximately 4km N of Lake Vashka, on gently undulating dolerite bench or sill surface, below a small peak formed by an outcrop of dolerite; the site is near level with dolerite bedrock risers and dolerite rubble in hollows; deeper profiles are found between cracks in the bedrock
Altitude:
1550 m
Aspect:
Nil
Slope:
0 °
Location Data
Observer
IBC
GPS
No
Latitude Longitude DMS
77° 18.7' S 161° 10' E
Latitude Longitude DD
-77.3117 161.17
Latitude longitude precision DD
0.0008 0.08
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
Site temperature profile
Depth (cm)
Soil temp (°C)
Notes
0
-20
(air temp
0
-2
soil surface
5
-2
23
-6
at
Estimated mean annual temperature:
-28
°C
Frozen ground depth:
0 cm
Frozen type:
Frozen comment:
Geology
Geological setting:
Ferrar Dolerite outcrops on the surface and on an adjacent knoll; the shallow regolith is probably frost shattered detritus
Patterned ground:
Surface weathering or surface features:
Some pitting of dolerite rock surfaces and some cavernous weathering on rock outcrops; surface weathering is blackish rather than reddish; salts occur beneath most surface stones and there are some calcium carbonate encrustations; a moderately developed pavement of flattish pebbles
Soil
Soil parent material:
Shallow dolerite detritus, probably including some windblown fines from nearby sandstone outcrop, over dolerite bedrock
Xerous to subxerous; patches of surface snow; soil surface occasionally moistened
Biological activity:
Yellow and black lichen on dolerite outcrops
Profile Description
Horizon
Depth
Description
143a
0
–
3
cm
yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) pebbly sand; loose; salt flecks common but mostly beneath stones; rock particles subangular and subrounded and moderately stained; indistinct boundary,
143b
3
–
15
cm
brown (10YR 5/3) pebbly granular sand; moderately cohesive; moderately developed vesicular structure; some coarse particles coated with fines; rock particles mainly subangular to angular and unstained; sharp boundary, on dolerite bedrock