Ross Sea Region Soil Sites
42000
42
17-Nov-1964
IBC, GGC
Inexpressible Island, Terra Nova Bay
Soil characterisation
USGS 1:250 000 1968; Mt Melbourne SS 58-60/9
B&W Pro & CS LScp
No
163.6670
-74.9333
74deg 56.0'S
-163deg -40.0'E
On the southwest side and at the southern tip of Inexpressible Island; on a low undulating surface at the edge of the Nansen Ice Sheet on a young, ice-cored till surface; |
hummocky dirt cone surface formed through ablation/sorting processes |
7
S
25
cf. Notes for GEOLAND below
(7o)
Oceanic subxerous, little liquid water available at present but soils wet for a short period |
when patchy snow cover and icey permafrost thaws and water flows downslope |
-17
Coastal Antarctic
Compact predominantly granitic ice-cored silty till, reworked through ablation processes
Nil observed
Moderately developed
SURFACE WEATHERING or |
SURFACE FEATURES |
Unstable surface due to ablation of ice core; surface rocks mainly subangular to subrounded forming a weakly developed pavement
Nil
3-0cm
101
surface pebbles and cobbles
102
loose
103
subangular to subrounded and unstained,
42. 10-30cm
301
light olive grey (5Y 6/2) gravelly silt
302
firmly cohesive
303
weakly developed platy structure
304
rock fragments subrounded to sub angular and unstained
305
distinct boundary, on frozen ground
42a 0-10cm
201
light olive grey (5Y 6/2) gravelly silt
202
firmly cohesive
203
moderately developed silt ball (nut-like) structure
204
rock fragments subrounded to subangular and unstained
205
indistinct boundary,
Yes
a
Hard ice-cemented
30
1
(30cm)
Geoland
Granite Harbour Intrusives outcrop widely in the region and tills are predominantly from these rocks but with lesser amounts of other rocks including |
Precambrian metasedimentary rocks; the till is recently deposited, weakly consolidated and poorly water sorted through supraglacial ablation reworking |
processes |
Soluble Salt |
Concentration |
4200001
42a
0-10cm
0
10
none
12-Dec-2005
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