Ross Sea Region Soil Sites
144000
144
23-Jan-1965
IBC, GGC
Victoria Land, Trans-antarctic Mountains; in Upper Victoria Valley, part of the McMurdo Sound Dry Valley system
Soil characterisation
USGS 1:250 000 1986; Ross Island and Vicinity, Antarctica
No
161.3830
-77.3100
77deg 18.6'S
-161deg -23.0'E
Approximately 3km S of Sponsors Pk and 5.5km NE of Lake Vashka; a broad sloping surface forming part of a ridge and gully complex formed in an exposure of marble |
bedrock |
8
SE
1,025
Marble and hornfels dikes of the Ross Supergroup outcrop in the lower Barwick Valley above the level of Insel Drift; the surface cover is mainly thin disaggregated bedrock |
although occasional dolerite erratics are present |
(8o)
Xerous to subxerous; site is dry with little available moisture
26
Central mountain
Disaggregated marble with some inclusion of dolerite and sandstone aeolian or drift material
Nil observed
SURFACE WEATHERING or |
SURFACE FEATURES |
Marble outcrops have a thin crumbly surface; some cavernous weathering on bedrock; carbonate coatings occur beneath some surface stones;
Nil
144a 0-3cm
201
strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) sandy granular pebble, mixed lithology gravel
202
weakly cohesive with a weakly developed surface crust
203
weakly developed vesicular structure
204
rock particles mainly subrounded and moderately stained
205
some marble fragments very soft
206
abrupt boundary,
144b 3-5cm
301
strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) sandy granular pebble, mixed lithology gravel
302
loose
303
rock fragments subrounded to subangular and moderately stained
304
distinct boundary,
144c 5-15cm
401
yellowish brown (10YR 6/8) granular marbley sand
402
sharp boundary, on compact marble
2-0cm
101
surface pebbles, granules and sand,
Yes
a,b,c
0
4
Soluble Salt |
Concentration |
14400001
144a
0-3cm
0
3
none
14400002
144b
3-5cm
3
5
none
14400003
144c
6-15cm
6
15
none
12-Dec-2005
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