Ross Sea Region Soil Sites
305000
305
15-Nov-1972
IBC, GGC
Taylor Dry Valley, McMurdo Dry Valley region near Lake Bonney
Soil Characterisation
USGS 1:50,000 Antarctic Topo. Ser. Lake Bonney Quadrangle
B&W Pro & CS Lsc
No
162.6330
-77.7000
77deg 42.0'S
-162deg -38.0'E
On the south side of Taylor Valley, approximately 3km east of Lake Bonney opposite La Croix Glacier; on a broad but smooth sloping bouldery ridge surface, 20m higher and |
to the north of site 304 and 200m from basalt cones |
20
W
370
cf. Notes for GEOLAND below
(20o)
Soils are dry with little evidence of liquid water; no adjacent now patches
-23
Central Mountain
Granitic sandy bouldery moraine with surficial basaltic scoria
Nil observed
Nil
SURFACE WEATHERING or |
SURFACE FEATURES |
Large surface granitic boulders with strong cavernous weathering; some coarse grained granites strongly crumbled; darker volcanic rocks have a fresher |
appearance and are subrounded to subangular |
Nil
305a 2-0cm
101
surface pebbly to granular sand
102
many black and red scoria pebbles
103
granite particles subrounded and non to weakly stained,
305b 0-10cm
201
light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) sandy granular gravel
202
slightly moist
203
rock particles subrounded to angular and unstained
204
sharp boundary,
305c 10-20cm
301
olive (5Y 5/3) bouldery sandy gravel
302
weakly cohesive
303
a few salt flecks
304
rock particles mainly angular and unstained
305
indistinct boundary,
305d 20-65cm
401
olive (5Y 5/3) bouldery sandy gravel
402
weakly cohesive
403
rock particles angular and unstained,
305e 65-90cm
501
olive (5Y 5/3) sandy to silty bouldery gravel
502
rock particles angular and unstained
Yes
a,b,c,d,e
Dry frozen
90
3
(>90cm)
Geoland
Glacial deposits in the area are formed from a complex interaction of advances from the Taylor Glacier with nearby alpine glaciers; granitic rocks are common |
and intruded by dolerite and dyke rocks but there are also numerous small volcanic cones which post-date glacial episodes; volcanic debris appears to lie on the |
surface but may not be within the soil, which would make the soil older than the volcanics; the volcanic detritus may have been distributed glacially from |
adjacent alpine glaciers, judged by the particle size |
Soluble Salt |
Concentration |
30500001
20.00
48.70
24.00
21.80
2.00
0.90
1.50
0.70
0.19
30500002
70.00
56.50
18.40
12.40
2.90
3.40
4.10
1.80
0.26
30500003
71.00
58.30
21.00
10.00
2.80
3.40
3.30
0.80
0.19
30500004
60.00
62.40
20.30
8.50
2.20
3.10
2.70
0.50
0.18
30500005
64.00
52.10
18.70
15.30
4.20
4.70
3.90
0.90
0.19
30500001
7.70
4.40
11.00
3.10
5.80
0.40
17.80
1.80
0.02
30500002
7.40
3.80
4.60
3.30
10.00
0.60
45.00
1.80
0.03
30500003
8.10
2.10
1.40
3.00
4.50
0.40
37.80
3.50
0.02
30500004
8.40
1.25
1.50
1.20
2.50
0.30
25.30
0.60
0.01
30500005
8.40
0.87
1.30
0.90
1.40
0.20
48.00
0.30
30500001
40
10
10
15
5
20
30500002
60
20
10
10
30500003
45
10
10
20
15
30500004
30
15
15
5
40
30500005
45
20
35
12-Dec-2005
Page 262 of 896
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