Ross Sea Region Soil Sites
337000
337
30-Nov-1972
IBC, GGC
Wright Valley, McMurdo Dry Valley region
Soil weathering examination
USGS 1:50,000 Antarctic Topo. Ser. Labyrinth Quadrangle
CS+B&W Lsc & B&W Pro
No
160.8530
-77.6233
77deg 37.4'S
-160deg -51.2'E
Sessrumnir Valley in the Asgard Range on the SE side on a bouldery till surface about 150m from the cirque head alpine glacier; a bouldery uneven sloping surface
11
N
1,700
cf. Notes for GEOLAND below
(11o)
Scattered snow in pockets amongst boulders; no visible thawing or soil moistening
-27
Inland Mountain
Bouldery doleritic till with some sandstone
Nil observed but endolithic lichens common in sandstone
Weakly developed patterned ground cracks and ice-cored; inactivity may be due to lower temperatures
| SURFACE WEATHERING or |
| SURFACE FEATURES |
| Boulders from 0.6 to 1.5m, moderate boulder rounding with some clast reduction; moderate surface staining that may be inherited from head wall rock |
| source; a few scattered surface salts |
Nil
337a 4-0cm
101
surface boulders, cobbles and granular sand
102
rock particles subrounded and strongly stained with surface exfoliation
103
many smaller particles moderately altered,
337b 0-7cm
201
strong brown (7.5YR 5/7) granular bouldery gravel
202
weakly cohesive
203
weakly developed vesicular structure
204
rock particles angular, moderately stained and some moderately altered
205
distinct boundary,
337c 7-15cm
301
yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) sandy to granular bouldery gravel
302
firmly cohesive
303
frosted
304
rock particles angular weakly to moderately stained with some moderately altered
305
sharp boundary,
337d 15-20cm
401
hard ice-cemented ground
Yes
a,b,c,d,e
Stagnant glacial ice
15
2
(15cm)
Geoland
| Alpine valleys of the Asgard Range are amongst the oldest known landscapes in Antarctica dating back to the Miocene based on till, soil and volcanic ash |
| deposits; the present cirque head glacier is a remnant of a former glacier which filled the valley; tills associated with this glacier are derived from valley head |
| wall attrition of dolerite and are very bouldery and young; although further from the ice front the till age is probably Alpine I |
| Soluble Salt |
| Concentration |
33700001
32.00
33700002
79.00
40.20
26.10
17.70
2.50
3.50
5.30
4.20
0.50
33700003
75.00
62.80
23.50
8.90
0.10
1.60
1.40
1.30
0.30
33700004
88.00
45.70
19.50
14.00
3.00
7.30
8.80
1.30
0.40
33700005
37.50
21.60
13.10
0.70
2.00
2.40
2.30
0.35
33700001
33700002
8.40
1.15
3.40
4.20
2.60
0.04
0.60
7.80
0.30
33700003
7.80
0.12
0.70
0.10
0.10
0.02
0.30
0.40
0.10
33700004
7.80
0.21
1.00
0.20
0.20
0.03
0.50
0.40
0.20
33700005
8.70
6.50
39.00
9.70
3.70
0.02
0.90
52.00
0.20
33700001
33700002
30
20
50
33700003
55
45
33700004
25
75
33700005
65
35
12-Dec-2005
Page 294 of 896
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