Ross Sea Region Soil Sites
346000
346
3-Dec-1972
IBC, GGC
Wright Valley, McMurdo Dry Valley region, Asgard range
Soil weathering examination
USGS 1:50,000 Antarctic Topo. Ser. Labyrinth Quadrangle
B&W Pro & CS Lsc
No
160.9370
-77.6050
77deg 36.3'S
-160deg -56.2'E
On the S side of Wright Valley in Sessrumnir Valley, approximately 2.3km NE of Mt Freya; on a slightly hummocky moraine ridge surface on the valley floor, south of the |
valley mouth moraine which contains granite clasts |
0
Nil
1,525
cf. Notes for GEOLAND below
(0o)
Soil dry; some small snow patches in the area
-25
Central Mountain
Sandy grave from sandstone and dolerite with sandy to silty stony till alongside; the sandy material may be an old sand wedge
Nil observed but endolithic algae present in some sandstone outcrops
Weakly developed nets
SURFACE WEATHERING or |
SURFACE FEATURES |
A well developed cobble and pebble pavement with few upstanding boulders; many distinct ventiforms; distinct staining on lee surfaces but exposed |
surfaces abraded; salts beneath surface stones |
Nil
346a 2-0cm
101
surface cobbles, pebbles and granular sand
102
salts beneath many surface stones
103
rock particles rounded to subangular
104
faceted and ventiformed
105
moderately stained and some weakly altered,
346b 0-5cm
201
brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) sandy pebbly gravel
202
weakly cohesive moderately developed vesicular structure
203
rock particles weakly to moderately stained and some moderately altered
204
distinct boundary,
346c
501
weakly cohesive
502
rock particles angular and unstained
503
sharp boundary,
346c 5-18cm
301
brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) sandy pebble gravel
302
loose
303
rock particles weakly to moderately stained and some weakly altered
304
sharp boundary,
346d 5-18cm
401
light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) sandy to silty pebble gravel at a similar depth to and alongside
346e 18-24cm
601
brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) gravelly sand
602
hard frozen
Yes
a,b,c,d,e
Hard ice-cemented
18
3/4
(18cm)
Geoland
Tills in the alpine valleys of the Asgard Range are among the oldest known in the Transantarctic Mountains and based on ash occurrences, date from the |
Miocene; the till sequences are complex with local alpine sourced moraine being distinguished from outside sources by the presence of granite erratics; alpine |
glaciers probably persisted and interacted with periodic invasions of ice from the Wright Valley |
Soluble Salt |
Concentration |
34600001
43.40
41.40
12.90
0.80
0.20
0.50
0.40
0.33
34600002
29.40
49.80
15.20
1.40
0.40
1.30
2.10
0.39
34600003
43.40
41.40
9.60
1.10
0.50
1.60
1.80
0.34
34600004
5.20
2.40
36.90
8.50
6.40
5.50
12.50
0.71
34600005
38.70
40.70
13.00
2.30
1.60
3.00
1.20
0.37
34600006
34600001
6.10
0.75
1.30
0.50
0.50
2.30
0.70
1.60
0.05
34600002
6.40
1.15
2.80
0.50
1.40
4.70
2.00
1.60
0.10
34600003
6.80
1.34
3.80
0.05
1.40
5.30
1.80
2.30
0.10
34600004
7.00
2.12
4.90
0.10
1.60
6.70
5.10
0.60
0.30
34600005
7.60
0.31
2.20
0.10
2.40
0.60
0.30
0.04
34600006
thenardite, halite, hexahydrite
34600001
60
10
10
10
10
34600002
80
10
10
34600003
60
15
15
10
34600004
100
34600005
34600006
12-Dec-2005
Page 303 of 896
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