Ross Sea Region Soil Sites
470000
470
16-Dec-1979
IBC, GGC
West Antarctica in Ellsworth Land at the southern end of the Ellsworth Mountains
Soil weathering examination
US Geological Survey, 1:250 000, 1967, Union Glacier
CS Lscp & Pro
No
-84.0000
-79.7500
79deg 45.0'S
84deg 0.0'E
| At the northern end of the Edson Hills on the southwest side of the Schanz Glacier and just north of Drake Icefall; a broad stepped ridge and a high knoll on the ridge; the site |
| is on the side of a marble ridge which has a thin overlying till cover |
4
NW
1,300
cf. Notes for GEOLAND below
Some small snow drift patches 30m away but the dry site with no soil moistening
-25
Inland/Coastal Mountain
Till from quartzofeldspathic and metasedimentary rocks
Nil observed
Nil
| SURFACE WEATHERING or |
| SURFACE FEATURES |
| Most surface boulders flat lying and rounded with few upstanding; distinct surface staining; a well developed pebble pavement with some polish and |
| varnish on sandstone clasts; some spalling of larger boulders; some clasts with a distinct oxidised rhind |
Nil
470a 2-0cm
101
surface pebbles cobbles and granular sand
102
larger particles subrounded but small particles mainly subangular
103
surface staining weak to strong,
470b 0-7cm
201
light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4 - 2.5Y 6/4) gravelly sand
202
moderately cohesive
203
diffuse salts
204
some rock particles partly disaggregated
205
rock particles mainly subangular and some moderately stained
206
distinct boundary,
470c 7-20cm
301
light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) sandy to silty gravel
302
weakly cohesive
303
a few salt flecks
304
some small oxidised patches adjacent to clasts
305
some rock particles partly disaggregated
306
rock particles mainly angular and unstained but some subrounded
307
indistinct boundary,
470d 20-40cm
401
light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) sandy to silty gravel
402
weakly cohesive
403
pulverulent
404
a few salt flecks
405
some oxidised patches adjacent to rock particles
406
rock particles subangular and unstained
407
indistinct boundary,
470e 40-55cm
501
light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) sandy to silty gravel
502
moderately cohesive
503
salt accumulations around some rock particles
504
rock particles subangular and unstained
505
sharp boundary,
470f 55-60cm
601
light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) sandy gravel
602
very hard
603
ice- cemented
Yes
a,b,c,d,e,f
Ice-cemented
55
3
(55cm)
Geoland
| The Ellsworth Mountains comprise a thick sequence of folded metasedimentary rocks comprising limestones, conglomerates and quartzites dating to |
| Precambrian; the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is believed to have fluctuated greatly in response to global sea level changes and evidence of these fluctuations should |
| be present in the tills and soil weathering record; the Edson Hills are predominantly metasedimentary rocks including marble |
| Soluble Salt |
| Concentration |
47000001
11.90
47000002
50.40
28.30
14.80
13.30
10.30
11.00
20.70
0.60
0.80
47000003
46.60
30.30
18.00
13.80
8.30
7.20
19.20
2.40
0.70
47000004
65.60
32.60
14.40
11.90
7.90
6.20
24.20
2.10
0.70
47000005
44.80
36.20
15.30
12.90
8.60
8.20
15.50
2.50
0.60
47000006
24.70
40.90
14.10
11.10
7.20
6.30
18.10
1.60
0.60
47000007
47000001
47000002
7.40
2.05
2.49
5.56
1.36
0.20
0.03
5.63
0.08
47000003
6.80
1.89
2.31
5.86
1.40
0.21
0.03
5.92
0.07
47000004
6.40
1.80
1.87
6.28
1.08
0.20
0.03
6.25
0.08
47000005
7.40
1.36
1.73
3.74
0.90
0.20
0.05
4.66
0.04
47000006
7.40
1.18
1.34
4.81
0.36
0.16
0.02
6.41
0.02
47000007
thenardite, mirabilite
47000001
47000002
50
2
15
10
5
15
3
47000003
60
2
10
5
20
3
47000004
50
3
10
5
5
5
20
2
47000005
30
2
35
10
5
5
10
3
47000006
30
40
5
3
5
20
2
47000007
12-Dec-2005
Page 427 of 896
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