Ross Sea Region Soil Sites
505000
505
15-Jan-1983
IBC, GGC
Convoy Range, Trans-antarctic Mountains, in the valley of the Northwind Glacier
Soil characterisation
B&W & CS Pro & Lscp
No
159.8250
-76.7350
76deg 44.1'S
-159deg -49.5'E
cf. Notes for DESCR below
2
NE
1,150
cf. Notes for GEOLAND below
Xerous; no snow patches, snow banks or seepage nearby but the lower horizons above the |
permafrost are slightly moist |
-26
Central mountain
Bouldery till from dolerite, granite and sandstone
A few small occurrences of lichens in cracks of rocks
Weakly developed nets with shallow 20-30cm troughs; appears to be inactive
SURFACE WEATHERING or |
SURFACE FEATURES |
A well developed desert pavement with rounded, flattened, moderately pitted and strongly stained surface stones; few upstanding boulders which show |
marked sculpturing and cavernous weathering; salts beneath some surface stones |
Nil
505a 3-0cm
101
surface cobbles, pebbles and granules forming a distinct pavement
102
many clasts well faceted and many are strongly stained
505b 0-3cm
201
brown (7.5YR 5/4) pebbly granular sand
202
weakly cohesive
203
moderately developed vesicular structure
204
some salt flecks throughout with larger accumulations beneath some stones
205
some larger rock particles disaggregated and forming ghosts
206
smaller particles mainly subangular, and moderately stained
207
abrupt boundary,
505c 3-6cm
301
yellowish red (5YR 5/6) gravelly sand with many particles coated with fines
302
moderately cohesive
303
salts discontinuous and patchy through the horizon
304
some prominent ghosts
305
rock particles subrounded to subangular and moderately stained with some moderately altered
505d 6-19cm
401
brown (7.5Y 5/4) sandy pebbly to bouldery gravel
402
moist and weakly cohesive
403
some salt accumulations
404
rock particles mainly subrounded to subangular, moderately stained and some moderately altered
405
sharp boundary,
505e 19-25cm
501
dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6 moist) sandy gravel
502
frozen and extremely hard
Yes
a,b,c,d,e,f
Hard ice-cemented
19
4
(19cm)
Geoland
The surface is a small shelf and is formed below a prominent bench that encircles the head of the valley; till covers the surface and is dominated by coarse and |
fine grained dolerite but some fragments of pink granite are present, which suggests a down-valley source or an early up-valley ice invasion, possibly from a |
previously enlarged Fry Glacier or a former West Antarctic Ice Sheet expansion |
Descr
On the western side of the upper portion of the valley floor surface of the Northwind Valley, 7.5km west of Larsen Crag; a surface which is about 40m above |
that of site 504 and .5km to the SW; this surface appears to be older and more weathered than the surface below |
Soluble Salt |
Concentration |
50500001
50500002
74.00
68.00
14.00
5.00
1.00
1.00
6.00
4.00
0.26
50500003
68.00
67.00
18.00
5.00
2.00
1.00
4.00
3.00
0.22
50500004
43.00
84.00
8.00
2.00
1.00
1.00
3.00
1.00
0.15
50500005
32.00
59.00
12.00
5.00
3.00
5.00
13.00
2.00
0.28
50500006
50500001
50500002
7.60
0.88
5.20
0.64
0.27
0.03
0.01
4.90
1.20
50500003
8.00
2.38
15.60
3.00
0.60
0.04
0.01
16.80
0.20
50500004
8.50
0.46
3.80
0.06
0.10
0.02
0.01
2.30
0.30
50500005
9.40
0.50
3.30
0.11
0.16
0.03
0.01
1.40
0.30
50500006
50500001
50500002
30
5
5
55
10
10
30
50500003
30
5
15
10
35
mica-smectite 5
50500004
25
30
30
5
20
50500005
25
10
15
10
40
50500006
12-Dec-2005
Page 463 of 896
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