Ross Sea Region Soil Sites
511000
511
19-Jan-1983
IBC, GGC
Convoy Range, Trans-antarctic Mountains, Alatna valley
Soil weathering examination
CS Pro
No
160.8170
-76.9133
76deg 54.8'S
-160deg -49.0'E
Approximately 3km WSW of Battleship Promontory and 1km north of an un-named ice tongue; an undulating ridge surface and on a flat upper surface
0
Nil
1,350
cf. Notes for GEOLAND below
Some small local snow patches; the site is dry with no sign of soil moistening
-30
Central mountain
Doleritic till with some minor sandstone
Some lichen patches on rock surfaces
Weakly developed broad shallow nets
| SURFACE WEATHERING or |
| SURFACE FEATURES |
cf. Notes for SURFWEA below
Nil
511a 3-0cm
101
surface pebble and cobble pavement
102
moderately to strongly stained and subrounded with many clasts ventiformed,
511b 0-3cm
201
yellowish red (5YR 4/6) granular and pebbly gravely sand
202
moderately cohesive
203
moderately developed vesicular structure
204
scattered salt patches
205
some ghosts
206
rock particles subangular to subrounded, moderately to strongly stained and partly altered
207
distinct boundary,
511c 3-12cm
301
brown to dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) sandy gravel
302
loose
303
many diffuse salt flecks with some concentrations around rocks and in disaggregating clasts
304
rock particles subangular to subrounded moderately to strongly stained and some partly altered
305
indistinct boundary,
511d 12-20cm
401
dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) granular gravel
402
loose
403
some disaggregated clasts forming weak ghosts
404
rock particles subangular to subrounded, moderately stained and some partly altered
405
indistinct boundary,
511e 20-30cm
501
brown to dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) granular gravel in rock cracks
502
loose
503
rock particles subangular and weakly stained
504
sharp boundary, on frozen ground
Yes
a,b,c,d,e
Hard ice-cemented
30
5
(30cm)
Geoland
| Ferrar Dolerite forms extensive sills and the till appears to be derived from the local dolerite; with increasing distance from the ice front, soil weathering |
| increases; this till marks the oldest identifiable moraine from the ice mass to the north of Mt Bergen; the soil sequence suggests that ice retreat has occurred very |
| slowly |
Surfwea
| Dolerite boulders are strongly stained and rounded with marked exfoliation of oxidised surfaces; well developed ventiforms; a well developed pebble and cobble |
| pavement; distinct up- wind abrasion of upstanding boulders; fine grained dolerite clasts are well pitted; salts are present beneath some surface clasts with the |
| undersides of the clasts having distinct exfoliation |
| Soluble Salt |
| Concentration |
51100001
51100002
79.00
76.00
12.00
4.00
1.00
1.00
4.00
2.00
0.24
51100003
73.00
54.00
14.00
7.00
4.00
7.00
11.00
3.00
0.33
51100004
75.00
66.00
17.00
6.00
2.00
2.00
6.00
1.00
0.21
51100005
71.00
76.00
9.00
4.00
2.00
3.00
4.00
2.00
0.21
51100001
51100002
7.50
1.25
5.70
3.40
1.20
0.02
0.05
10.20
1.30
51100003
7.60
2.09
9.60
1.80
1.40
0.04
0.01
9.80
2.20
51100004
9.40
0.90
4.90
0.22
0.21
0.03
0.01
2.60
1.50
51100005
9.30
1.06
6.40
0.62
0.52
0.04
0.01
2.70
1.80
51100001
51100002
50
disordered mica-smectite
51100003
50
disordered mica-smectite
51100004
40
disordered mica-smectite
51100005
50
disordered mica-smectite
12-Dec-2005
Page 469 of 896
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