Ross Sea Region Soil Sites
555000
555
20-Jan-1988
IBC, GGC
Royal Society Range; Transantarctic Mountains
Soil weathering examination
Ross Island & Vicinity, Antarctica, 1:250 000 US Geological Survey, 1986
CS Lscp & Pro
No
163.5000
-78.1917
78deg 11.5'S
-163deg -30.0'E
cf. Notes for DESCR below
0
Nil
775
cf. Notes for GEOLAND below
(0o)
Oceanic subxerous; a dry site with no adjacent snow patches
-23
Coastal Antarctic
Sandy pebble to cobble gravel till with very mixed lithology; granites, schist, gneiss, marble sandstone and basalts
Nil observed
Patterned ground in the area is distinct broad nets but with sshallow troughs
SURFACE WEATHERING or |
SURFACE FEATURES |
Weakly developed predominantly pebble pavement; very weakly developed ventiform; little surface disaggregation; some weak cavernous weathering on |
granite clasts; some slight surface staaining on dolerite; carbonte coatings on undersides of some clasts |
Nil
555a 3-0cm
101
surface pebbles and granular sand
102
carbonate coatings on some clasts and silt coatings beneath a few clasts
103
rock particles subangular to subrounded with weak staining on a few,
555b 0-10cm
201
light brownish grey to greyish brown (10YR 6/2 - 5/2) gravelly sand
202
loose to weakly cohesive
203
larger rock particles subangular and unstained, smaller particles subrounded to rounded
204
many carbonate and silt coatings
205
indistinct boundary,
555c 10-30cm
301
dark greyish brown (2.5Y 4/2 slightly moist) gravelly sand
302
weakly cohesive
303
larger clasts subangula, non to weakly stained and with distinct carbonate coatings, mainly on undersides
304
smaller particles rounded to subrounded
305
sharp boundary,
555d 30-35cm+
401
light brownish grey (2.5Y 6/2) sandy to silty gravel
402
very hard ice-cemented
403
vesicular structure
404
abundant diffuse silt coatings
Yes
a,b,c,d
Hard ice-cemented
30
1
(30cm)
Descr
Walcott Bay, to the northeast of the Howchin Glacier; approximately 1km northeast of the Howchin Glacier on a moraine ridge on the lower northeast side of |
the Howchin Glacier; an elevated moraine surface probably related to a former level of the glacier; on a broad level site |
Geoland
The Walcott Bay area has a complex geology with basement rocks, small volcanic cones and an extensive drift mantle which include a wide range of rocks; the |
Howchin Glacier was probably previously joined with the Koetlitz Glacier during the Ross Glaciation and tills in this valley mark its retreat |
Soluble Salt |
Concentration |
55500001
26.00
38.40
35.50
17.30
3.50
3.00
1.70
0.20
0.50
55500002
87.00
24.80
47.10
18.30
2.80
3.30
2.50
0.60
0.60
55500003
88.00
25.50
50.10
19.80
1.80
1.30
0.90
0.20
0.50
55500004
81.00
34.80
42.90
12.40
1.80
2.50
4.60
0.50
0.60
55500001
9.50
0.10
2.20
0.30
0.10
0.30
0.10
0.10
55500002
9.60
0.14
3.00
0.20
0.10
0.30
0.10
55500003
9.10
0.06
1.00
0.50
0.10
0.30
55500004
9.30
0.06
1.00
0.70
0.10
0.30
55500001
55500002
55500003
55500004
12-Dec-2005
Page 513 of 896
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