Ross Sea Region Soil Sites
556000
556
21-Jan-1988
IBC, GGC
Royal Society Range; Transantarctic Mountains
Soil weathering examination
Ross Island & Vicinity, Antarctica, 1:250 000 US Geological Survey, 1986
CS Pro
No
163.4330
-78.2333
78deg 14.0'S
-163deg -26.0'E
Walcott Bay, to the east of Walcott Glacier; approximately 2km east of Walcott Glacier; on the floor of an inactive stream channel with scattered moss patches; the site is |
beneath a moss patch |
0
Nil
300
cf. Notes for GEOLAND below
(0o)
Oceanic subxerous; the site is currently dry but probably receives occasional water flows |
from snow thaw |
-21
Coastal Antarctic
Sandy gravel alluvium with a moss cover
Moss cover in small patches with adjacent dead patches with surface salt accumulation
Nil
SURFACE WEATHERING or |
SURFACE FEATURES |
The moss has some sand on the surface and is probably windblown; the adjacent surface without a moss cover is unweathered loose sandy pebble gravel
Nil
3-0cm
101
moss mat
102
compact with many fibrous roots
103
distinct boundary,
556a 0-3cm
201
dark brown (10YR 4/4 moist) organic sand
202
moderately cohesive
203
many plant fibres
204
sharp boundary,
556b 3-10cm
301
grey (5Y 5/1) granular sand
302
weakly cohesive
303
moist
304
some carbonate and salt encrustations
305
rock particles subrounded and unstained,
556c 0-3cm
401
light grey to grey (5Y 6/1) surface sandy gravel
402
loose
403
diffuse scattered salts
Yes
a,b,c
0
1
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 |
lower altitude surfaces represent the most recently exposed surfaces following retreat of ice from Walcott Bay and the nearby alpine glaciers; the lower slopes |
are extensively ice-cored and the landscape is being actively modified in places by thermokarst processes |
Soluble Salt |
Concentration |
55600001
55600002
55600003
55600001
55600002
55600003
55600001
55600002
55600003
12-Dec-2005
Page 514 of 896
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