Ross Sea Region Soil Sites
577000
577
23-Jan-1990
IBC, GGGC, MRB
Marble Point region, western McMurdo Sound just east of the Wilson Piedmont Glacier, between Marble Point and Gneiss Point
Soil contamination and environmental evaluation; at the site of an oil spill, probably heavy lubricating oil
Marble Point Quadrangle, US Geological Survey, 1975
CS Pro & Lscp
Yes
163.6880
-77.4214
77deg 25.28'S
-163deg -41.28'E
Old Marble Point construction camp site, approximately 100m north of Surko Stream, towards the eastern edge of the heavily disturbed area; The site is an area of old oil |
contamination, marked by patches of dark coloured smooth ground surface |
0
Nil
60
cf. Notes for GEOLAND below
0
11.3
0
12.5
N/A
-18
Coastal Antarctic
Oil contaminated bouldery till, predominantly from marble and gneiss
Nil observed at site
Nil
SURFACE WEATHERING or |
SURFACE FEATURES |
The ground surface is smooth, oil-caked and dark coloured
cf. Notes for PREVDIST below
577a 0-10cm
101
dark greyish brown (2.5Y 4/2) oil contaminated sandy cobble and pebble gravel
102
firmly cohesive
103
indistinct boundary,
577b 10-30cm
201
olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) oil contaminated sandy cobble and boulder gravel
202
firmly cohesive
203
indistinct boundary,
577c 30-60cm
301
greyish brown (2.5Y 5/2) oil contaminated sandy boulder gravel
302
firmly cohesive
303
indistinct boundary,
577d 60-90cm
401
dark greyish brown (2.5Y 4/2) oil contaminated sandy boulder gravel
402
some liquid water and oil droplets
403
sharp boundary, on ice-cemented ground
Yes
Hard ice-cemented
90
1
(90cm)
Geoland
The land surface is a gently undulating till plain formed by retreat of the Wilson Piedmont Glacier; The Marble Point region is an old landscape, as evidenced by |
deposits of phillipsite, buried soils and oxidised gneiss, which have been covered by advances of the grounded Ross Ice Shelf; later ice retreat and glaciological |
features have been controlled by changes in the stranded Wilson Piedmont Glacier; the till mantle is patchy and dominated largely by locally occurring rocks |
Prevdist
Site of old late 1950's Marble Point construction camp; the buildings were trashed, probably in the 60's but with subsequent periodic attempts at clean up; this |
location is the site of the 1999 biological sampling and soil temperature and humidity measurements |
Soluble Salt |
Concentration |
57700001
577a
0-10cm
0
10
none
57700002
577b
10-30cm
10
30
none
57700003
577c
30-60cm
30
60
none
57700004
577d
60-90cm
60
90
none
57700001
57700002
57700003
57700004
57700001
57700002
57700003
57700004
57700001
57700002
57700003
57700004
12-Dec-2005
Page 535 of 896
577