Ross Sea Region Soil Sites
612000
612
16-Nov-1991
IBC, GGC
Ross Island, Hut Point Peninsula
Soil weathering examination
USGS Ross Island & Vicinity Antarctica 1 250 000, 1986
No
160.6500
-77.8167
77deg 49.0'S
-160deg -39.0'E
cf. Notes for DESCR below
0
Nil
100
cf. Notes for GEOLAND below
Slightly moist; no snow patches adjacent
-18
Coastal Antarctic
Granular sand with the coarse fraction from volcanic sources and the fine fraction from windblown materials
Nil observed
Disturbed with remnant sand wedges
| SURFACE WEATHERING or |
| SURFACE FEATURES |
Unweathered
Ground scraping for soil materials
612a 0-10cm
101
light greyish brown to light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/2 - 5/2) granular silty sand
102
loose
103
many volcanic rock and quartz particles rounded
104
unstained
Yes
0
1
Descr
| On a bulldozed ridge surface, approximately 1km south of McMurdo Station; the surface has been earlier scraped for earth material and subsequent ground |
| thawing has exposed the natural patterned ground formation; the soil material sampled is in the exposed patterned ground cracks |
Geoland
| The local rocks are scoria flows of the McMurdo Volcanics with a thin cover of drift materials; the landscape originally had a patterned ground covered surface; |
| removal of the surficial material with subsequent thawing has exposed the patterned ground network and the patterned ground cracks have apparent sand wedge |
| infillings with grey sand with a distinctly different colour from the surrounding volcanic materials; many of the larger particles are rounded and included |
| rounded quartz grains indicating a foreign source |
| Soluble Salt |
| Concentration |
61200001
61200001
61200001
12-Dec-2005
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