Ross Sea Region Soil Sites
619000
619
22-Nov-1991
IBC, GGC, MRB
Marble Point, western McMurdo Sound
Permafrost and soil moisture examinations; investigation of differences between a moist site and adjacent |
dry sites |
USGS Antarctica Topographic Series 1:50,000; Marble Point, Antarctica
CS Lscp
Yes
163.6630
-77.4157
77deg 24.94'S
-163deg -39.78'E
cf. Notes for DESCR below
2
N
70
cf. Notes for GEOLAND below
15
-0.5
The surface soil is moist adjacent to a small thawing snow patch; frozen ground is at 10cm, |
shallower than adjacent soils because more solar energy is used in freezing and thawing the |
moist soil than for general soil heating |
-18
Coastal Antarctic
Bouldery sandy gravel till
Nil at site; moss patches and cyanobacteria are common locally
Weakly developed 20m nets; 5cm troughs with active open cracks
SURFACE WEATHERING or |
SURFACE FEATURES |
Most boulders angular and unstained; a few with distinct oxide staining; a moderately developed pebble and cobble pavement; calcium carbonate coatings |
beneath many surface clasts; some surface salt efflorescences adjacent to thawing snow patches |
Extensive mechanical and human activity in the region since the mid-1950's
619a 2-0cm
101
surface pebbly to bouldery gravel
102
rock particles subangular and unstained
103
some thick distinct carbonate coatings,
619b 0-10cm
201
light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) sandy pebble and cobble gravel
202
weakly cohesive
203
moist
204
rock particles angular and unstained
205
sharp boundary,
619c 10-20cm
301
light yellowish brown ( 2.5Y 6/4) sandy gravel
302
very firm
303
frozen
304
rock particles subangular to subrounded and unstained
305
sharp boundary,
619d 20-27cm
401
drill core
402
light grey (5Y 7/2) sandy to silty gravel
403
rock particles subangular to subrounded and unstained,
619e 27-32cm
501
drill core
502
rock,
619f 32-37cm
601
drill core
602
white (5Y 8/2) sandy to silty gravel
603
rock particles subangular and unstained,
619g 37-49cm
701
drill core
702
white (5Y 8/2) sandy to silty gravel
703
rock particles subangular and unstained,
619h 49-58cm
801
drill core
802
light grey (5Y 7/2) sandy to silty gravel
803
rock particles subangular and unstained,
619i 58-65cm
901
drill core
902
light grey (5Y 7/2) sandy to silty gravel
903
rock particles subangular and unstained,
619j 65-79cm
1001
drill core
1002
light grey (5Y 7/2) sandy to silty gravel
1003
rock particles subangular and unstained,
619k 79-88cm
1101
drill core
1102
light grey (5Y 7/2) sandy to silty gravel
1103
rock particles subangular and unstained,
619l 88-98cm
1201
drill core
1202
pale yellow (5Y 7/3) sandy to silty gravel
1203
rock particles subangular and unstained,
619m 98-109cm
1301
drill core
1302
pale yellow (5Y 7/3) sandy to silty gravel
1303
rock particles subangular and unstained,
619n 109-121cm
1401
drill core
1402
pale yellow (5Y 7/3) sandy to silty gravel
1403
rock particles subangular and unstained,
619o 121-140cm
1501
drill core
1502
light grey (5Y 7/2) sandy to silty gravel
1503
rock particles subangular and unstained
Yes
Hard ice-cemented
10
1
(10cm)
Descr
Approximately 4.5km NW of Marble Point peninsula and W of the Marble Point Air Facility; about 100m from the Wilson Piedmont Glacier; on a surface near |
a small thawing snow patch; 3m from site 617 in a moist zone down slope from a small thawing snow patch; a gently sloping surface, half way between a knoll |
crest and a pond at the foot of the slope |
Geoland
The surface is a gently undulating till plain formed by retreat of the Wilson Piedmont Glacier; the Marble Point region is an old landscape, with 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; |
granodiorite, granite, marble, gneiss, and dolerite |
Soluble Salt |
Concentration |
61900001
35.00
10.65
61900002
53.00
12.20
61900003
59.00
7.08
61900004
65.00
20.89
61900005
0.87
61900006
40.00
11.48
61900007
29.00
10.95
61900008
35.00
8.69
61900009
12.00
79.23
61900010
84.00
43.96
61900011
74.00
28.31
61900012
51.00
12.74
61900013
41.00
15.03
61900014
29.00
8.59
61900015
72.00
20.79
61900001
61900002
61900003
61900004
61900005
61900006
61900007
61900008
61900009
61900010
61900011
61900012
61900013
61900014
61900015
61900001
61900002
61900003
61900004
61900005
61900006
61900007
61900008
61900009
61900010
61900011
61900012
61900013
61900014
61900015
12-Dec-2005
Page 577 of 896
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