Ross Sea Region Soil Sites
622000
622
25-Nov-1991
IBC, GGC, MRB
Marble Point, western McMurdo Sound
Soil moisture and permafrost investigations
USGS Antarctica Topographic Series 1:50,000; Marble Point, Antarctica
CS Pro & Lscp
Yes
163.6710
-77.4132
77deg 24.79'S
-163deg -40.26'E
| Approximately 4.4km NW of Marble Point peninsula and 250m NW of the Marble Point Air Facility buildings; on a knoll of moraine about 5m high that forms a low |
| hummocky ridge; on the ridge crest |
0
N
75
cf. Notes for GEOLAND below
10
1.5
20
-4.2
30
-5.9
50
-7.7
60
-13.1
A dry site, no adjacent snow patches or soil moistening
-18
Coastal Antarctic
Bouldery till from marble; granodiorite, gneiss and other rocks
Nil at site; moss patches and cyanobacteria are common locally
10-15m nets with 15-20cm troughs; open cracks, some partly snow filled
| SURFACE WEATHERING or |
| SURFACE FEATURES |
| A predominantly cobble pavement with some boulders; surface granules are angular and mainly unstained; grey calcium carbonate coatings on undersides |
| of many surface stones; granular disintegration of marble clasts and some oxidation of gneissic clasts |
Extensive mechanical and human activity in the region since the mid-1950's; a pit examined 3m away in 1990
622a 2-0cm
101
surface granular to bouldery gravel
102
subangular to subrounded
103
carbonate coatings on larger clasts
104
rock particles subangular and some with weak staining
105
a few foreign organic particles,
622b 0-5cm
201
pale olive (5Y 6/3) sandy pebbly to bouldery gravel
202
loose
203
rock particles angular to subangular and unstained
204
distinct boundary,
622c 25-50cm
401
pale olive (5Y/6/3) bouldery gravel
402
weakly cohesive
403
rock particles angular and unstained
404
sharp boundary,
622c 5-25cm
301
pale olive (5Y 6/3) pebbly to bouldery gravel
302
loose
303
rock particles subangular and unstained
304
distinct boundary,
622e 50-74cm
501
drill core
502
light grey sandy gravel
503
rock particles subangular and unstained,
622f 74-84cm
601
drill core
602
light grey sandy gravel
603
rock particles subangular and unstained,
622g 84-89cm
701
drill core
702
light grey sandy gravel
703
rock particles subangular and unstained,
622h 89-105cm
801
drill core
802
light grey sandy gravel
803
rock particles subangular and unstained,
622i 105-120cm
901
drill core
902
light grey sandy gravel
903
rock particles subangular and unstained,
622j 120-139cm
1001
drill core
1002
light grey sandy gravel
1003
rock particles subangular and unstained,
622k 139-150cm
1101
drill core
1102
light grey sandy gravel
1103
rock particles subangular and unstained,
622l 150-160cm
1201
drill core
1202
light grey sandy gravel
1203
rock particles subangular and unstained,
622m 160-171cm
1301
drill core
1302
light grey sandy gravel
1303
rock particles subangular and unstained
Yes
Hard ice-cemented
50
1
(50cm)
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 |
62200001
31.00
62200002
44.00
0.57
62200003
28.00
1.72
62200004
37.00
3.06
62200005
35.00
14.31
62200006
67.00
76.52
62200007
35.16
62200008
47.00
21.38
62200009
41.00
19.30
62200010
28.00
40.81
62200011
144.28
62200012
36.00
92.18
62200013
37.00
40.07
62200001
62200002
62200003
62200004
62200005
62200006
62200007
62200008
62200009
62200010
62200011
62200012
62200013
62200001
62200002
62200003
62200004
62200005
62200006
62200007
62200008
62200009
62200010
62200011
62200012
62200013
12-Dec-2005
Page 580 of 896
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