Ross Sea Region Soil Sites
627000
627
27-Nov-1991
IBC, GGC, MRB
Marble Point, western McMurdo Sound
Soil moisture and permafrost investigation
USGS Antarctica Topographic Series 1:50,000; Marble Point, Antarctica
Yes
163.6810
-77.4130
77deg 24.78'S
-163deg -40.86'E
200m N of the Marble Point Air Facility buildings on a rocky knoll; a small and low bouldery moraine ridge about 2m above the surrounding terrain;
0
Nil
65
cf. Notes for GEOLAND below
4
4.6
15
0.0
126
-11.0
Some snow in adjacent hollows; soil is dry;
-18
Coastal Antarctic
Bouldery gravel till with sand between rocks forming thin wedges, from mixed lithology rocks
Nil at site; moss patches and cyanobacteria are common locally
Very weak broad nets
| SURFACE WEATHERING or |
| SURFACE FEATURES |
| Angular and partly rounded boulders with active cleaving; negligible surface oxidation; pavement is well developed where the surface dominantly pebbly; |
| calcium carbonate coatings are prominent beneath surface clasts |
No physical disturbance at the site; extensive prior human activity from runway construction in the 1950's; some litter and other debris
627a 3-0cm
101
surface bouldery gravel
102
angular and some partly stained
103
a few carbonate coatings,
627b 0-10cm
201
pale olive (5Y 6/3) bouldery gravel
202
loose
203
rock particles angular and unstained
204
indistinct boundary,
627c 10-30cm
301
pale olive (5Y 6/3) bouldery gravel
302
weakly cohesive
303
slightly moist
304
rock particles angular to subangular and unstained
305
distinct boundary,
627d 30-50cm
401
pale olive (5Y 6/3) bouldery gravel
402
firmly cohesive
403
frosted
404
rock particles subangular and unstained
405
a few silt coatings
406
sharp boundary,
627e 50-58cm
501
drill core
502
light olive grey (5Y 6/2) sandy gravel,
627f 58-80cm
601
drill core
602
light olive grey (5Y 6/2) sandy gravel,
627g 80-90cm
701
drill core
702
light brownish grey (2.5Y 6/2) sandy gravel,
627h 90-107cm
801
drill core
802
light brownish grey (2.5Y 6/2) sandy gravel,
627i 107-116cm
901
drill core
902
light grey (2.5Y 7/2) sandy gravel,
627j 116-126cm
1001
drill core
1002
rock,
627k 116-126cm
1101
drill core
1102
light grey (2.5Y 7/2) sandy gravel
Yes
Hard ice-cemented
50
1
(50cm)
Geoland
| The surface is undulating with intermittent deposits of till; the region is an old landscape of granite and granodiorite, gneiss and marble rocks; there are some old |
| weathering and phillipsite deposits, the land surface has been over-ridden by later Ross Glacial advances; at the site thin young till overlies gneiss bedrock |
| Soluble Salt |
| Concentration |
62700001
44.00
62700002
86.00
2.58
62700003
45.00
1.85
62700004
28.00
1.94
62700005
49.00
7.68
62700006
23.00
10.21
62700007
37.00
19.27
62700008
42.00
18.18
62700009
89.00
15.50
62700010
10.00
18.37
62700001
62700002
62700003
62700004
62700005
62700006
62700007
62700008
62700009
62700010
62700001
62700002
62700003
62700004
62700005
62700006
62700007
62700008
62700009
62700010
12-Dec-2005
Page 585 of 896
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