Ross Sea Region Soil Sites
629000
629
28-Nov-1991
IBC, GGC, MRB
Marble Point, western McMurdo Sound
Soil moisture and permafrost investigation; comparison with adjacent site 628
USGS Antarctica Topographic Series 1:50,000; Marble Point, Antarctica
CS Lscp & Pro
Yes
163.6850
-77.4127
77deg 24.76'S
-163deg -41.10'E
| Approximately 350m NNE of the Marble Point Air facility buildings; on the lower slopes of a marble ridge outcrop, a few metres above a till plane surface; the site is a low |
| mound about 1m high and 2.5m from site 628 |
0
Nil
70
cf. Notes for GEOLAND below
A dry site with no thaw seepages; residual snow 10m away; no soil moistening evident
-18
Coastal Antarctic
Granitic and dioritic undifferentiated till over fragmented bedrock
Nil at site; moss patches and cyanobacteria are common locally
Nil
| SURFACE WEATHERING or |
| SURFACE FEATURES |
A well developed pebble and cobble pavement; surface staining on some clasts; some clasts partly crumbled
Nil at site but the site is adjacent to a bulldozed track 10m away
629a 2-0cm
101
surface pebbles and granular sand
102
angular to subangular
103
a few weakly stained
104
some distinct carbonate coatings,
629b 0-14cm
201
light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) gravelly sand
202
loose
203
angular to subangular
204
a few distinct carbonate coatings
205
sharp boundary,
629c 14-26cm
301
yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) sandy pebble and cobble gravel
302
weakly cohesive
303
rock particles angular
304
some rock particle partly altered
305
indistinct boundary,
629d 26-34cm
401
strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) sandy gravel
402
moderately cohesive
403
rock particles subangular, some disaggregated, stained and moderately altered
404
indistinct boundary,
629e 34-57cm
501
brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) granular pebble gravel, mainly disaggregated rock
502
rock particles angular, mainly unstained and little altered
503
sharp boundary, on firm but partly disaggregating rock
Yes
a,b,c,d,e
Hard ice-cemented
57
1;4/5
(>57cm)
Geoland
| Above the till plane surface, till deposits are scarce and marble outcrops extensively; small pockets of shallow drift are present; the marble bedrock is crumbly |
| with active granular disintegration; at the site, the soil shows some strong oxidation to the surface and lacks the thin cover of young drift at site 628 |
| Soluble Salt |
| Concentration |
62900001
40.00
16.10
17.10
34.70
23.40
6.10
1.40
0.90
0.30
62900002
70.00
24.10
14.70
30.50
20.40
7.20
1.80
1.00
0.30
2.16
62900003
35.00
25.90
17.40
19.80
11.60
8.60
8.70
4.00
4.00
4.74
62900004
48.00
21.10
25.50
24.90
8.60
4.20
5.40
3.50
6.80
3.24
62900005
33.00
29.50
21.30
18.20
7.70
5.00
5.00
1.80
11.40
9.86
62900001
9.20
0.95
4.69
0.14
0.09
0.15
3.40
0.60
0.01
62900002
8.80
0.74
3.72
0.08
0.04
0.09
3.50
0.20
0.01
62900003
8.50
1.36
1.47
0.13
0.07
0.02
6.00
0.40
0.06
62900004
8.10
1.20
1.24
0.12
0.04
0.02
4.50
0.50
0.04
62900005
7.60
1.10
0.86
0.26
0.11
0.02
4.90
0.40
0.04
62900001
15
35
5
15
20
10
beidellite
62900002
8
30
2
5
15
15
15
10
beidellite
62900003
15
3
2
65
5
10
smectite well-ordered beidellite
62900004
10
10
5
70
5
smectite well-ordered beidellite
62900005
5
30
5
short-range order 60
12-Dec-2005
Page 587 of 896
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