Ross Sea Region Soil Sites
632000
632
30-Nov-1991
IBC, GGC, MRB
Marble Point, western McMurdo Sound
Soil moisture and permafrost investigation; examination on beach ridge surfaces of differing ages
USGS Antarctica Topographic Series 1:50,000; Marble Point, Antarctica
Cs Pro & Lscp
Yes
163.7290
-77.4117
77deg 24.70'S
-163deg -43.74'E
Approximately 155m from the coast in Arnold Cove; east from the S end of the Marble Point Air Facility; on a backslope hollow of the second clearly defined raised beach |
surface |
0
Nil
20
cf. Notes for GEOLAND below
A moist site; soil moistened from nearby snow melt
-18
Coastal Antarctic
Wind blown sand over beach gravel
Nil at site; moss patches and cyanobacteria are common locally
Nil
SURFACE WEATHERING or |
SURFACE FEATURES |
Marble clasts are distinctly crumbled; distinct surface oxidation and crumbling of some gneiss and granodiorite clasts
Human visitation with some old soil pit sites
632a 1-0cm
101
surface pebble gravel
102
rock particles angular to subangular, some weakly stained,
632b 0-13cm
201
pale olive (5Y 6/3) pebbly sand
202
weakly cohesive
203
moist
204
rock particles angular with some weakly to moderately stained
205
diffuse boundary,
632c 13-34cm
301
light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) sandy gravel
302
moderately cohesive
303
moist
304
rock particles subrounded to subangular
305
sharp boundary,
632d 34-42cm
401
drill core
402
light grey (2.5Y 7/2) sandy to silty gravel
Yes
Hard ice-cemented
10
1
(10cm)
Geoland
The Marble Point beach ridges are a well defined set of raised beaches; they are though to have formed due to isostatic uplift; the age may range from 10,000 |
years; the lithology is mixed granite, gneiss, marble with kenyite in places; the backslope sediments are sandy but may be wind accumulated |
Soluble Salt |
Concentration |
63200001
52.00
4.51
63200002
66.00
7.96
63200003
44.00
2.71
63200004
72.00
8.75
63200005
63200001
63200002
63200003
63200004
63200005
63200001
63200002
63200003
63200004
63200005
12-Dec-2005
Page 590 of 896
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