Ross Sea Region Soil Sites
633000
633
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
163.7280
-77.4120
77deg 24.72'S
-163deg -43.68'E
| Approximately 100m from the coast in Arnold Cove; east from the S end of the Marble Point Air Facility; on the third from the topmost distinct beach ridge surface; near the |
| crest of the ridge |
0
Nil
15
| 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, granodiorite marble with kenyite in places |
A dry site, no adjacent snow or soil moistening
-18
Coastal Antarctic
Bouldery raised beach gravel from rocks of mixed lithology
Nil at site; moss patches and cyanobacteria are common locally
Indistinct net pattern with broad, shallow sand-filled inactive cracks
| SURFACE WEATHERING or |
| SURFACE FEATURES |
cf. Notes for SURFWEA below
Human visitation with some old soil pit sites
633a 5-0cm
101
surface cobbly to bouldery sandy gravel
102
rock particles rounded to angular,
633b 0-4cm
201
pale olive (5Y 6/3) sandy granule gravel
202
loose
203
some clasts strongly disaggregating and strongly oxidised
204
rock particles subangular to subrounded
205
sharp boundary,
633c 4-12cm
301
light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) sandy pebble and cobble gravel
302
loose
303
rock particles mainly subangular and unstained
304
a few oxidised ghosts
305
indistinct boundary,
633d 12-30cm
401
light olive brown to light yellowish brown (2.5Y 5/4 - 6/4) pebble and cobble gravel
402
loose
403
rock particle mainly subangular
404
a few strongly oxidised ghosts
405
distinct boundary,
633e 30-57cm
501
light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) sandy cobble and pebble gravel
502
weakly cohesive
503
slightly moist
504
rock particles subangular to subrounded
505
some clasts partly oxidised
506
sharp boundary,
633f 57-68cm
601
drill core
602
light grey (2.5Y 7/2) sandy gravel rock particles subangular to subrounded,
633g 68-78cm
701
drill core
702
light grey (2.5Y 7/2) sandy gravel rock particles subangular to subrounded,
633h 78-93cm
801
drill core
802
rock,
633i 93-101cm
901
drill core
902
light grey (2.5Y 7/2) sandy gravel rock particles subangular to subrounded
Yes
Hard ice-cemented
50
1
(50cm)
Surfwea
| Surface boulders and cobbles rounded but subsurface clasts at lower depth are subangular; granite boulders are disintegrating and some granodiorite clasts are |
| distinctly oxidised and partly crumbly; the oxidation intensity appears to increase with proximity to the coast and may be a result of marine influence |
| Soluble Salt |
| Concentration |
63300002
64.00
0.50
63300001
15.00
63300003
39.00
0.66
63300004
52.00
0.81
63300005
30.00
1.14
63300006
60.00
9.65
63300007
51.00
8.64
63300008
63300009
70.00
19.52
63300002
63300001
63300003
63300004
63300005
63300006
63300007
63300008
63300009
63300002
63300001
63300003
63300004
63300005
63300006
63300007
63300008
63300009
12-Dec-2005
Page 591 of 896
633