Ross Sea Region Soil Sites
644000
644
5-Dec-1991
IBC, GGC, MRB
Marble Point, western McMurdo Sound
Soil contamination examination; at a fire site
USGS Antarctica Topographic Series 1:50,000; Marble Point, Antarctica
CS Pro
Yes
163.6840
-77.4198
77deg 25.19'S
-163deg -41.04'E
Approximately 600m SW of the S end of the Marble Point runway and N of Surko Stream; at the old Marble Point camp site on disturbed ground; the site was 5m W of site |
643 |
0
Nil
60
cf. Notes for GEOLAND below
Dry at site; no soil moistening evident
-18
Coastal Antarctic
Sandy gravel till from predominantly gneiss, marble and granodiorite with artefacts and ash residue from earlier site occupation
Nil at site but mosses and cyanobacteria abundant in moist sites nearby
Nil
SURFACE WEATHERING or |
SURFACE FEATURES |
Surface rocks reddened from fire
Widespread disturbance from camp site activity and subsequent attempts at site cleanup
644a 0-5cm
101
olive (5Y 4/3) ashy sandy gravel
102
loose
103
rock particles mainly subangular
104
abundant charcoal and metallic particles
105
a few carbonate coatings
106
indistinct boundary,
644b 5-9cm
201
olive (5Y 5/4) sandy gravel with ash
202
loose
203
rock particles mainly subangular
204
abundant charcoal particles
205
sharp boundary,
644c 9-20cm
301
olive (5Y 5/3) sandy pebble and cobble gravel
302
weakly cohesive
303
slightly moist
304
rock particles mainly subangular
305
weakly developed vesicular structure
306
indistinct boundary,
644d 20-30cm
401
olive (5Y 5/4) sandy gravel
402
weakly cohesive
403
rock particles mainly subangular
404
sharp boundary, on firmly frozen sandy gravel
Yes
0
1
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 |
64400001
64400002
64400003
64400004
64400001
64400002
64400003
64400004
64400001
64400002
64400003
64400004
12-Dec-2005
Page 602 of 896
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