Ross Sea Region Soil Sites
770000
770
19-Jan-1994
IBC,GGC,MRB,DIC
Beacon Heights, on the south side of Upper Taylor Glacier between East and West Beacon
Permafrost and soil moisture investigations for comparison with soils from moist coastal regions
not recorded
CS Pro & Lscp
No
160.8570
-77.8267
77deg 49.6'S
-160deg -51.4'E
cf. Notes for DESCR below
6
NW
1,850
cf. Notes for GEOLAND below
(6o)
| Xerous; some snow falls in winter and summer months but most is lost through ablation or by |
| blowing away; some small snow remnants occur in nearby patterned ground cracks |
-30
Central Mountain
Bouldery to cobbly sandy gravel till derived from dolerite and sandstone; larger clasts are mainly dolerite
Only endolithic algae observed below the surface of sandstone boulders or outcrops
Polygons are 15m across with troughs 60cm deep and 1.2m wide
| SURFACE WEATHERING or |
| SURFACE FEATURES |
| some coarse dolerite cobbles and boulders are strongly exfoliating; finer grained dolerite clasts strongly stained, polished and pitted; the pavement is weakly |
| developed; salts occur beneath some surface stones |
Nil
770a 4-0cm
101
surface pebbles, cobbles and boulders
102
clasts subrounded and strongly stained
103
moderately developed pebble pavement,
770b 0-8cm
201
strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) bouldery sandy gravel
202
moderately cohesive
203
a few small salt flecks
204
rock particles partly stained and subangular
205
indistinct boundary,
770c 8-20cm
301
strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) bouldery sandy gravel
302
weakly to moderately cohesive
303
few diffuse salt accumulations
304
rock particles mainly angular to subangular and weakly stained
305
indistinct boundary,
770d 20-30cm
401
strong brown to reddish yellow (7.5YR 5/6-6/6) bouldery cobbly sandy gravel
402
weakly cohesive
403
rock particles angular and non to weakly stained
404
sharp boundary,
770e 30-40cm
501
reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) ice-cemented bouldery gravelly sand, drill core samples in ice-cemented ground
770f 40-55cm
601
] pale brown (10YR 6/3),
770g 55-60cm
701
] pale brown (10YR 6/3),
770h 60-85cm
801
] pale brown (10YR 6/3),
770i 85-97cm
901
] pale brown (10YR 6/3)
Yes
a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i
dry frozen over hard ice-cemented
5
3/4
(~ 5cm)
Descr
| On the southeast side of the valley on a higher part of the valley floor surface, an old undulating till surface about 1.7km southeast of West Beacon and 1.2km |
| northwest of East Beacon; the site is a few metres below the crest of a shallow ridge and about 50m to the north of site 769 on a surface that forms an extensive |
| boulder field |
Geoland
| Local outcropping rocks are Ferrar Dolerite and Beacon Sandstone; the till at this site comprises predominantly dolerite and sandstone but the till has probably |
| come from multiple glaciations with thin accessions of till; till lithology appears to represent locally derived rocks and is bouldery to cobbly |
| Soluble Salt |
| Concentration |
77000001
770a
4-0cm
-4
0
33.00
0.57
none
77000002
770b
0-8cm
0
8
72.00
1.61
none
77000003
770c
8-20cm
8
20
72.00
1.80
none
77000004
770d
20-30cm
20
30
64.00
1.71
none
77000005
770e
30-40cm
30
40
59.00
13.15
none
77000006
770f
40-55cm
40
55
44.00
8.44
none
77000007
770g
55-60cm
55
60
78.00
13.59
none
77000008
770h
60-85cm
60
85
73.00
18.01
none
77000009
770i
85-97cm
85
97
26.00
6.51
none
77000001
33.00
0.57
77000002
72.00
1.61
77000003
72.00
1.80
77000004
64.00
1.71
77000005
59.00
13.15
77000006
44.00
8.44
77000007
78.00
13.59
77000008
73.00
18.01
77000009
26.00
6.51
77000001
77000002
77000003
77000004
77000005
77000006
77000007
77000008
77000009
77000001
77000002
77000003
77000004
77000005
77000006
77000007
77000008
77000009
12-Dec-2005
Page 747 of 896
770
