Ross Sea Region Soil Sites
810000
810
20-Jan-1995
IBC, GGC
Greenville Valley, southwest of Northwind Glacier in the Convoy Range
Permafrost and soil moisture investigations
not recorded
Lscp & CS Profile
No
160.7520
-76.7717
76deg 46.3'S
-160deg -45.1'E
cf. Notes for DESCR below
6
W
1,400
cf. Notes for GEOLAND below
0
-0.6
Surface,
5
-0.5
10
-3.4
20
-5.5
Xerous to sub xerous; several snowfalls and a recent fall within 7 days; most snow cover |
removed by ablation but some soil moistening in the upper few centimetres |
-27
Central Mountain
Predominantly sandstone (95%) with some dolerite, as a thin cover of local drift over dolerite
Occasional yellow and green lichen in rock fissures and some patches of black lichen, some endolithic algae
Nil at site
SURFACE WEATHERING or |
SURFACE FEATURES |
A strongly developed cobble and pebble pavement surface with sandstone and dolerite clasts strongly oxidised and polished; some surface pitting; salts |
abundant beneath some surface stones |
Nil
810a 6-0cm
101
surface cobbles, pebbles and small boulders 60% sandstone, 40% dolerite
102
strongly developed pavement
103
clasts mainly subrounded to rounded, strongly stained and polished
104
dolerite strongly oxidised and partly pitted
105
clasts moderately ventiform
106
salts beneath many surface stones,
810b 0-1cm
201
dark greyish brown (10YR 4/2) sandy pebble and granule gravel
202
loose
203
rock particles rounded to angular and weakly to strongly stained with some strongly altered
204
distinct boundary,
810c 1-3cm
301
dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) gravelly sand
302
moist
303
moderately cohesive
304
some diffuse reddish oxidised patches
305
rock particles mainly subangular and unstained
306
but some strongly stained and altered
307
sharp boundary,
810d 3-6cm
401
yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) sandy pebble and granule gravel
402
profuse patchy salts more especially beneath surface boulders
403
rock particles subrounded with some disaggregated and altered
404
sharp boundary,
810e 6-25cm
501
dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) pebble and cobble gravel
502
moist
503
weakly cohesive
504
rock particles angular and unstained with some smaller particles moderately altered
505
sharp boundary,
810f 25-45cm
601
olive (5Y 5/3) ice-cemented gravel (drill core)
602
rock particles angular and unweathered,
810g 45-55cm
701
olive (5Y 5/3) ice-cemented gravel (drill core),
810h 55-66cm
801
olive (5Y 5/3) ice-cemented gravel (drill core),
810i 66-72cm
901
olive (5Y 5/3) ice-cemented gravel (drill core),
810j 72-82cm
1001
olive (5Y 5/3) ice-cemented gravel (drill core)
Yes
a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i,j
a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i,j
Hard frozen
0
( ice cement at 25cm)
Descr
Approximately 10.5km SW of Larsen Crag, at the head of Greenville Valley, about 200m from outcrops of the Weller Coal Measures Formation; the surface is |
part of an extensive almost flat surface forming the head of the valley but which has minor undulations about 1m high resulting from ice scouring; the profile site |
is 20m W of site 809 on the side of a shallow swale,,,,, |
Geoland
Greenville Valley comprises mainly dolerite with some minor sedimentary rocks (Weller Coal Measures) and has been formed by ancient ice over riding the |
Convoy Range from the west; valley head-wall deposits occur mainly around the south-western side of the valley and represent alpine glacial deposits; towards |
the western end of Greenville Valley, the surface is a dolerite platform with a thin irregular till cover with occasional sandstone and decomposed granite erratics; |
on the lower surfaces which slope and drain towards the north-east, tills deposits are more extensive, have more strongly developed patterned ground and have a |
greater abundance of pink granite erratics; at this site dolerite and sedimentary rocks intermix in narrow bands and form a mosaic on the ground surface; the till |
cover is thin and patchy with the regolith consisting mainly of fractured bedrock,,,,, |
Soluble Salt |
Concentration |
81000001
810a
6-0cm
-6
0
5.05
0.55
none
81000002
810b
0-1cm
0
1
1.43
70.84
2.96
none
81000003
810c
1-3cm
1
3
1.30
81.29
5.38
none
81000004
810d
3-6cm
3
6
1.22
77.77
6.05
none
81000005
810e
6-25cm
6
25
1.57
52.71
3.17
none
81000006
810f
25-45cm
25
45
36.10
10.83
none
81000007
810g
45-55cm
45
55
69.03
21.01
none
81000008
810h
55-66cm
55
66
21.48
8.06
none
81000009
810i
66-72cm
66
72
37.42
11.10
none
81000010
810j
72-82cm
72
82
14.67
7.77
none
81000001
5.00
0.55
81000002
70.80
2.96
81000003
81.30
5.38
81000004
77.80
6.03
81000005
52.70
3.17
81000006
36.10
10.83
81000007
69.00
21.01
81000008
21.50
8.06
81000009
37.40
11.10
81000010
14.70
7.77
81000001
81000002
81000003
81000004
81000005
81000006
81000007
81000008
81000009
81000010
81000001
81000002
81000003
81000004
81000005
81000006
81000007
81000008
81000009
81000010
12-Dec-2005
Page 787 of 896
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