Ross Sea Region Soil Sites
854000
854
1-Dec-1999
IBC
Near Lake Hoare, Taylor Valley, McMurdo Dry Valley region, Transantarctic Mountains
cf. Notes for REASON below
Lake Bonney Quadrangle, Antarctic 1:50,000 Topographic Series, USGS 1975
CS Pro & Lscp
Yes
162.8860
-77.6375
77deg 38.25'S
-162deg -53.16'E
cf. Notes for DESCR below
0
Nil
175
cf. Notes for GEOLAND below
Xerous to subxerous
-21
Coastal mountain
Predominantly granite/gneiss/schist sandy gravel with silt increasing with depth; minor amounts of dolerite, volcanic (scoria), sandstone and marble
Nil observed at site, nematodes present in adjacent soil; some green algae beneath marble clasts in the general area
Moderately developed uneven active nets with troughs 75cm wide and 30cm deep
| SURFACE WEATHERING or |
| SURFACE FEATURES |
| Weak surface staining on some clasts; some slight disaggregation and surface exfoliation on granites and weak ventifaction; calcium carbonate coatings on |
| undersides of many clasts |
Probably minor disturbance by foot traffic activity associated with biological research activity near the site
854a 0-2cm
101
pale olive (5Y 6/3) cobbly sandy gravel
102
loose
103
rock particles unweathered and larger rock particles subangular with smaller particles subrounded rounded
104
many carbonate coatings
105
diffuse boundary,
854b 2-5cm
201
pale olive (5Y 6/3) cobbly sandy gravel
202
loose
203
rock particles unweathered and larger rock particles subangular with smaller particles subrounded
204
many carbonate coatings
205
sharp boundary,
854c 5-15cm
301
light olive grey (5Y 6/2) cobbly sandy silty gravel
302
weakly cohesive
303
unweathered and larger rock particles subangular with smaller particles rounded to subrounded
304
many carbonate coatings
305
diffuse boundary,
854d 15-25cm
401
light olive grey (5Y 6/2) sandy silty gravel
402
weakly cohesive
403
sharp boundary,
854e 25-30cm
501
light olive grey (5Y 6/2) sandy silty gravel
502
moderately cohesive
503
sharp boundary, on hard ice-cemented ground
Yes
Hard ice-cemented
30
1
(30cm)
Reason
| Long Term Ecological Research (nematode experimental area) site investigation of soil temperature characteristics; this site (LTER 5) is adjacent to Elevational |
| Transect C plot and is the location at which temperature probes and a datalogger were installed for continuous recording soil temperatures for about the next 18 |
| months |
Descr
| West (~60m) of LTM elevational transect C plot, on an elongated prominent bench surface, about 125m above the south side of Lake Hoare, and near the |
| northern edge of the bench which forms part of an undulating ridge and gully/basin topography; the bench surface has well marked patterned ground and rises |
| southwards merging into slope deposits from the north face of Andrews Ridge |
Geoland
| The deposit is unweathered Ross I till, possibly derived from the Canada Glacier but almost certainly with an up-valley influence because of the presence of |
| marble clasts from basement rocks; the tills may be fluvio-glacial owing to complex depositional ice-marginal processes as the sand and silt % generally increase |
| downwards; the till is probably older than that at lower altitude closer to the lake and may be very slightly more oxidised |
| Soluble Salt |
| Concentration |
85400001
854a
0-2cm
0
2
1.69
0.56
15.90
none
85400002
854b
2-5cm
2
5
1.65
0.90
17.80
none
85400003
854c
5-15cm
5
15
1.66
0.74
16.10
none
85400004
854d
15-25cm
15
25
1.71
1.45
9.00
none
85400005
854e
25-30cm
25
30
1.47
2.17
22.80
none
12-Dec-2005
Page 828 of 896
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