Ross Sea Region Soil Sites
909000
909
13-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
162.8810
-77.6332
77deg 37.99'S
-162deg -52.86'E
cf. Notes for DESCR below
5
NNE
90
cf. Notes for GEOLAND below
| Xerous to subxerous; snow fall finished; approximately 1mm recorded at Camp Hoare; |
| surface snoww free but moist |
-20
Coastal mountain
Predominantly granite/gneiss/schist sandy gravel with 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 10x20m elongate nets with 20cm deep troughs, 75cm wide
| SURFACE WEATHERING or |
| SURFACE FEATURES |
A few clasts slightly oxidised and some weak ventifaction; grey calcium carbonate coatings abundant beneath many surface clasts
Site probably disturbed by foot traffic activity during biological research activities near the site
909a 1-0cm
101
surface cobbles, pebbles, granules and sand
102
moist
103
unstained to weakly stained
104
subangular to subrounded
105
calcium carbonate coatings beneath many clasts,
909b 0-2cm
201
light olive grey (5Y 6/2) sandy gravel
202
moist
203
loose
204
larger rock particles subangular with smaller particles rounded to subrounded
205
carbonate coatings beneath larger clasts
206
diffuse boundary,
909c 2-5cm
301
light olive grey (5Y 6/2) sandy gravel
302
loose
303
larger rock particles subangular with smaller particles rounded to subrounded
304
abundant carbonate coatings around larger and smaller clasts
305
diffuse boundary,
909d 5-15cm
401
light olive grey (5Y 6/2) sandy gravel
402
lightly frosted at 15cm
403
larger rock particles subangular with smaller particles rounded to subrounded
404
abundant carbonate coatings around larger and smaller clasts
405
diffuse boundary, on sandy gravel
No
Nd
0
1
(Nd)
Reason
| Long Term Ecological Research (nematode experimental area) site investigation of soil properties; this site (LTER 1) was chosen for daily repeat sampling to |
| see if there were measurable changes in soil moisture over the length of the sampling period; this sampling is the twelth at this site; this sampling was done at the |
| conclusion of the snowfall, 4 hours after the start |
Descr
| LTM Datalogger plot, on the south side of Lake Hoare, approximately 100m south of Lake Hoare, on the lower slope of a ridge which forms part of an |
| undulating ridge and gully/basin topography; the soil sampling site was on the south and upslope side of the LTM datalogger plot, which comprises a series of |
| plastic cones covering the soil surface; the site has an even, stony gravel surface with slope increasing towards the ridge just to the south; this sampling site is |
| designated LTER 1L and was immediately alongside LTER 1k |
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 % generally increases |
| downwards while there are noticeably more coarse clasts at the surface |
| Soluble Salt |
| Concentration |
90900001
909a
1-0cm
-1
0
1.59
45.00
2.05
11.30
none
90900002
909b
0-2cm
0
2
1.56
73.00
1.45
9.80
none
90900003
909c
2-5cm
2
5
1.76
76.00
0.46
10.10
none
90900004
909d
5-15cm
5
15
1.75
79.00
0.67
7.60
none
12-Dec-2005
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