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Soil-Landforms Interdependencies and Weathering at Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Maritime Antarctica Cover

Soil-Landforms Interdependencies and Weathering at Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Maritime Antarctica

Quaestiones Geographicae
Volume 44 (2025): Issue 3 (September 2025)
By:
Open Access
|Sep 2025

Figures & Tables

Fig. 1.

Location of study sites in the vicinity of the Arctowski Station (location of topographic features as in 1980s).
Location of study sites in the vicinity of the Arctowski Station (location of topographic features as in 1980s).

Fig. 2.

Studied sites described in the text, pictures from January 2016: (a) Ecology Glacier ice cliff, part of the land edge and marginal zone; (b) morainic sediments in the marginal zone of Ecology Glacier; (c) the relief and moss-lichen land coverage in the Ornithologists Creek Valley; (d) the Jasnorzewski Gardens moss-lichen marshy meadow.
Studied sites described in the text, pictures from January 2016: (a) Ecology Glacier ice cliff, part of the land edge and marginal zone; (b) morainic sediments in the marginal zone of Ecology Glacier; (c) the relief and moss-lichen land coverage in the Ornithologists Creek Valley; (d) the Jasnorzewski Gardens moss-lichen marshy meadow.

Fig. 3.

Hypsometric profile with basic study sites (1–7).
Hypsometric profile with basic study sites (1–7).

Fig. 4.

Particle size distribution in the studied soils: 1 – coarse gravel, 2 – medium and fine gravel, 3 – coarse sand, 4 – medium sand, 5 – fine sand, 6 – silty sand, 7 – silt 8 – clay, 9 – organic matter; Folk, Ward’s (1957) statistical parameters of grain size: Mz – mean diameter, δ – standard deviation (sorting), Sk1 – skewness, kg – kurtosis.
Particle size distribution in the studied soils: 1 – coarse gravel, 2 – medium and fine gravel, 3 – coarse sand, 4 – medium sand, 5 – fine sand, 6 – silty sand, 7 – silt 8 – clay, 9 – organic matter; Folk, Ward’s (1957) statistical parameters of grain size: Mz – mean diameter, δ – standard deviation (sorting), Sk1 – skewness, kg – kurtosis.

Fig. 5.

Genetic groups of sediments of the western coast of Admiralty Bay.
Genetic groups of sediments of the western coast of Admiralty Bay.

Fig. 6.

Electron microscope images of soil grain surfaces: 1 – Fractures and exfoliation of a probable siliceous crust on a grain, resulting from cryohydrothermic weathering (site 3, depth 8–13 cm). 2 – Fractures and microslits initiating frost disintegration and exfoliation of a grain (site 6, depth 8–13 cm). 3 – Traces of physical (chipped spot surface, mechanical cuts) and chemical selective decay (cavern) on a grain; sample from a penguin field. 4 – Cavern of chemical decay.
Electron microscope images of soil grain surfaces: 1 – Fractures and exfoliation of a probable siliceous crust on a grain, resulting from cryohydrothermic weathering (site 3, depth 8–13 cm). 2 – Fractures and microslits initiating frost disintegration and exfoliation of a grain (site 6, depth 8–13 cm). 3 – Traces of physical (chipped spot surface, mechanical cuts) and chemical selective decay (cavern) on a grain; sample from a penguin field. 4 – Cavern of chemical decay.

Fig. 7.

Electron microscope images of post-sedimentary features in soils: 1 – Crystallisation of secondary minerals on a quartz grain; sample from a penguin field, depth 0–5 cm. 2 & 3 – Concentration of crystals on a grain, formed as products of reaction between strongly mineralised water solution and soil silica (site 6, depth 8–13 cm).
Electron microscope images of post-sedimentary features in soils: 1 – Crystallisation of secondary minerals on a quartz grain; sample from a penguin field, depth 0–5 cm. 2 & 3 – Concentration of crystals on a grain, formed as products of reaction between strongly mineralised water solution and soil silica (site 6, depth 8–13 cm).

Fig. 8.

Dynamics in variation of dry residue and suspended matter from meltwater of the Ecology Glacier, King George Island.
Dynamics in variation of dry residue and suspended matter from meltwater of the Ecology Glacier, King George Island.

Selected hydro-physical properties of soils_

Study siteSampling depthSoil horizonCapillary water capacity WKWActual moisture WaBulk density SoField water capacity WpSpecific density Cw
[cm][%][g · cm−3][%][g · cm−3]
28–1330–38(A)CC15.579.9012.008.131.721.927.947.062.342.59
405–1015–2550–5770–80ACC1C2C219.1011.5527.8923.7217.8412.2519.2726.341.571.791.281.4311.309.5113.439.802.632.572.502.19
720–2525–3550–60ACCg1Cg328.0420.0721.088.6710.3415.801.401.671.686.005.176.202.902.642.95
80–5010–15C1C214.8015.4011.5011.301.731.787.847.602.402.41
90–1020–30C1C215.3013.9012.0011.701.771.817.907.422.472.46

Main physico-chemical properties of soils_

Study siteSampling depthSoil horizonColour according to Munsell1PHCorgNtotalC/N
[cm]H2OKCl[%
20–1050–60(A)CC5YR 3/25YR 3/28.38.86.67.10.400.430.0140.01628.626.7
30–208–1330–3880–90ACC1C2C35YR 3/25YR 3/25YR 3/25YR 3/26.25.97.87.74.03.86.16.21.140.410.270.370.1150.0290.0140.0119.914.019.233.9
40–305–1015–2550–5759–6170–80OACC1C2OC35YR 4/45YR 2.5/25YR 3/25YR 3/35YR 4/45YR 3/25.05.76.16.36.76.63.73.64.34.55.14.89.581.901.600.537.400.600.3950.1920.1820.1930.3590.03624.29.98.82.720.616.7
50–510–1825–35O(A)C1C25YR 3/47.5YR 7/25YR 4/63.84.43.93.13.22.515.921.831.781.6030.6130.3669.93.03.2
60–508–1330–40O(A)CC10YR 2/210YR 3/110YR 2/17.34.94.46.73.62.95.133.510.771.9030.5640.0822.76.29.3
700–2020–2525–3535–4050–60AACCg1Cg2Cg310YR 3/210YR 2.5/110YR 2.5/110YR 2.5/110YR 2.5/15.65.04.85.25.33.83.13.33.73.78.260.530.320.210.380.8500.0860.0410.0260.0309.76.27.88.212.7
80–5 10–15C1C25YR 3/25YR 3/28.68.87.07.10.410.420.0150.01527.328.0
90–1020–30C1C25YR 3/25YR 3/28.78.87.17.10.430.410.0160.01528.727.3
100–58–14OA AC10YR 2/110YR 2/37.16.86.96.64.265.062.7552.6351.51.9

Description of study sites and codes of investigated soils (according to: IUSS Working Group WRB 2022)_

Study siteLatitudeLongitudeAltitudeLandformGeneral descriptionSoil groups with qualifiers
[m a.s.l.]
Site 162°10'03"S58°28'00"W47.0Snout of Ecology Glacier150 m from glacier snout’s terminus–
Site 262°09'56"S58°27'56"W30.0Terminal moraineDebris deposited close to the glacier’s terminusCR-sk.an
Site 362°09'53"S58°27'59"W48.0Older end moraineOlder glacial depositsCR-cs.an-oh
Site 462°09'5l"S58°28'00"W42.0Valley bottomValley formed by fluvial-glacial processesCR-an-fv.nv
Site 562°09'51"S58°28'06"W14.0Valley slopeDebris of Miocene rocks with ornithogenic soilCR-dy.gl.oc
Site 662°09'43"S58°28'04"W7.0Alluvial fanCreated by joint action of gravity (talus) and alluvial processesCR-dy.gl.oc
Site 762°09'42"S58°28'05"W1.5Marine terraceMarshy coastal meadow of Jasnorzewski GardensCR-dy.hu
Site 862°09'56"S58°28'04"W42.0Depression between moraine ridgesLow-lying area located within glacial depositsCR-sk.an
Site 962°09'56"S58°27'49"W26.0Depression between moraine ridgesLow-lying area located within glacial depositsCR-sk.an
Site 1062°09'48"S58°27'34"W7.0Valley slopePenguin rookery on Penguin Ridge in the vicinity of Rakusa PointLP-oc.tu
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14746/quageo-2025-0034 | Journal eISSN: 2081-6383 | Journal ISSN: 2082-2103
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Language: English
Page range: 187 - 201
Submitted on: Sep 19, 2024
Published on: Sep 4, 2025
Published by: Adam Mickiewicz University
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Publication frequency: 4 times per year
Keywords:
frost weathering,
pedogenesis,
cryogenic soils,
initial soils,
South Shetlands
Related subjects:
Geosciences,
Geography

© 2025 Artur Zieliński, Joanna Krupa-Kurzynowska, Grzegorz Rachlewicz, Krzysztof Jarzyna, published by Adam Mickiewicz University
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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