Soil formation on the territory of ice-free oasis of the continental Antarctica was studied on example of Untersee Valley, Queen Maud Land (QML), Eastern Antarctica. Soils of the Lake Untersee surroundings were characterized in terms of morphology and main chemical and physical properties for the first time. Dominating soils are basically characterized by a poorly differentiated soil profile, with a horizon Cryic type located directly on the parent material. The predominant parent material types of the Untersee Valley are the glacial, fluvioglacial sandy loams and gravels with a large content of differently sized fragments, as well as glacial-lacustrine sandy-loams and loamy-clays. A characteristic feature of glacial and fluvioglacial deposits is their sorting as a consequence of the cryoturbation process. The main meso-relief forms of the Valley include terminal type complexes of moraine hills and ridges, eskers, drumlins, sandurs, patterned grounds, and pingo. The investigated soils are characterized by a low content of organic matter and low intensity of weathering processes in parent material as a function of low biogenic and abiogenic interactions in severe bioclimatic conditions of the Antarctic intercontinental oases.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProcesses and Phenomena on the Boundary Between Biogenic and Abiogenic Nature
Subtitle of host publicationConference proceedings
EditorsOlga V. Frank-Kamenetskaya, Dmitry Yu. Vlasov, Elena G. Panova, Sofia N. Lessovaia
Place of PublicationCham
PublisherSpringer Nature
Pages457-479
Number of pages23
ISBN (Electronic)9783030216146
ISBN (Print)9783030216139
DOIs
StatePublished - 2020
EventVI International Symposium "Biogenic-abiogenic interactions in natural and anthropogenic systems", devoted to the 150th anniversary of the Saint-Petersburg Naturalists Society - СПбГУ, Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation
Duration: 24 Sep 201827 Sep 2018
Conference number: VI

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Earth System Sciences
ISSN (Print)2193-8571
ISSN (Electronic)2193-858X

Conference

ConferenceVI International Symposium "Biogenic-abiogenic interactions in natural and anthropogenic systems", devoted to the 150th anniversary of the Saint-Petersburg Naturalists Society
Country/TerritoryRussian Federation
CitySaint-Petersburg
Period24/09/1827/09/18

    Research areas

  • Antarctic oases, Antarctica, Extreme cold environments, Geomorphology, Lake Untersee, Polar regions, Soil morphology, Soils, ORGANIC-MATTER

    Scopus subject areas

  • Computers in Earth Sciences
  • Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)

ID: 46337953