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

Artur Zieliński

Artur Zieliński

Department of Geomorphology and Geoarcheology, Institute of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Jan Kochanowski University in KielceKielce, Poland
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Zieliński, Artur
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Joanna Krupa-Kurzynowska

Joanna Krupa-Kurzynowska

Department of Geodesy and Geoinformatics, Faculty of Geoengineering, Mining and Geology, Wrocław University of Science and TechnologyWrocław, Poland
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Krupa-Kurzynowska, Joanna
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Grzegorz Rachlewicz

Grzegorz Rachlewicz

Cryosphere Research Unit, Institute of Geoecology and Geoinformation, Adam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznań, Poland
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Rachlewicz, Grzegorz
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Krzysztof Jarzyna

Krzysztof Jarzyna

Department of Physical Geography, Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies, University of WarsawWarszawa, Poland
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Jarzyna, Krzysztof
  
Sep 04, 2025
Soil-Landforms Interdependencies and Weathering at Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Maritime Antarctica's Cover Image
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Published Online: Sep 04, 2025
Received: Sep 19, 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14746/quageo-2025-0034
Keywords
© 2025 Artur Zieliński et al., published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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 site Sampling depth Soil horizon Capillary water capacity WKW Actual moisture Wa Bulk density So Field water capacity Wp Specific density Cw
[cm] [%] [g · cm−3] [%] [g · cm−3]
2 8–1330–38 (A)CC 15.579.90 12.008.13 1.721.92 7.947.06 2.342.59
4 05–1015–2550–5770–80 ACC1C2C2 19.1011.5527.8923.72 17.8412.2519.2726.34 1.571.791.281.43 11.309.5113.439.80 2.632.572.502.19
7 20–2525–3550–60 ACCg1Cg3 28.0420.0721.08 8.6710.3415.80 1.401.671.68 6.005.176.20 2.902.642.95
8 0–5010–15 C1C2 14.8015.40 11.5011.30 1.731.78 7.847.60 2.402.41
9 0–1020–30 C1C2 15.3013.90 12.0011.70 1.771.81 7.907.42 2.472.46

Main physico-chemical properties of soils_

Study site Sampling depth Soil horizon Colour according to Munsell1 PH Corg Ntotal C/N
[cm] H2O KCl [%
2 0–1050–60 (A)CC 5YR 3/25YR 3/2 8.38.8 6.67.1 0.400.43 0.0140.016 28.626.7
3 0–208–1330–3880–90 ACC1C2C3 5YR 3/25YR 3/25YR 3/25YR 3/2 6.25.97.87.7 4.03.86.16.2 1.140.410.270.37 0.1150.0290.0140.011 9.914.019.233.9
4 0–305–1015–2550–5759–6170–80 OACC1C2OC3 5YR 4/45YR 2.5/25YR 3/25YR 3/35YR 4/45YR 3/2 5.05.76.16.36.76.6 3.73.64.34.55.14.8 9.581.901.600.537.400.60 0.3950.1920.1820.1930.3590.036 24.29.98.82.720.616.7
5 0–510–1825–35 O(A)C1C2 5YR 3/47.5YR 7/25YR 4/6 3.84.43.9 3.13.22.5 15.921.831.78 1.6030.6130.366 9.93.03.2
6 0–508–1330–40 O(A)CC 10YR 2/210YR 3/110YR 2/1 7.34.94.4 6.73.62.9 5.133.510.77 1.9030.5640.082 2.76.29.3
7 00–2020–2525–3535–4050–60 AACCg1Cg2Cg3 10YR 3/210YR 2.5/110YR 2.5/110YR 2.5/110YR 2.5/1 5.65.04.85.25.3 3.83.13.33.73.7 8.260.530.320.210.38 0.8500.0860.0410.0260.030 9.76.27.88.212.7
8 0–5 10–15 C1C2 5YR 3/25YR 3/2 8.68.8 7.07.1 0.410.42 0.0150.015 27.328.0
9 0–1020–30 C1C2 5YR 3/25YR 3/2 8.78.8 7.17.1 0.430.41 0.0160.015 28.727.3
10 0–58–14 OA AC 10YR 2/110YR 2/3 7.16.8 6.96.6 4.265.06 2.7552.635 1.51.9

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

Study site Latitude Longitude Altitude Landform General description Soil groups with qualifiers
[m a.s.l.]
Site 1 62°10'03"S 58°28'00"W 47.0 Snout of Ecology Glacier 150 m from glacier snout’s terminus –
Site 2 62°09'56"S 58°27'56"W 30.0 Terminal moraine Debris deposited close to the glacier’s terminus CR-sk.an
Site 3 62°09'53"S 58°27'59"W 48.0 Older end moraine Older glacial deposits CR-cs.an-oh
Site 4 62°09'5l"S 58°28'00"W 42.0 Valley bottom Valley formed by fluvial-glacial processes CR-an-fv.nv
Site 5 62°09'51"S 58°28'06"W 14.0 Valley slope Debris of Miocene rocks with ornithogenic soil CR-dy.gl.oc
Site 6 62°09'43"S 58°28'04"W 7.0 Alluvial fan Created by joint action of gravity (talus) and alluvial processes CR-dy.gl.oc
Site 7 62°09'42"S 58°28'05"W 1.5 Marine terrace Marshy coastal meadow of Jasnorzewski Gardens CR-dy.hu
Site 8 62°09'56"S 58°28'04"W 42.0 Depression between moraine ridges Low-lying area located within glacial deposits CR-sk.an
Site 9 62°09'56"S 58°27'49"W 26.0 Depression between moraine ridges Low-lying area located within glacial deposits CR-sk.an
Site 10 62°09'48"S 58°27'34"W 7.0 Valley slope Penguin rookery on Penguin Ridge in the vicinity of Rakusa Point LP-oc.tu
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