Grain size characteristics and environmental indication of the sediments around Great Wall Station, Antarctica

• Main Authors: Gengnian, Liu, Zhijiu, Cui, Heigang, Xiong
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Polar Research Institute of China - PRIC 1997
• Subjects: King George Island; South Shetland Islands; Fildes; Fildes peninsula; Great Wall Station; Advances in Polar Science; Antarc*; Antarctica; Polar Science
• Online Access: http://library.arcticportal.org/2138/; http://library.arcticportal.org/2138/1/A702.004.pdf

The Great Wall Station of China (62°13'S. 58°58'W) is located at the Fildes Peninsula of King George Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. Sediments in the area can be divided into glacial, periglacial, fluvial lacustrine and littoral deposits in origin. Analysis of the fine particals (below 3.52 mm) shows obviously difference among grain size composition, frequency curve, accumulative curve and scatter diagram. In order of periglacial-glacial-fluvial-littoral deposit, sand increases, silt and clay decreases; sorting changes from poor to good; mean grain size is at very fine-fine-medium-coarse sand respectively; skewness changes from very positive to near symmetric. Scatter diagram of grain size parameters shows difference in the sediments. Variation among frequency curves reflects processing and forming condition of the sediments. The fluvial and littoral deposits follow normal distribution, they are straight line in normal accumulative diagram. The glacial and periglacial deposits follow Rosin's distribution, they are straight lines in Rosin's accumulative diagram.