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McMurdo Dry Valleys, Victoria Land, East Antarctica, Antarcticai
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| McMurdo Dry Valleys | Valley |
| Victoria Land | Region |
| East Antarctica | Region |
| Antarctica | Continent |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
77° 28' South , 162° 31' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
The McMurdo Dry Valleys are a row of largely snow-free valleys in Antarctica, located within Victoria Land west of McMurdo Sound. The Dry Valleys experience extremely low humidity and surrounding mountains prevent the flow of ice from nearby glaciers. The rocks here are granites and gneisses, and glacial tills dot this bedrock landscape, with loose gravel covering the ground.
The region is one of the world's most extreme deserts and includes many features including Lake Vida, a saline lake, and the Onyx River, a meltwater stream and Antarctica's longest river. Although no living organisms have been found in the permafrost here, endolithic photosynthetic bacteria have been found living in the relatively moist interior of rocks and anaerobic bacteria, with a metabolism based on iron and sulfur, live under the Taylor Glacier. [Wikipedia]
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsMineral List
Mineral list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities13 valid minerals.
Rock Types Recorded
Note: data is currently VERY limited. Please bear with us while we work towards adding this information!
Rock list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities
Select Rock List Type
Alphabetical List Tree DiagramDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Anorthite Formula: Ca(Al2Si2O8) |
| ⓘ Anorthite var. Labradorite Formula: (Ca,Na)[Al(Al,Si)Si2O8] |
| ⓘ Blödite Formula: Na2Mg(SO4)2 · 4H2O Locality: Lake Bonney, Taylor Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Victoria Land, East Antarctica, Antarctica References: |
| ⓘ Burkeite Formula: Na6(CO3)(SO4)2 |
| ⓘ Calcite Formula: CaCO3 |
| ⓘ 'Clinopyroxene Subgroup' |
| ⓘ Darapskite Formula: Na3(SO4)(NO3) · H2O Locality: Lake Bonney, Taylor Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Victoria Land, East Antarctica, Antarctica References: |
| ⓘ 'Fayalite-Forsterite Series' |
| ⓘ 'Glass' |
| ⓘ Glauberite Formula: Na2Ca(SO4)2 |
| ⓘ Gypsum Formula: CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| ⓘ Halite Formula: NaCl |
| ⓘ Hydrohalite Formula: NaCl · 2H2O |
| ⓘ Ice Formula: H2O |
| ⓘ Mirabilite Formula: Na2SO4 · 10H2O |
| ⓘ Thénardite Formula: Na2SO4 |
| ⓘ Trona Formula: Na3H(CO3)2 · 2H2O |
| ⓘ 'UM1983-16-SO:CaHNa' Formula: Na2Ca2(SO4)3 · 3H2O Locality: Lake Bonney, Taylor Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Victoria Land, East Antarctica, Antarctica References: |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 3 - Halides | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Halite | 3.AA.20 | NaCl |
| ⓘ | Hydrohalite | 3.BA.05 | NaCl · 2H2O |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| ⓘ | Ice | 4.AA.05 | H2O |
| Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates | |||
| ⓘ | Calcite | 5.AB.05 | CaCO3 |
| ⓘ | Trona | 5.CB.15 | Na3H(CO3)2 · 2H2O |
| Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates | |||
| ⓘ | Glauberite | 7.AD.25 | Na2Ca(SO4)2 |
| ⓘ | Thénardite | 7.AD.25 | Na2SO4 |
| ⓘ | Burkeite | 7.BD.25 | Na6(CO3)(SO4)2 |
| ⓘ | Blödite | 7.CC.50 | Na2Mg(SO4)2 · 4H2O |
| ⓘ | Mirabilite | 7.CD.10 | Na2SO4 · 10H2O |
| ⓘ | Gypsum | 7.CD.40 | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| ⓘ | Darapskite | 7.DG.05 | Na3(SO4)(NO3) · H2O |
| Group 9 - Silicates | |||
| ⓘ | Anorthite | 9.FA.35 | Ca(Al2Si2O8) |
| ⓘ | var. Labradorite | 9.FA.35 | (Ca,Na)[Al(Al,Si)Si2O8] |
| Unclassified | |||
| ⓘ | 'Clinopyroxene Subgroup' | - | |
| ⓘ | 'Fayalite-Forsterite Series' | - | |
| ⓘ | 'Glass' | - | |
| ⓘ | 'UM1983-16-SO:CaHNa' | - | Na2Ca2(SO4)3 · 3H2O |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Blödite | Na2Mg(SO4)2 · 4H2O |
| H | ⓘ Darapskite | Na3(SO4)(NO3) · H2O |
| H | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| H | ⓘ Hydrohalite | NaCl · 2H2O |
| H | ⓘ Ice | H2O |
| H | ⓘ Mirabilite | Na2SO4 · 10H2O |
| H | ⓘ Trona | Na3H(CO3)2 · 2H2O |
| H | ⓘ UM1983-16-SO:CaHNa | Na2Ca2(SO4)3 · 3H2O |
| C | Carbon | |
| C | ⓘ Burkeite | Na6(CO3)(SO4)2 |
| C | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| C | ⓘ Trona | Na3H(CO3)2 · 2H2O |
| N | Nitrogen | |
| N | ⓘ Darapskite | Na3(SO4)(NO3) · H2O |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Anorthite | Ca(Al2Si2O8) |
| O | ⓘ Blödite | Na2Mg(SO4)2 · 4H2O |
| O | ⓘ Burkeite | Na6(CO3)(SO4)2 |
| O | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| O | ⓘ Darapskite | Na3(SO4)(NO3) · H2O |
| O | ⓘ Glauberite | Na2Ca(SO4)2 |
| O | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| O | ⓘ Hydrohalite | NaCl · 2H2O |
| O | ⓘ Ice | H2O |
| O | ⓘ Anorthite var. Labradorite | (Ca,Na)[Al(Al,Si)Si2O8] |
| O | ⓘ Mirabilite | Na2SO4 · 10H2O |
| O | ⓘ Thénardite | Na2SO4 |
| O | ⓘ Trona | Na3H(CO3)2 · 2H2O |
| O | ⓘ Fayalite-Forsterite Series | |
| O | ⓘ UM1983-16-SO:CaHNa | Na2Ca2(SO4)3 · 3H2O |
| Na | Sodium | |
| Na | ⓘ Blödite | Na2Mg(SO4)2 · 4H2O |
| Na | ⓘ Burkeite | Na6(CO3)(SO4)2 |
| Na | ⓘ Darapskite | Na3(SO4)(NO3) · H2O |
| Na | ⓘ Glauberite | Na2Ca(SO4)2 |
| Na | ⓘ Halite | NaCl |
| Na | ⓘ Hydrohalite | NaCl · 2H2O |
| Na | ⓘ Anorthite var. Labradorite | (Ca,Na)[Al(Al,Si)Si2O8] |
| Na | ⓘ Mirabilite | Na2SO4 · 10H2O |
| Na | ⓘ Thénardite | Na2SO4 |
| Na | ⓘ Trona | Na3H(CO3)2 · 2H2O |
| Na | ⓘ UM1983-16-SO:CaHNa | Na2Ca2(SO4)3 · 3H2O |
| Mg | Magnesium | |
| Mg | ⓘ Blödite | Na2Mg(SO4)2 · 4H2O |
| Mg | ⓘ Fayalite-Forsterite Series | |
| Al | Aluminium | |
| Al | ⓘ Anorthite | Ca(Al2Si2O8) |
| Al | ⓘ Anorthite var. Labradorite | (Ca,Na)[Al(Al,Si)Si2O8] |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Anorthite | Ca(Al2Si2O8) |
| Si | ⓘ Anorthite var. Labradorite | (Ca,Na)[Al(Al,Si)Si2O8] |
| Si | ⓘ Fayalite-Forsterite Series | |
| S | Sulfur | |
| S | ⓘ Blödite | Na2Mg(SO4)2 · 4H2O |
| S | ⓘ Burkeite | Na6(CO3)(SO4)2 |
| S | ⓘ Darapskite | Na3(SO4)(NO3) · H2O |
| S | ⓘ Glauberite | Na2Ca(SO4)2 |
| S | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| S | ⓘ Mirabilite | Na2SO4 · 10H2O |
| S | ⓘ Thénardite | Na2SO4 |
| S | ⓘ UM1983-16-SO:CaHNa | Na2Ca2(SO4)3 · 3H2O |
| Cl | Chlorine | |
| Cl | ⓘ Halite | NaCl |
| Cl | ⓘ Hydrohalite | NaCl · 2H2O |
| Ca | Calcium | |
| Ca | ⓘ Anorthite | Ca(Al2Si2O8) |
| Ca | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| Ca | ⓘ Glauberite | Na2Ca(SO4)2 |
| Ca | ⓘ Gypsum | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| Ca | ⓘ Anorthite var. Labradorite | (Ca,Na)[Al(Al,Si)Si2O8] |
| Ca | ⓘ UM1983-16-SO:CaHNa | Na2Ca2(SO4)3 · 3H2O |
| Fe | Iron | |
| Fe | ⓘ Fayalite-Forsterite Series | |
Geochronology
Mineralization age: Cenozoic : 4.76 Ma to 1.57 MaImportant note: This table is based only on rock and mineral ages recorded on mindat.org for this locality and is not necessarily a complete representation of the geochronology, but does give an indication of possible mineralization events relevant to this locality. As more age information is added this table may expand in the future. A break in the table simply indicates a lack of data entered here, not necessarily a break in the geologic sequence. Grey background entries are from different, related, localities.
| Geologic Time | Rocks, Minerals and Events | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phanerozoic | |||||||
| Cenozoic | |||||||
| Quaternary | |||||||
| Pleistocene |
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| Neogene | |||||||
| Pliocene |
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Other Databases
| Wikipedia: | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMurdo_Dry_Valleys |
|---|---|
| Wikidata ID: | Q571433 |
Localities in this Region
- East Antarctica
- Victoria Land
- McMurdo Dry Valleys
- Victoria Land
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
Antarctic MeteoritesGroup of Meteorite Fall Locations
Antarctic PlateTectonic Plate
- Ross Orogen
- South Victoria LandOrogenic Belt
This page contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please register so you can add to our database. This locality information is for reference purposes only. You should never attempt to
visit any sites listed in mindat.org without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders
for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary.
References
Riaz, Khurram; Pour, Amin Beiranvand; Habashi, Jabar; Muslim, Aidy M; Masoumi, Iman; Moradi Afrapoli, Ali; Hashim, Mazlan; Mehranzamir, Kamyar; Sattari, Farshid (2026) ASTER Remote Sensing Satellite Imagery for Regional Mineral Mapping in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, South Victoria Land, Antarctica. Minerals, 16 (2). doi:10.3390/min16020220
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McMurdo Dry Valleys, Victoria Land, East Antarctica, Antarctica