An about 200-m long sandstone dyke cutting through the shales of the Janusfjellet Formation (Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous) has been discovered at Janusfjellet Central Spitsbergen. The palynomorph assemblage and the character of sandstone from the dyke are indicative of the Firkanten Formation of Paleocene age.
This article aims to analyse the influence of weather types on meteorological
conditions in Petuniabukta (Svalbard) during July and August of 2016. The paper analyses
the daily courses of air temperature and humidity at four measurement points located on
the west bank of Petuniabukta near Adam Mickiewicz University Polar Station during
two different types of weather conditions: (i) cloudy and windy, (ii) calm and clear.
These weather types, distinguished on the basis of wind speed and cloudiness, allowed
for the creation of composite maps of the synoptic situation (SLP and geopotential
height of 500 hPa distribution) and its anomalies. In the study area, the air temperature
range in windy and cloudy weather conditions was larger (-10°C to 15°C) than that in
sunny and calm weather (0°C to 15°C), which contrasts the range of humidity values.
The diurnal cycle of meteorological elements in sunny and calm days is strongly related
to the sun elevation angle. In the above-mentioned weather types, the air temperature
was higher by several degrees (median 5°C to 8°C) than on windy and cloudy days
(median about 0°C to 6°C) at each measurement point. On days with sunny and calm
weather, a smaller vertical temperature gradient of air is observed (for sunny and calm
days 0.63°C and for windy weather 0.8°C).
Mountain soils derived from massive rocks were studied in the northwestern Wedel Jarlsberg Land. Main soil properties were examined for collected samples. Soils were classified as lithosols with common loamy and silty composition, and small amount of colloidal fraction. Soils were mostly alkaline due to high content of CaCO3. Much more organic substance occurred at westerly- than easterly-exposed hills and located close to a sea. Examined soils contained much soluble forms of Ca, Mg and occasionally Na, little of P and K. Density of plant cover corresponded to contents of organic substance.
Seismic refraction studies on Central Spitsbergen have shown that there is the fault systems with north-south strike directions, which divide the crust into western, central and eastern blocks. Thickness of the crust in this area varies from 35 to 40 km. Interpretation and modelling of seismic refraction data indicate that the Moho boundary beneath the Central Spitsbergen Basin is a complicated transition zone between crust and upper mantle with the thickness of about 5 km.