Soil, surface rocks and stone samples from the Beacon Valley area for microtexture analysis of quartz grains

Samples from pits, surface rocks, stones and from outcrops were collected for examination and analysis to determine the processes which quartz grains from the Beacon sandstone have been through before being deposited in the tills which they were sampled from. The first pit was located on lower level moraine on Aztec Ridge immediately above the western wall of Beacon Valley and excavated to 24 cm. Three sites in New Valley, immediately east of New Mountain, 12-14 km west of Aztec Ridge were sampled with pits excavated 1.7 m, 1.2 m and 0.7 m deep. Surface rocks, stones and samples from outcrops were collected in the near vicinity to the pits.