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Antarctic OFTHE Jjiiju Ifiblistatesunited antarctic OFTHE jJiiJu IFIBLiSTATESuNITED March/June 1987 National Science Foundation Volume XXII—Number 1/2 Antarctic "Rosetta stone" provides On 4 December 1971, this airplane, known as 321, " crashed during takeoff at a remote site clues to early Southern Hemisphere history in East Antarctica. Now, after 15 years, the airplane stands on the snow surface again. During December 1986 a team of six men re- moved nearly 10 meters of snow and towed Did a land bridge exist between Ant- A rugged, barren area near the top of the airplane from its icy tomb. A description of arctica and South America 100 million their efforts appears on page 3 of this issue of the Antarctic Peninsula between the the Antarctic Journal, Above the excavation years ago? Did modern marine organ- Weddell and Scotia Seas, Seymour Is- team removes dense, concrete-like snow isms, now living in temperate regions, land was named by Zinsmeister "the around the airplanes fuselage. originate in high-latitude, Southern Rosetta stone of the Antarctic" because Hemisphere waters? of the wealth of fossil data that exists U.S. Navy photo. In search of evidence that supports there. The island, along with others in these and other theories, 14 scientists the James Ross Island basin, has sedi- and technicians went to Seymour Island mentary deposits containing an abun- as participants in the fourth U.S. expe- dant and diverse record of Late dition to this region during December Cretaceous/early Tertiary life. Past dis- 1986 and January 1987. The project, sup- coveries at this site have included fossils ported by the National Science Foun- of the first land mammal ever found in dation, was led by Purdue University Antarctica. geologist William Zinsmeister. 1986-1987 fossil discoveries Geologists and paleontologists, work- ing this past austral summer on Sey- mour Island, and nearby James Ross, In this issue Vega. and Cockburn islands, found the Antarctic "Rosetta stone" remains of a 1.8-meter tall, flightless bird, provides clues to early the jaw of a large crocodile, fossil lobs- Southern Hemisphere history I ters, and a nearly complete fossil whale U.S. airplane recovered from skeleton. Paleontologist Michael 0. East Antarctica ................3 Woodburne from University of Califor- "Mini-station" tested at D-59 nia at Riverside and his party found the camp ..........................4 fossil remains of a flightless bird, which Three countries accede to the belongs to a group that has smaller liv- Antarctic Treaty ...............2 ing relatives in South America. Accord- Sirius Formation of the ing to Woodburne, this land-dwelling Beardmore Glacier region 8 bird would have had small wings and a Reagan sends greetings to large head with a sharp, hooked beak. winterers ....................13 The researchers found a 13-centimeter Personnel winter at three U.S. section of a beak and a 7.5-centimeter- stations .......................13 thick lower ankle joint of the bird, which Glacier returns from last southern appears to have been a fierce, meat-eat- voyage ........................15 ing predator. Automatic weather station Finding of the fossil flightless bird and project ........................16 part of the jaw of the crocodile, which New staff members join polar they believe was not a sea-going animal, programs .....................20 adds evidence indicating that a land Foundation awards of funds for bridge connected Antarctica with South antarctic projects, 1 October America between 40 and 140 million years 1986 to 31 March 1987 .........20 ago. "These findings and previously dis- Weather at U.S. stations ........23 covered marsupial and plant fossils in- dicate that the Antarctic Peninsula supported an ecologically diverse group at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary The fossil whale, which had 1.2-me- of land-dwelling animals and plants about 65 million years ago." The refer- ter-long skull bones and 10-centimeter- during the Eocene," Woodburne said. ence was to a cataclysmic event that some long triangular teeth, was discovered in "These data, taken together, increase the scientists think triggered the demise of Eocene sediments on Seymour Island. It probability that the Eocene Antarctic much life on Earth at that time. is believed to be the most complete such Peninsula was part of a long overland On 3 January Ewan Fordyce, a New ancient animal known from the South- dispersal route between the antarctic Zealand paleontologist working with ern Hemisphere. The only other whales continent and South America and that Woodburnes group, discovered a 9.5- this old from the Southern Hemisphere it was not a series of islands that sepa- meter whale more than 40 million years are fragmentary specimens collected rated the two land masses." old, the largest fossil ever collected from previously from Seymour Island and New Another significant finding was the Antarctica. The skull bones, teeth and Zealand. recovery of more than 50 fossil lobster other skeletal parts indicate a carnivo- It took 16 days to collect the 1.5-ton specimens by researchers headed by rous animal. It was probably a member specimen, which has been sent to New Rodney M. Feldmann of Kent State Uni- of a species of gigantic extinct whales Zealand for preparation and study. It versity. These fossils ranged in age from closely related to the ancestors of mod- subsequently will be sent to the Smith- Late Cretaceous to Eocene-55 to 70 mil- ern whales and dolphins. sonian Institution in Washington, D.C. lion years ago. They appear to corro- borate conclusions that high-latitude areas may have been points of origin of modern marine organisms that now in- habit the continental shelves and slopes Seymour Island lies on the northeast coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. Called the "Rosetta stone" in more temperate areas. Additionally, of Antarctica by U.S. paleontologist William Zinsmeister, the island has been the site of many Feldmann reported that these fossil important fossil discoveries. Among the discoveries during the 1986-1987 austral summer was lobster specimens "do not show a pro- the complete fossil skeleton of the a 30-million year old whale—possibly the most complete fossil nounced response to the extinction event skeleton ever found in the Southern Hemisphere. oo p1ES Editor: Winifred Reuning Antarctic Journal of the United States, established in 1966, reports on U.S. Soi activities in Antarctica and related activities elsewhere, and on trends in the U.S. Antarctic Research Program. It is published quarterly (March, June, Am 7n September, and December) with a fifth annual review issue by the Division of Polar Programs, National Science 00 27O0 Foundation, Washington, D.C. 20550. Telephone: 202/357-7817. 7,,, The Antarctic Journal is sold by the copy or on subscription through the U.S. Gov- ernment Printing Office. Requests for prices of individual issues and subscrip- tions, address changes, and information about other subscription matters should be sent to the Superintendent of Docu- ments, U.S. Government Printing of- fice, Washington, D.C. 20402. The Director of the National Science Foundation has determined that the publication of this periodical is necessa- ary in the transaction of the public busi- ness required by law of this agency. Use S of funds for printing this periodical has been approved by the director of the Office of Management and Budget I through 31 March 1991. 1800 Antarctic Journal U.S. airplane recovered from East Antarctica On 25 December 1986, Juliet Delta "321," a ski-equipped Lockheed Her- cules airplane, sat on the snow surface at an isolated site in East Antarctica ^71^ (68°20S 137°31E), 190 kilometers from the coast. About 100 meters away was a 9-meter trench, the airplanes resting spot for more than 15 years. Six men, pop working during the previous month, had mom brought the airplane out of this icy tomb; others would evaluate whether it could be made airworthy again. — . The airplane (called "321" for its call sign) crash-landed on 4 December 1971 during takeoff from this site about 1,400 kilometers from McMurdo Station. Used to support U.S. science projects in Ant- arctica, it had just completed the second of five supply flights to a French traverse party, part of a U.S./French glaciology project, on its way to the Soviet station Vostok from the French station Dumont Photo by personnel from Expeditions Polaires Francaises. dUrville. Navy personnel inspected the airplane at the time of the crash and de- Expeditions Polaires Francaises personnel pass 321" in January 1976 during their annual trav- termined that salvaging it would be too erse. Only 5 years after the crash, drifing snow has already substantially buried the airplane. dangerous and costly; consequently, the airplane was left in East Antarctica. Background and gear; flying metal fragments dam- In 1986 the National Science Foun- In this region of Antarctica, high-speed, aged the number 1 engine. Although the dation (NSF), the federal agency re- gravity-driven winds (katabatic winds) pilot brought the airplane, which was sponsible for managing the U.S. Antarctic create ridges (called sastrugi) in the snow only 15 meters above the ground, with Program, announced plans to recover surfaces. Because of this rough, broken its 10-man crew safely to the ground, the and, if possible, to restore the buried snow surface, the 1971 aircrew decided emergency stop on the rough surface airplane. During the 1986-1987 austral that a jet-assisted takeoff (JATO), which collapsed the nose landing gear. summer, the four-engine airplane was uses small solid-fuel rockets to boost the The LC-130 that arrived 4 days after reclaimed through the efforts of em- airplanes turboprop engines, was nec- the accident to rescue the crew brought ployees of the NSF antarctic support essary. Seconds after the airplane took a Navy accident-investigation team.
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