News Bulletin New Zealand Antarctic Society
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N E W S B U L L E T I N p u b l i s h e d q u a r t e r l y b y t h e NEW ZEALAND ANTARCTIC SOCIETY IN THE FOOSTEPS OF AMUNDSEN.—New Zealanders on the Axe! Heiberg Glade beside Mt. Fridtjof Nansen. Photo: W. W. Herbert. j'M^viy0' MARCH, 1962 Coasts of the Ross Dependency 180° W / ' '^ttarcticI Circle/ "*"*/""•—-^ ri '•<; C.l^dare c-G*bJ**,. \£>T AUSTRALIAN ^ ANTARCTIC TERRITORY South Pole Amundsen-Scott (U.S.) N.Z.M.S. 161/1 DRAWN BY DEPT. OF LANDS & SURVEY, N.Z. (Successor to "Antarctic News Bulletin") Vol. 3, No. I MARCH, 1962 Editor: L. B. Quartermain, M.A., 1 Ariki Road, Wellington, E.2, New Zealand. Business Communications, Subscriptions, etc., to: Secretary, New Zealand Antarctic Society, P.O. Box 2110, Wellington, N.Z. BYRD MEMORIAL Zealand. It emphasises the Ad IN WELLINGTON miral's conception of the Antarctic as the great white continent of In thc shape of an Arctic tent, a peace, a conception embodied in triangular white memorial to Rear- the Antarctic Treaty. Admiral R. E. Byrd was unveiled on Mount Victoria, Wellington, on March 11, thc anniversary of Admiral Byrd's death. It will house POSITIONS STILL OPEN half a ton of stones specially SCOTT BASE 1962-63 brought from the Antarctic and a LEADER AND DEPUTY-LEADER bronze bust of Admiral Byrd. In view of the increased field ac The Prime Minister, the Right tivity and base building programme, Hon. K. J. Holyoake, unveiled the projected for next season, it has memorial. It was dedicated by been decided to call for fresh appli the chairman of the Wellington cations for the positions of Leader Branch of the National Council of and Deputy-Leader at Scott Base Churches, the Rev. W. E. D. Davies. next year. Only one of the appointees Other speakers at the ceremony will be required to winter over. included the Australian High Com Readers interested should get in missioner in New Zealand, Vice- touch with Mr. G. W. Markham, Admiral Sir John Collins, the Superintendent, Antarctic Division, Leader of the Opposition, Mr. D.S.I.R., Box 6022, Wellington. Nash, the United States Charge d'Affairs, Miss Ruth Bacon, and the Mayor of Wellington, Mr. Kitts. Commemorative Broadcast Among those present were Rear A three-quarter hour programme Admiral D. M. Tyree, Mr. Philip M. featuring the voices of five of Scott's Smith, Mr. E. Goodale (of Byrd's veterans was presented by the first expedition) and other members N.Z.B.S. to mark the 50th annivers of Operation Deepfreeze 62, and ary of the tragic ending of Scott's guest of honour was Mrs. Robert polar journey in March, 1912. Breyer, Admiral Byrd's daughter. 1YA, 3YA: Monday, March 26, 8.15 Sponsored by the Richard E. Byrd Fellowship in New Zealand, the memorial is an expression of 4YA: Thursday, March 29, 7.15 p.m. the regard in which Admiral Byrd Also from YZ and some X stations. was held by the people of New For times see "The Listener." NEW ZEALAND FIELD PARTIES EXPLORE UNKNOWN COUNTRY Two New Zealand dog-sledging parties have completed a successful season of geological and topographical survey work in the little known area about the head of the Beardmore Glacier. NORTHERN PARTY (approximately 83° 50' S., 159° 30' The Northern Party comprised E). As rock specimens weighing 250 .1. I. Walcotl, leader, G. W. Grind lbs. were now being carried they ley, senior geologist, and two sur turned south to the north side of veyors, R. W. Hewson and J. W. the Law Glacier to come down it Montgomerie. They were flown by to the Bowden Neve, south of Mt R4D aircraft on December 5 to a Miller (83° 20' S., 165° 40* E.). Sledg position 83° 15' S., 154° 35' E. on ing on east, on New Year's Day they the Polar Plateau at an altitude of crossed the Law Glacier towards 7600 feet, some 150 miles west of Mt Bell and selected a pick-up site Ihe lower Beardmore Glacier. The on smooth firm snow on the Neve in 83° 53' S., 164° 10' E., west of temperature was -12CF. and a southerly wind of 15 knots was the Queen Alexandra Range. blowing. The next few days were spent With 45 days' rations and using surveying and geologising and then two dog teams the party planned the party moved south to the Upper to make a circuit of the northern Bowden Neve for a re-supply, near end of the Miller Range, but this the 13,500 ft. Mt. Falla, which was proved impracticable. climbed by Grindley. A delay in On the 8th the four men de the re-supply flight due to poor scended 1600 feet into the central visibility necessitated some econo valley of the Miller Range, which mising in dog food. The re-supply runs roughly parallel with the finally took place on January 10, series of southern Victoria Land when a United States R4D aircraft coastal ranges. Here a Base Camp made a free drop in perfect con was set up. The geologists worked ditions with only very few and in this valley and in side valleys minor breakages. coming in from the north, while Next day the party moved south the surveyors in the course of their and camped below the ice slopes work set up two survey stations leading to the Plateau, near Mt. and measured a base line. The Wild, which was reached on the partv now struck north as far as 12th. Their farthest south point was $2° 35' S., 158° E., working in the on January 17 in lat. 84° 50' S., 162° northernmost valley of the Miller 30' E., where they were overlooking Range. the head of the Beardmore Glacier near Mt. Buckley. Heavy erevass- SURVEY LINK-UP ing made it impracticable to make Turning south again they crossed lor Mt. Darwin. the trail of Miller and Marsh in 1957-58. In fact, the surveyors occu NORTH AGAIN pied the earlier explorers' "Station Now returning over their south B" on January 21. ward trail, the surveyors occupied Now moving east, they spent a station on the highest peak of Christmas near the Sandford Cliffs the Marshall Mountains at a height March, 1962 of 11,500 feet. The whole party ar been recorded from the other rived back at the Upper Bowden Southern continents, Australia, Neve on the 20th and made for South Africa and South America, their pick-up depot. On the 23rd also from India. The new discovery Ihey moved east to camp on a col provides some support for a widely of a prominent ice-free nunatak at held theory' that Antarctica, South the foot of a ridge descending from Africa, South America, Australia Mt. Bell, then back to the pick-up and India were once clustered to point on the 26th. The party were gether in a large continent around llown back to Scott Base on Janu the South Pole known as Godwana ary 27. Land. This northern party surveyed an area of approximately 11,000 square miles, travelling about 500 miles by BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH dog sledge. Two base lines were measured, and 18 survey stations A permanent research station at and 18 gravity stations were occu Cape Royds is proposed by the zoo pied. The surveys were tied in with logy department of the University earlier surveys from the coast, with of Canterbury. The idea stems from those of Miller and Marsh, and with Professor G. A. Knox's enthusiasm the surveys made by the Southern for sub-Antarctic and Antarctic Party. The party was in the field research. for 52 days of which eight were A party led by Dr. B. Stonehouse, lie-up days. a senior lecturer in the department, In the Miller Range a well ex has undertaken biological studies posed series of metamorphic rocks at McMurdo Sound this season. Dr. and granites similar to those in Stonehouse returned after six weeks Fiordland and northern Nelson, in the area. Two members of the New Zealand, were mapped in de party remained until February. tail. This work should be valuable This season the Canterbury Uni in clearing up problems associated versity party has lived in Shackle with the earliest period of Antarctic ton's old hut at Cape Royds. "Next geological history. season we hope to have our own In the Queen Alexandra and establishment," said Dr. Stonehouse. Queen Elizabeth Ranges work was confined to Beacon Sandstone for mations, a series of continental freshwater sediments containing coal seams and plant beds. Several NO FIRE DRILL fine collections of fossil plants were Scott Base had no need for the obtained, especially round the usual practice fire-drill in January. head of the Beardmore Glacier. As On the 2nd an alarm was sounded sociated with the plant beds were from the Laboratory building when finely bedded shales indicating a smoke was seen coming from the cold climate and the presence of ionosonde. The cause, a burnt-out nearby glaciers some 300 million transformer. On thc 24th at 6 a.m. years ago. the automatic detector in the en Glacial moraine was also found gine room sounded an alarm. Fire near the base of the beacon sand was found in the ceiling surround stone containing huge boulders, ing the exhaust outlet from the some of which showed the groov- waste heat exchanger. Bucket ings characteristic of glacial action. pumps were quickly in use inside This glaciation, known as the and outside the hut, and the fire Godwana glaciation, has previously was put out in a few minutes.