214 April 4, 1914 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN SUPPLEMENT No. 1996 Antarctic Problems * The Problem of the Antarctic Andes and the Antarctic Horst By Prof. Edgeworth David, C.M.G., F.R.S. As the Weddell Sea will be the objective this year of Then the zone of active or dormant volcanoes, which Provisionally it is suggested that while Arctowski's no fewer than three Antarctic expeditions, some of it!! intermittently characterizes the Andean Chain, is met term, the "Antarctandes," may be used for the moun­ features as bearing on the above problem may be dis­ with on both sides of Graham Land, in Bridgman, tains of West Antarctica, some such term as the "Ant­ cussed first. Paulet, and Deception Islands, on the west, and in arctic Horst" may be applied to the great ranges of the The continuity of Coat's Land, discovered by Dr. Lindenberg, Christensen, Sarsee, and the Seal Island Victoria Quadrant. The party to be dispatched by W. S. Bruce in the"Scotia" in 1904, with Prince Regent volcanoes on the east side. If now a comparison of the Shackleton from his Weddell base westward for 400 or Luitpold Land, discovered by Dr. Filchner in the broad structural features of West Antarctica be made 500 miles, which should include someone who is both an "Deutschland" in 1912, has still to be traced. Filchner with those of East Antarctica in the Ross region, it will experienced geologist and physiographer, should be able sighted three Nunataks of dark rock rising from the be noticed that a great volcanic zone stretches along the to throw a flood of light on this great Andean problem. inland ice to the south of "Vahsel Bucht," thereby western shore of Ross Sea from at least so far south as Then, too, a great opportunity is offered by this ex­ proving indisputably the existence of land under the Mounts Erebus, Morning, and Discovery, to so far north pedition for sending a strong party from the Ross Sea inland ice. The inland ice there rose gently frimi its as Cape Adare. This main volcanic zone of the Ross base, not only to lay out depots so far as to the head of shore cliff of from 25 feet to 65 feet high, up to more Sea region is crossed by lesser zones trending more or the Beardmore Glacier to meet the Trans-Antarctic party than 3,000 feet at a distance from the shore of about less east and west, like the Mounts Terror, Terra Nova, on their arrival from over the great inland plateau, but thirty miles. Of far greater importance is the tracing Erebus, and Dry Valley zone, the zone of the Balleny also to collect systematically from the highly interesting inland of the unknown coast'to the south of Luitpold Islands, etc. If, however, this Ross Sea volcanic zone Coal Measures, at the head of the Beardmore, with their Land. with the adjacent mountains be compared with the associated fossil flora. The Shackleton expedition found This is one of the greatest of the geographical problems ranges and volcanic zones of West Antarctica, the fact wood, apparently allied to, if not identical with, conifer­ which the Shackleton Expedition should solve. Amund­ at once becomes obvious that the ranges of the Ross ous wood, at the head of the Beardmore Glacier, and sen, on.his journey to the south pole in 1911, proved that area are entirely devoid of folding, and are of a block­ fossil rootlets in the adjacent shales suggest that the the south-easterly trend of the Queen Alexandra Range, faulted plateau type, whereas the lavas and tuffs of the wood grew near where it is now found; and Captain discovered by Shackleton at the Beardmore Glacier, is Ross region are very distinct from th08e of West Ant­ Scott's party have brought back specimens of fossil plants not maintained in the Queen Maud Ranges, but that the arctica, being strongly alkaline, of the nature of trachytes, scientifically of the utmost value from the same locality. latter ranges bend to the right as one follows a great phonolites, kenytes, etc., and of as distinctly Atlantic There, too, at Buckley Island, or Nunatak, thick beds circle from the Beardmore Glacier to Graham Land. So type as the West Antarctic rocks are of Pacific type. of Cambrian limestone with traces of Archffiocyathinffi far, this favors the theory of Penck that Antarctica is The problem is further complicated by the fact that, underlie the Coal Measures. It is difficult to imagine divided into a West and East Antarctica respectively, by meagre as it is, our knowledge of the geology of the King any spot in the world more fascinating from the point of a strait connecting the Ross Sea with the Weddell Sea, Edward Land area shows the eruptive rocks there, in view of geology, palooontology, and many allied sciences. for the trend of the Queen Maud Ranges, if continued which granodiorites are conspicuous, to be more nearly The problem of how trees, like modern forest trees, farther north in the western hemisphere, would carry it allied to Andean rocks than are those of Ross Sea. could flourish within 300 geographical miles of the south to Luitpold Land. There, too, in the Ross Sea region, a vast coalfield with pole itself, which now for five months of the year is in There can be little doubt that this Queen Maud Range nearly horizontal strata sheets over all the older rocks almost total darkness, is one which involves the question is bounded by heavy fractures, of the order of several from near the south pole itself to near Dr. Mawson's as to whether the south pole was in late Palffiozoic time thousands of feet, for geological reasons which will be base in Adelie Land, a distance of more than 1,600 miles. in its present position, or whether, if the position of the stated presently; and that these trend lines are, perhaps, According to the preliminary report published in "Scott's earth's axes of rotation have remained constant through­ as strongly pronounced as are any in the world. If, Last Expedition," vol. ii., Mr. F. Debenham considers out geological time, the continents may not have crept therefore, the ranges, to which they give origin, extend these Coal Measures to be of Upper Palffiozoic age. Like horizontally over considerable distances, as suggested by toward Luitpold Land, they are certain to be strongly the Coal Measures of Santa Catharina in southern Brazil Sir John Murray and G. W. Lamplugh. The presence marked, and should be capable of accurate delineation and the northern Argentine, lying far to the east of the of the rich Jurassic flora at Hope Bay in Graham Land by the Trans-Antarctic party of the new expedition. If, Andean fold area, they are but very little disturbed. and of the Miocene flora of Beech and Araucaria at Sey­ on the other hand, as seems more probable, the Queen Moreover, the structure of the mountains to the west mour Island presents a similar problem. Maud Ranges, when traced into the Weddell Quadrant, of Ross Sea resembles in some respects that of the Falk­ Coast Survey.-The existence or not of New South bend back towards Graham Land, and become con­ land Islands, which again lie a little to the north-east of Greenland, originally reported by Morell, is of importance tinuous with Charcot Land and King Oscar II. Land, the Andean fold lines. for study by the various expeditions which should be in then Shackleton's other party, operating from his main In the Falkland Islands undulating Devonian sand­ that vicinity this year and next year. Sounding�, cur­ base at the head of Weddell Sea, should be able to solve stones and quartzites lie with strong unconformity on a rents, and meteorological conditions suggest that New this all-important problem. Wi th i ts length already proved pre-Cambrian (?) crystalline complex, and are themselves South Greenland really exists. of no fewer than 1,400 miles, and its height of from 8,000 succeeded by a nearly conformable group of Permo­ The recent fine piece of coastal survey work by Dr. to 15,000 feet, its stupendous fracture lines, involving Carboniferous strata with a well-marked glacial bed at Mawson and his Captain, J. K. Davis, whereby about displacements of 5,000 to 6,000 feet, and its profound its base which links it up at once with the Orleans glacial 1,300 miles of new coast have been added to the map, influence on the meteorological conditions of Antarctica, conglomerate of the Santa Catharina Coal Measure sys­ greatly needs to be extended, so as to join up with Lieut. and probably of the southern hemisphere, it is not the tem. In his recent paper to this society, Mr. T. Griffith Pennell's latest surveys to the east, on the Scott expedi­ least important of the mountain ranges of the world, and Taylor mentioned that the fossil fish-scales recently dis­ tion, and also to connect westward with Kemp Enderby certainly yields to none in its geological interest and the covered by Mr. F. Debenham and himself at Granite Land and Coat's Land. Obviously the Andean problem extreme difficulty of the problems which it presents. Harbor, were considered by Dr. A. Smith Woodward to cannot be finally settled until the great unknown area At the Graham Land end of Antarctica, Arctowski, be of Devonian age, and the fossil tracks figured respec­ between Charcot Land, King Edward VII. Land, and Nordenskjold, Gunnar Andersson, Charcot, and Gour­ tively by H.