m^mmmmmm§ r\\\trJ\w>liUil<' A NEWS BULLETI N p u b l i s h e d q u a r t e r l y b y t h e N E W Z E A L A N D A N T A R C T I C S O C I E T Y ( I N C ) <* DOG POWER STILL HAS A MODEST PLACE IN ANTARCTIC TRANSPORT. HERE A NEW ZEALANDER AT SCOTT BASE TRIES TO SORT OUT A TANGLE IN HIS TEAM OF HUSKIES. SCOTT BASE HAS A PACK OF 19 HUSKIES—AND SIX PUPS. Antarctic Division, D.S.I.R. Photo: Neville Peat Registered at Post Office Headquarters. Vol. 7, No. 8 Wellington, New Zealand, as a magazine. SOUTH GEORGIA -.. SOUTH SANDWICH Is / S O U T H O R K N E Y I s ' \ ^^ /o Orcadas arg. XJ FALKLAND Is /* Signy I.U.K. ,. V\60*W / SOUTH AMERICA / y \ ¥ B o r g a I | S y o w a n j a p a n \ 6 0 . E ' ' . \ - I S . A . / 5\~^^ Molodezhnaya \y 4 S O U T H < , . f t WEDDELL \ f I / S\ sr\ussR./-A ti SHETLAND-^ / Halley Bavof DROWNING MAUD LAND E N D E R B Y M > ^ \ /SEA uk.'v* COATS Ld / LAND Ty^ \ (General Belgrano arg ANTARCTIC A °i Mavi/son «ffo MAC ROBERTSON LAND' (see map below) Sobral arg. Davis aust. 4f-Siple_M U S.A x Amundsen-Scott j QUEEN MARY LAND <3Mirny ^{ELLSWORTH" " LAND j i j ' \ U S . S R . % U S A / ° Vo s t o k u s s r. / r " ' j4A - ^ - J ^ - A/ . ^ / R o s s V o j / -hi Ice Shelf. Yl^ oCasey Jj aust. " S c o f t M o . , \ WILKES LAND Russkaya. u.s.sr/ ROSS|NZ^> \VandaNz SEA I ^Y/VICTORIA ^Ptf*/ LAND \ --Dumont d'Urville france Leningradskaya / USSR ,' 'BALLENY Is ANTARCTIC PENINSULA 1 Teniente Matienzo arg. 2 Esperanza arg. 3 Almirante Brown arg. 4 Petrel arg. 5 Deception arg. 6 Vicecomodoro Marambio arg. * ANTARCTICA 7 Arturo Prat chile 8 Bernardo O'Higgins chile 9 P r e s i d e n t e F r e i c h i l e ^ ? 500 1000 Kilometres 10 Stonington I. uk. 13 11 Adelaide I. uk. ^ I ABBREVIATIONS: 12 Argentine Is uk. A> /& 13 Palmer usa. 14 Bellingshausen u.s.s.r • ■ larsen •; Ice.Shelf' 0 100km ^^H^PiilES^aCS^ (Successor to "Antarctic News Bulletin") 80th ISSUE December, 1975 Editor: J. M. CAFFIN, 35 Chepstow Avenue, Christchurch 5. Address all contributions, enquiries, etc., to the Editor. CONTENTS ARTICLES 267-268 CLIFTON HILL POLAR ACTIVITIES NEW ZEALAND 232-236 UNITED STATES 237-245 AUSTRALIA 246 NORWAY 247 SOVIET UNION 248-249 JAPAN 252-254 SOUTH AFRICA 255 SUB-ANTARTIC CAMPBELL ISLAND 258-260 GENERAL OBITUARY 261-263 MUSEUM CENTRE 264-265 ANTARCTIC BOOKSHELF 240, 269-270 Nine men at Cape Adare celebrated Christmas in Antarctica a long time ago. Of Christmas Day, 1899, at Camp Ridley, Borchgrevink wrote: "On Christmas Day we had tinned plum-pudding, and Mr Evans, in honour of the occasion, baked cakes; and Mr Ellefsen even surpassed him self in the excellence of his cooking." Borchgrevink's successors, 76 years later, will also celebrate their Antarctic Christmas in traditional fashion. But they are better off than the lonely men of Cape Adare. Radio and air transport have brought them closer to their homes and each other. Once again "Antarctic" wishes them all a Merry Christmas. I • ■ rjppK December, 1975 N.Z. PROGRAMME CUT ABOUT ONE-THIRD New Zealand's Antarctic research programme for 1975-76 has been reduced by about one-third only a month after the official start of the summer season because of an accident to a United States Navy Hercules at Dome C in Wilkes Land on November 4. This left the support force with only two ski-equipped Hercules aircraft for flights to inland stations, and the return of men at the end of the season. As a result the Antarctic Division, Valley Drilling Project—which involves Department of Scientific and Industrial drilling into the seabed of McMurdo Research, has had to cancel some pro- Sound from a platform on the sea ice. jeets, reduce the numbers going south Winds gusting to 70km an hour and later in the season, and shorten the lime poor visibility delayed the reopening of allowed for work by parties already in Vanda Station, 130km west of Scott the field. Basc jn thc Wright Valley, which is Last month 68 scientists and New Zealand's only continental base, others were listed to go south. Now But on October 21 United States Navy only 27 New Zealanders will take part helicopters flew in the four men who in the latter half of the planned pro- wj]j operate the station during the sum- gramme. Events which have been can- mer ancj morc t]ian four tons 0f equip- celled include the Leda project, a joint ment. Vanda Station, which was closed United States-New Zealand upper atmos last winter, is a staging post for field phere programme at Siple Station, the parties working in the dry valley region work of the New Zealand Antarctic By last month the first part of the Society's caretakers at the historic huts on Ross Island, and visits by reprcscnta- programme]crs werc atwas worlc in fullin McMurdoswing. The Sound dril- Committee and the University urants on a sjtc 7()km north-west of Scott Base. Committee. ancj pve geological expeditions were in This season the Royal New Zealand thc ficld Four were Working in the dry tives of the Ross Dependency Research va|ley rcgjori) which includes thc Taylor. Air Force is making seven flights to the Wright, and Victoria Valleys. Antarctic—the first at thc end of last month—in support of thc United States FIRST IN FIELD and New Zealand programmes. But its First in the field was an expedition to Hercules aircraft are not ski-equipped, map the geological history of a little- and their operations are limited by the explored region of the Trans-Antarctic time thc annual ice runway in McMurdo Mountains south-west of Scott Base. Dr Sound remains in use. After the ice goes D. N. B. Skinner and Mr B. C. Water- out later this month operations are con- house, of the New Zealand Geological fined to the Williams Field skiway on Survey, and two field assistants, Messrs the Ross Ice Shelf. G. G. Brehaut and K. R. Sullivan, were TEAM RELIEVED flown to thc Skelton-Koettlitz Glaciers A new Antarctic research programme region by a United States Navy heli began officially on October 10 when the copter. Four flights were needed to carry first contingent arrived to relieve the the party and its gear to thc base camp winter team of 11 men at Scott Base, in thc Cocks Glacier, which feeds into and to initiate a wide range of scientific the Skelton Glacier about 160km from projects. The contingent included 11 Scott Base. The Skelton and Koettlitz members of thethc drilling team to work Glaciers both empty into thethc Ross Ice on thc main event of the programme— Shelf, and are surrounded by peaks of the conclusion of the international Dry up to 3700m in height. December, 1975 Originally the Geological Survey last month to work from the field planned to send a party into the Terra station which has been occupied by the Nova Bay region, about 400km north of university's biological unit for 10 years. Scott Base. This plan was dropped because no support by Hercules aircraft was available this season. FIFTH SEASON Two other geological parties began field work towards thc end of last Dr Horning, who is making his second month. Thc Waikato University expedi trip south, will concentrate on a study tion is studying glacial moraines, fluvial of a tiny land insect, thc springtail. Mr deposits, and rock formation in relation Sagar, who will bc working at Cape to melt-water streams and lakes in the Bird for his fifth season, will study dry valleys. Originally Dr T. Healy was shallow water marine life, and how com to lead a party of six for six weeks in munities adapt to coastal dynamics— the field. Now he is accompanied only sea, wind, and ice action. by Dr J. Shaw, and they will remain Early this month a geochemist and a for only four weeks. geologist resumed their vulcanological Drs Healy and Shaw were flown first studies of Mount Erebus, one of Antarc to the Lower Wright Valley 130km tica's two known active volcanoes. Dr north-west of Scott Basc. They will W. F. Giggenbach, of the Chemistry study first the bed formation of An Division, D.S.I.R., and Mr P. R. Kyle, tarctica's only real river—the Onyx— of the Victoria University of Welling which in summer flows 30km into Lake ton, were members of the New Zealand- Vanda from the Lower Wright Glacier. Frcnch-American expedition which Later they will visit the Taylor and attempted last summer to sample the Victoria Valleys, the Koettlitz Glacier unique lava lake of the volcano's inner and Black Island. crater. This year's party, which is led by Mr GLACIAL MORAINES C. C. Monteath, an Antarctic Division field oflicer, will observe the lake from Four members of the Victoria Uni the outer crater. Because working near versity of Wellington expedition also the summit of the 4000m mountain can began work in thc Taylor Valley last cause altitude sickness, the party plans month.