Antarctic Things

-by Daniella McCahey and Jean de Pomereu, authors of Antarctica: A History in 100 Objects

Supplies and Homes Building Up at Little America, by Robert Charles Haun, 1956.
Courtesy of the United States Navy History and Heritage Command, Washington DC, United States.

The Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center in the United States operates a science outreach program. Teachers can, for free, request a box of rocks from Antarctica to use temporarily in their classes. They fill out a form and within weeks, a box of Antarctic specimens arrive. In general, these rocks are not special or valuable. It is filled with different types of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks, along with some fossils and minerals, which are handy in a basic geology lesson. But to be honest, many of these samples are no different than sandstone or granite that they can find in their own yards. What makes these special is that they came from Antarctica. Children can hold a piece of Antarctica in their hands.

Continue reading Antarctic Things

NEW MAP: South Georgia and the Shackleton Crossing

The cartographers at British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have re-produced a high-resolution updated map of the sub-antarctic island of South Georgia. The island, situated at 37°W 54°10’S is a haven for wildlife, a centre for wildlife and fisheries research and famous for the epic voyage by Sir Ernest Shackleton and his men in May 1916. Continue reading NEW MAP: South Georgia and the Shackleton Crossing