But what about Cook? It has been recorded that Captain James Cook actually crossed the Antarctic Circle on January 17, 1773.
The names Amundsen, Shackleton and Scott may spring to mind when recalling the Antarctic pioneers.
With all the visitors taking advantage of this service, to send loved ones a postcard from Antarctica, around 70,000 cards are posted to over 100 countries annually! But beware you may reach home before the card does, as it can take up to 6 weeks! It is run on behalf of the British Antarctic Territory government and donates a proportion of its revenue to the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust. Interestingly, Port Lockroy is also the location of the southernmost British post office in the world. Port Lockroy was recognised in 1994 as an important Historic Site under the Antarctic Treaty. Today, proceeds made from the on-site gift shop are reinvested into the preservation of the building and its memorabilia, as well as to the conservation of other important sites in the region. Located on Goudier Island near the Antarctica Peninsula, Port Lockroy is a ‘living museum’ where tourists can learn about the rich history of this site, which was originally a British base built during the Second World War. You can visit the most southerly operational post officeĪntarctica is visited by around 15,000 – 20,000 tourists per year, with many stopping off at Port Lockroy. Nevertheless, McNeish never forgave Shackleton for the fate of his cat but Mrs Chippy’s legend lives on today, in the form of a sculpture in Wellington, New Zealand, by McNeish’s gravestone. McNeish was convinced that his cat and the dogs left onboard were shot by Shackleton, although this is not clearly documented. After a sad goodbye and a tin of sardines as a farewell gift, McNeish left his cat as instructed. This meant that poor Mrs Chippy needed to be left behind. In order to save his crew, Shackleton ordered that only the essentials be taken off the ship to continue to safety on land 350 miles away. Such perfect courage is, alas, not to be found in our modern age.’ One member of the team commented on Mrs Chippy’s bravery during this time ‘Mrs Chippy’s almost total disregard for the diabolical forces at work on the ship was more than remarkable - it was inspirational. But the expedition was brought to a grinding halt as the ship became trapped in frozen pack ice from which, despite the efforts of the crew, it would never escape. The voyage was captained by Sir Ernest Shackleton and set sail from the East India Docks in London on August 1 1914, heading for Antarctica. Mrs Chippy got his name by following Henry around like a possessive wife. He was from Glasgow and belonged to the ship’s carpenter Henry McNeish. Mrs Chippy had the duty of catching the rodents onboard to prevent any damage to the stores. Despite the name, this tough tabby tomcat joined the crew on the ill-fated Endurance expedition. Because of this, there have been more than 200,000 samples of rock found.Įrnest Shackleton was accompanied by a catĮveryone onboard an expedition needs to earn their keep and that is what a true polar hero by the name of Mrs Chippy did. If the sheet stays in one spot for a long time, strong winds and sunlight can evaporate the top layers and reveal older ice – and large meteorite concentrations within it.
Sometimes the East Antarctic ice sheet’s path to the sea is clogged by mountains or other obstructions. In addition to this, naturally, the rocks are easier to spot on the white, icy surface of Antarctica. In Antarctica, because the climate is extremely dry, it means the the likelihood of corrosion drops and there are more opportunities to find more rocks. If a meteorite fell in a humid jungle climate, moisture and oxygen would corrode them. According to scientists, meteorites land everywhere with almost equal probability – it’s the conditions that make the difference. However, researchers recover more meteorites from Antarctica than anywhere else, not because more fall there. There are more meteorites found in Antarctica than anywhere else in the worldĪccording to scientists, meteorites land everywhere with almost equal probability.
0 kommentar(er)
