subject: Mapping The Route To Antarctica [print this page] An American's exploration of Antarctica called attention to its remote and unknown nature. The largest ice accumulation by far in the world today covers the Antarctica continent which includes a huge land mass of over 5 million square miles, which is watched over by some of the leading countries of the world. Certain individuals in the scientific community state that the ice cover has a thickness of 2,000 feet, though others are of the belief that it is even thicker than that. Every inch of the continent, minus some coastal land and the tallest mountain peaks are covered with this ice.
The valleys between the high mountains serve as a highway for the enormous glaciers as ice moves down to the sea. The South Pole can be found on the gigantic central plateau. This area rises between eight and ten thousand feet above sea level.
The continent is split into four regions, named for the oceans or land masses situated to the north. The quadrants are called the African,, Pacific and American. There is virtually little evidence regarding the Pacific and African coasts of Antarctica. Just a small section of the American quadrant's coast has been explored, but the quadrant is very well known. It includes the Ross Sea area.
It also houses South Victoria Land, Oates Land, King George V Land, Adelle Land and Wilkes Land and is bordered on the east by the Ross Sea and the west by Queen Mary Land. In the mountainous region on the western rim of the Ross Sea, you'll find the Ross Barrier. It is a giant sheet of shelf ice that measures approximately 160,000 square miles.
The explorer set up his base camp near the Bay of Whales. This natural harbor has been formed by the ice cliffs in the barrier itself. Mount Terror and Mount Erebus are the two volcanoes that fill Ross Island. The island is located at the western end of the barrier. More than 400 miles long, the barrier extends from the Ross Sea to King Edward VII Land. It is 400 miles wide.
The barrier is a great example of shelf ice, which can only be seen in Antarctica. It resulted from glacier outgrowths that spilled out from the mountainous regions to overtake the covered part of the continent in the Ross Sea region. Ice is still discharged from glaciers into the Ross Sea. It descends through glacier channels that are one to five miles wide, and one is even one hundred miles long. Scientists don't know if the Barrier is floating in the water or sitting on the bottom.
The western edge of the Pacific quadrant is bordered by the Ross Sea. Large rocks jut from the land in King Edward VII land, which can be found there. The Scott Nunataks and the Alexandra Mountains greeted the explorer on his first long flight from the Bay of Whales. In later flights he was able to find fourteen uncharted mountain peaks, one new island and a ton of land that is begging to be explored. Later flights of his were able to gather great quantities of data about Antarctica, perhaps even making it possible for map makers to finally draw the coast of the Pacific quadrant.
The American quadrant's Coats Land, Charcot Land and Graham Land, and Weddell sea area are very well visited by explorers. One explorer flew over Graham Land and found it to be a separate island, not actually connected to the mainland. Of major geographical concern is that the continent itself could very well be divided. The American quadrant's Weddell Sea is just about opposite the quadrant's Ross Sea.
The Antarctic Continent offers so many chances for scientific research. A finished map of the coast line and mountain ranges, as well as the polar plateau are the geographers goal.
Geologists want to understand the land under the ice. They'd like to study all the geological evidence within the glaciers and surrounding areas, too.
