Yesterday we did something different and took about a 40-mile trip along McMurdo Sound to visit a few interesting sites.
After about a 45-minute drive on the sea ice in the Pisten Bully, our first stop was to an ice cave in the Erebus glacier tongue. The Erebus Glacier is one of several glaciers flowing off the active volcano Mt. Erebus. Part of this glacier flows several miles out into the sea ice and is called the ice tongue. Some natural ice caves had formed when deep crevasses in the ice tongue closed up on top.
Ice crystals grew inside the cave that looked a lot like stalactites in a mineral cave.
The cave was fairly roomy and had an eerie blue glow.
It was one of the most unique things I have seen on Earth!
After the cave, we drove over to the Scott Hut on Cape Evans near the Barne Glacier. Although this hut was abandoned after the expedition in 1913, much of its contents are well preserved.
Nearby was Cross Hill, which held a memorial for members of the expedition who died in Antarctica. The view from the hill was spectacular. Below are two trapped icebergs in the distance:
After visiting the hut, we drove over to the two icebergs to look for a diving hole. Although we didn't find one, we did run across three Adelie penguins trotting along!
They were just waddling and belly-sliding along, looking like they were just having the best time!
It was quite impressive to get up close to the icebergs. The ice bergs are broken off from a glacier, and are formed of rather pure ice. They have a beautiful iridescent blue color.
It was quite impressive to get up close to the icebergs. The ice bergs are broken off from a glacier, and are formed of rather pure ice. They have a beautiful iridescent blue color.
And finally, we drove over to Cape Evans Wall to make a SCUBA dive. As I was wandering around the dive area, I noticed a small hole in the ice with bubbles coming up into it. I was excited about finding what I thought was a volcanic vent until a seal stuck its nose through the slush and started taking breaths!
You can just make out the nostrils and whiskers in the picture above. The next time he came back, I was ready and shot the following video.
What an amazing day.
2 comments:
Love that seal breathing hole and the penguins! Does the blue ice make any twinkle or crackle sound? It looks as though it would.
Thanks for documenting everything for us! Stay warm, Carla.
Hi Carla,
The blue ice was silent. Perhaps it crackles on faster-moving glaciers!
-Jim
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