Marianne Mader, Systematic Team, Dec 23, 2012 Larkman Icefield Camp, Beardmore Region, Antarctica

Happy Holidays to all those at home! We found some early presents today out on the ice – 9 meteorites! This was welcomed considering we weren’t sure if yesterday’s blizzard was on its way out when we started the day.

The winds were still strong this morning when we set forth 15-18 knots, but died to 10-12 knots in the afternoon. The day was cloudy and thus we had ‘flat’ light – there was no sun glare or shadows cast by features on the surface. In these conditions it can be difficult to see topographic variations in the snow and ice that we drive over on snowmobiles. The blue ice can be wavy and the flat snow can suddenly be marked by Sastrugi, irregular snowy shapes formed by the wind. If we happen to catch one of these steep features at an angle we could end of tipping our snowmobile! We were careful to weave our way through these obstacles that could seem to appear out of thin air in the difficult lighting.

Instead of facing stiff headwinds and uncertain obstructions searching on our snowmobiles, the call was made to do a foot search of a sheltered moraine – essentially piles of rocks that have been left behind by glaciers. We lined up horizontally about 5 m apart, and started our systematic scan across a field of rocks. Looking down we slowly explored our individual lanes (see photo). Of course, this can lead to a pretty stiff neck, so periodically, at the end of a line we would break for a group stretch! (see photo)

Tonight the winds have calmed down and we hope to be out hunting again tomorrow! We’ll likely be delaying our Christmas celebration by a few days, as we’re waiting for a Twin Otter flight to bring us a camp oven (to cook our turkey), some re-supplies, and perhaps some holiday treats!!

Sending warm wishes to all those at home!

Moraine search

Stretching