Under Pressure!

Trip Start Jan 22, 2006
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Trip End Jun 23, 2009


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Flag of Antarctica  ,
Thursday, December 6, 2007

The Recreation Department here at McMurdo is great... and I'm not only saying that because my friend Bryan is part of it.  They are in charge of all the races I've been doing and all the sport leagues (like volleyball, dodgeball, soccer, but no basketball).  They also plan the out of town tours and trips, called Boodoggles. 

One of the after work tours they planned was to explore the near by Pressure Ridges that are located just off the coast from Scott Base.  The pressure ridges are formed because the sea ice is moving at a speed of 1 meter a day and the coastal ice isn't really moving at all.  This caused pressure to build up an eventually break and fold, similar to tectonic plates that makes mountains... just smaller scale.  A safe path was established through out the pressure ridges to give us a closer view, because unlike on land, if you find a soft spot you end up in the ocean below.  It was really cool to get in there and see it close up. 

John and I were able to go on one of the tours.  It turned out to be a very overcast night giving the light a flat white... so the ridges didn't stand out that much but we were still able to get some good pictures... so most of the story is in the pictures, but really how much can you write about frozen ice formations?
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