ࡱ > [ ] Z U@ bjbj Y ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 8 , g% n n n $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ ' R Y) B % ~ ^ . @ % ~ ~ !% " ~ ~ $ $ " ~ ~ F$ ok . b# $ 7% 0 g% z# ) ) 0 F$ ~ ~ ~ ~ ) ~ F$ n H \ E n n n % % v $ v Exploring Landscape and Process in Antarctica Has the Antarctic continent always been as cold as today? The earths crust beneath all that ice and snow hasnt always been like this as Captain Scott, one of the most famous Antarctic explorers, discovered. Tragically he and his team died before bringing back to the UK one of the few finds, a rock with leaf impressions, they didnt discard on their fatal journey. Why did they think it so important? The leaf told geologists that temperate rain forests had been growing on this land nearly 300 million years ago and that the land had once been much nearer the Equator. Yes and later even dinosaurs roamed Antarctica too! The Antarctic rocks tell a story of many different environments and climates; in fact, geologically it has only been cold for a very short period of time. It formed part of the super-continent known as HYPERLINK "http://www.unlockingthearchives.rgs.org/glossary/?letter=G" Gondwanaland that comprised most of todays southern continents. About 180 million years it began to break up and the Earths crust which was to become Antarctica drifted towards the Earths southern pole. Whilst other pieces became parts of South America, South Africa, India and Australia. What is the landscape like today? Antarctica is the coldest continent and its high central plateau is classed as a cold desert. This is because the amount of HYPERLINK "http://www.unlockingthearchives.rgs.org/glossary/?letter=P" precipitation, which falls entirely as snow, is less than 50mm per year. A massive HYPERLINK "http://www.unlockingthearchives.rgs.org/glossary/?letter=I" ice sheet, which extends over the sea to form HYPERLINK "http://www.unlockingthearchives.rgs.org/glossary/?letter=I" ice shelves, covers the bulk of the Earths surface in and around Antarctica. Within these ice sheets there are fast flowing HYPERLINK "http://www.unlockingthearchives.rgs.org/glossary/?letter=I" ice streams capable of moving ice at up to Tim Burton 1,000 metres per year. On land large valleys which are not completely buried contain HYPERLINK "http://www.unlockingthearchives.rgs.org/glossary/?letter=G" glaciers like the Beardmore Glacier. This spills out onto the Ross Ice Shelf providing a route for early explorers, like Shackleton. Lastly Antarctica has many volcanoes, like Mt. Erebus at 4,045 metres; it was seen and recognised as still active by Scotts party in 1912. Today it contains a lava lake with occasional explosive activity. Deception Island, however, is a large HYPERLINK "http://www.unlockingthearchives.rgs.org/glossary/?letter=C" caldera now flooded by the sea but with sporadic eruptions even though todays tourists frequent it. Evidence from HYPERLINK "http://www.unlockingthearchives.rgs.org/glossary/?letter=I" ice cores suggests that volcanic eruptions were common during the last 25 million years as the climate deteriorated and the Antarctic ice sheet formed. / 0 1 2 3 l m n r s ̴|m^mNB, +j h]# h/ CJ OJ QJ UaJ h]# CJ OJ QJ aJ j h]# CJ OJ QJ UaJ h]# h= CJ OJ QJ aJ h]# h]# CJ OJ QJ aJ h]# h$@ 5CJ OJ QJ aJ h]# h]# 5CJ OJ QJ aJ h]# 5CJ OJ QJ aJ hP h~f OJ QJ .j hS CJ OJ QJ UaJ mH nH sH u h]# h~f 5CJ OJ QJ aJ h]# h]# 5CJ OJ QJ aJ hS j hS UmH nH sH u 0 2 3 m n ! " # gd$@ $ a$ gd= gdk gd,. gd= $a$gd]# $a$gd~f $a$gdS l $ % m n o x y ϷjTD j hE CJ OJ QJ UaJ +j h]# h/ CJ OJ QJ UaJ +j h]# h/ CJ OJ QJ UaJ .j h,. CJ OJ QJ UaJ mH nH sH u h]# hk CJ OJ QJ aJ h]# hk 5CJ OJ QJ aJ h]# CJ OJ QJ aJ h,. CJ OJ QJ aJ h]# h]# CJ OJ QJ aJ h]# h]# 0J CJ OJ QJ aJ j h]# CJ OJ QJ UaJ h i νέl[OC4 h$@ h,. CJ OJ QJ aJ h$@ CJ OJ QJ aJ h,. CJ OJ QJ aJ h= h]# 0J CJ OJ QJ aJ +j h= hk CJ OJ QJ UaJ h= CJ OJ QJ aJ j h= CJ OJ QJ UaJ h]# h]# CJ OJ QJ aJ h]# h]# 6CJ OJ QJ aJ hE h]# 0J CJ OJ QJ aJ j hE CJ OJ QJ UaJ +j hE h/ CJ OJ QJ UaJ hE CJ OJ QJ aJ P Q ! # b i ʺxl`QB3B h$@ h= CJ OJ QJ aJ h$@ h]# CJ OJ QJ aJ h$@ hfY CJ OJ QJ aJ h]# CJ OJ QJ aJ hfY CJ OJ QJ aJ h]# h= CJ OJ QJ aJ hE h]# 0J CJ OJ QJ aJ +j hE h/ CJ OJ QJ UaJ hE CJ OJ QJ aJ j hE CJ OJ QJ UaJ h]# h]# CJ OJ QJ aJ h$@ CJ OJ QJ aJ h$@ CJ OJ QJ aJ h$@ h$@ CJ OJ QJ aJ b c d k l ! " # , - 짔o`PLPLH` h$@ h,^ j h,^ UmH nH sH u h$@ h~f CJ OJ QJ aJ +jQ h$@ h/ CJ OJ QJ UaJ h$@ h/ CJ OJ QJ aJ %j h$@ h/ CJ OJ QJ UaJ h$@ h]# CJ OJ QJ aJ h$@ h]# 0J CJ OJ QJ aJ +jj h$@ h/ CJ OJ QJ UaJ h$@ hE CJ OJ QJ aJ %j h$@ hE CJ OJ QJ UaJ gd$@ . A!"#$% n GyIm*PNG IHDR . ) sRGB pHYs ~ |IDATx^e]p@C;}n/uq欮NILF#'HD 'ܥ[7=Oy"$@"'tح8#?HD Hڂ@בFءCǞu4:@"$͌@F;EGt>jqfCf#Ǟ$@";U>#c$@"дgiz5mS6-"9D HV{>[NaÆaO_%@"$T}&c.QwE?}4lD-HD eI{;kQ-kg/cB$@"дt<(cL. B6G<2~o2x@ӢOD9`at5^ϱҽw#Q߾囷3:/G$@!С{~7fz_raQ$M`7HfA=[ϱjIsDC