Thank you to everyone who joined me and Dr. Ross Powell this morning for our live webinar from McMurdo Station in Antarctica. If you missed it you can listen to the archive when its posted. Remember that if you have questions that didn't get answered during the live session, you can also ask them on-line.
A Polar Question
The pictures below show a large concrete block that is used to anchor a big radar dome that's sitting on a trailer. The blocks keep it from being blown away in high winds. I noticed something kind of odd about the block. Can you see what I was looking at? If you do, go to Ask The Team and write down what you observed and what it might tell you about the history of this block. Observation is a very important skill for scientists, especially for geologists who are always looking for hints and clues about Earths past history by observing what the rocks tell them.
Do your best and talk with your class mates about what this shows you.
This is an old dome used to protect a radar antenna. Look at the large concrete block on the left corner.
This is the concrete block up close. What can you observe about it?
Sunday Recreation
We work six days out of the week, but Sundays are (usually) a day off. This Sunday John Winans and I climbed Observation Hill. There's a great view from the top. You can see in a full circle around. It was a pretty nice day - sunny and not cold, but the wind did come up a bit while we were up there. Here are a couple of pictures of the hill and from the top.
Observation Hill is in the background. It has a hiking trail to the top and also around it's base. The peak is 754 feet above sea level.
This is the top of Observation Hill. The cross is in memory of Commander Scott and the four men who died in 1912 on their return from the South Pole. In the far background you can see the volcanic peak of Mt. Erebus.