After a long journey beginning at 6:00pm September 30th from Denver flying across the Pacific Ocean from Los Angeles — I met the team during a short layover in Sydney for the first time in person (a breakdown of their respective bios will be coming soon) and we headed over to Christchurch landing the afternoon of October 2nd (October 1st didn't exist since I crossed the International Date Line en route to Sydney). Christchurch is a historical city with deep roots in the exploration of the Antarctic continent serving as a base of operations for the United States as well as other countries since exploration of the continent began.
CDC - not the Centers for Disease Control
One wall of the Clothing Distribution Center in Christchurch is dedicated to the wide array of clothing options that are provide for participants.
Clothing for US expeditions leaving for Antarctica from Christchurch is handled by the Clothing Distribution Center, a massive warehouse containing boots, gloves, pants, goggles, and the famous "Big Red" - the large red, goose down filled, fur lined parka that is issued to all participants. The clothing was already placed into two bright orange duffels
Equipment was prepacked by CDC staff in the eponymous orange bags.
— the contents of which was dependent on the type of project or expedition that you were on — I was receiving the full contingent of clothing that the CDC could provide (which includes almost everything that you would need other than underwear and socks). After trying everything on, making sure that it fit (gloves had to go back to get a bigger size, exchanged the snow pants that were issued to me for heavy duty insulated Carhart bibs, and I got a pair of classic big mittens to place over my gloves and liners), we had a briefing on weight limits (only 80 lbs total per person including all the gear that we had just been issued) and basic safety which in the Antarctic is anything but "basic". With all the required items done for the day, I had the opportunity to visit this city that is so vital to the US Antarctic Program.
RE:Build
Seismicity in the vicinity of Christchurch, New Zealand, following the September 3, 2010, M7.0, Darfield earthquake (yellow circles) and the February 21, 2011, M6.3, Christchurch earthquake (orange circles). Image from USGS, data from GNS Science, New Zealand.
At 12:51pm on February 22, 2011, an earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale struck 6 miles away from Christchurch in the port city of Lyttelton. Christchurch was disastrously affected by this earthquake and associated aftershocks and is slowly beginning the process of rebuilding the central core. The infrastructure of the central city had already
Damage to ChristChurch Cathedral following the quakes of 2011 is clearly visible. The tower and steeple were to the left of the now exposed front.
been weakened by the magnitude 7.1 Canterbury earthquake of September 4, 2010, collapse of buildings and falling debris resulted in the deaths of 185 people from 20 different countries (115 of those from the collapse of the entire Canterbury Television building). There are still numerous reminders of the earthquake from heavily damaged buildings to entire sections of the city having been leveled. ChristChurch Cathedral's spire and tower collapsed (and then was further damaged again during December and June 2011 quakes — although deconsecrated the historic church is in ruins. The effect of the earthquake was magnified due to it's shallow epicenter and the large amount of liquefaction that occurred both in Christchurch and in the suburbs.
Information related to the quake can be found at the following websites: Christchurch Quake Map: Major earthquakes shown in this visualization USGS Major Earthquake Posters and Tectonic Summary *February 21, 2011 *June 13, 2011 GeoNet Summary - New Zealand Earthquake Commission
Giant California Redwoods collected from the United States and grown to huge heights at the Christchurch Botanic Garden.
Despite the destruction that the city center felt, the Botanical Gardens in Christchurch came away relatively unscathed and remain today a peaceful spot in the middle of the city. Founded in 1863, I ended my day wandering amongst the many flowers and trees that dot this major park. Most impressive were the huge Giant California Redwood trees that must have been planted when the Gardens had first started since they were so huge. With the cherry blossoms in full bloom, it was immediately evident that I was the other hemisphere and Spring was on its way.
As I write this, I'm waiting in line to get my boarding card for my flight to Antarctica with roughly 100 other individuals - scientists, support personal (fire fighters, heavy equipment mechanics, airway support, and more), and members of both the Italian and New Zealand scientific teams (Scott Base for the New Zealanders is just 2 miles away from McMurdo and Mario Zucchelli Station is a helicopter flight away but the United States routinely provides air transport services for the countries as well as others).
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