Lemaire Channel and Port Lockroy, January 15, 2013

I awoke to an overcast sky.  The seas remain calm but the light is diffuse at best.  We cruised down the Lemaire Channel to our southernmost point, 65°6’ South Latitude.

A cross-section of layering in the glacial ice.

I am not sure why we headed down the Lemaire Channel other than to say that we had done it.  The channel is less than 500 yards wide at its narrowest and is flanked by volcanic and plutonic rocks that are mostly covered by ice and snow.  I did see some interesting sedimentary patterns in one flow.

After reaching the southernmost point of our journey we turned around and headed back north up the channel to Port Lockroy.  Port Lockroy was formerly a top-secret British base positioned to supposedly keep an eye on the movement of German ships towards the end of World War II.  Of course, it had some history prior to that, whalers, etc. 

Following WWII the base was used as a scientific research station until the early 1960s, at which point it was abandoned to the Gentoo penguins.  However, in the mid-1990s the Antarctic Heritage Trust took over and turned the base into a museum preserving the heritage of the scientists. According to their website (http://www.ukaht.org), Port Lockroy is the "Jewel in the Crown of Antarctica."

The kitchen. The cookbook on the stove is open to
a recipe for "Seal Brains with Eggs."
Sounds like a nourishing breakfast. 

We toured the open museum building, stepping over Gentoo Penguins to get in. The penguins are so habituated to humans that they nearly step on your feet in their hurry to get from one point to another. Their nests are literally on the foundations of the buildings. It turns out that there is a reason for this. The Skuas don't like to fly among the humans and are less likely to carry out their predatory behavior in the vicinity of the structures. 

Of course, there is a gift shop associated with the museum.  I spent over $100 buying gifts and mailed a couple of postcards off to my nieces Lily and Abby in New Mexico.

Lunch was interesting.  It consisted of a BBQ on the stern deck of the ship with some of the crew of Port Lockroy as guests.  Since the weather was warm (comparatively) we ate outside in the fresh Antarctic breeze.  Beer and soda were included!

A picnic in Antarctica!

From Port Lockroy we headed north to Neko Bay for a post-prandial cruise or hike.  I elected to hike.  The hike was pleasant enough but not memorable.

Cuverville Island and Port Charcot, January 14, 2013

A glorious day. The weather is so changeable.
One day stormy, the next beautiful.

I arose early (around 5:30am) and headed on out to the bridge.  The Antarctic sunrise was glorious.  Of course, it went on for hours.  Daylight at this latitude lasts for about 20 hours.  We were cruising south down the Gerlache Strait to a mooring at Cuverville Island.  The sea has calmed tremendously.  It is like glass compared to the tossing we received yesterday.

An amazing landscape of rocks and ice.

I spent some time on the rocky shore.  Igneous (rocks from molten magma) volcanic and plutonic (rocks that form deep in the crust) rocks dominate the geology.  Rounded granitic cobbles shot through with pink feldspars (a mineral in the rocks) abound on the beach.  Also, scattered about on the beach are numerous whalebones.  According to Kate Spencer, staff cetacean specialist, these are the results of predation by whalers.  The early whalers used to pull up to the beaches and process their kill.

The beach is home to a colony of Gentoo Penguins.  These are distinguishable by their brushy tails, relatively small size, and the white patches that extend backward from their eyes.  The penguins have made “highways” through the snow with their trampling feet.  Their nests are made of pebbles and it is amusing to see them stealing pebbles from one another.  Many of them have young and I was able to get a few photos of them feeding their young.

Chick getting its meal of regurgitated krill

We were offered an opportunity to go Zodiac cruising for an hour or two after our landing.  I never really feel comfortable cruising in the Zodiacs, too much of a wimp.  Instead I returned to the ship.  In speaking later to some of the cruisers I found out that one of them discovered themselves being shadowed by a Leopard Seal.  Leopard Seals are one of the top predators in this area, weighing approximately 1,200 pounds and lengths of 11 feet.  They are known, according to the guidebooks, to have punctured Zodiacs. There is one case of a Leopard Seal killing a human. She was a diver with the British Antarctic Survey. Apparently it grabbed her and took her down to a depth of about 70 feet where she drowned. It was found later chewing on her body. 

On the way back to the ship we saw penguins flying through the air. Not really, but the way that they propel themselves through the water is like a porpoise as they become little torpedoes. We've seen this behavior all along but I found it very hard to get a shot of them "flying."

Penguin as torpedo.

Two of the dozen or so Orcas harassing the Humpbacks.

Leaving Cuverville Island we continued south through the Gerlache Strait to a landing late at night at Port Charcot on Booth Island.  The Gerlache is "whale-rich" and did fail to live up to its name.  We had a very unique encounter during our cruise as we ran into a pod of some 12 Orcas that were harassing three, adult humpbacks.  

According to Ted Cheeseman this is the first time that he’s seen this kind of behavior.  At first we thought that the humpbacks had a calf among them and we were witnessing predation.  That proved not to be the case. However, the confrontation went on for some 20 minutes.  Unfortunately, the action was taking place about ¼ mile away from the ship.  My photos are poor at best.  It was amazing to hear the Humpbacks breathing so far away from the ship.  The sound of their exhalations carried well across the open sea.  Eventually, the Orcas headed off.

Our landing at Port Charcot occurred after dinner.  Given the fact that: 1. the sun doesn’t set until 11:30 and 2. it never really gets dark there was no problem with going late in the day.  In my Zodiac ride to shore we chanced upon a Leopard Seal hunting penguins. Lucky for the penguins they got away.

The small dot in the water to the left is a fleeing penguin. The Leopard Seal's
head is to the right in the water.

Of course, none of my photos were any good but it was amazing to see such a large animal moving so quickly through the water.  Ashore at Port Charcot was a colony of Gentoo Penguins.  On a short hike across the peninsula we were on was an iceberg graveyard.  Thousands of icebergs were grounded in an embayment.  There were myriads of shapes and sizes.

Possibly my best picture of the trip. The iceberg graveyard.

Lounging on the ice floes were five more Leopard Seals.  Just like all the other seals we saw on the trip. When they are resting they rest hard. Every seal I saw was either in motion or immobile.

Lounging Leopard Seal

I returned to the ship sometime after 10:30pm and headed down to the lounge for a nightcap.  While there I ran into Ian Dalziel and we discussed his many trips to the South Pole.  He’s in his mid-70s and told me that he has NSF funding for research into his 80s. He is definitely a man who found what he wanted to do and intends to keep doing it till he dies. He is the only one that I know of that never wears a hat or pulls the hood up on his jacket no matter what the conditions are.

Deception Island, January 13, 2013

An aerial view. It definitely did not look this inviting
during our trip!

We cruised around the peninsula and are again on the western side of it. We are currently inside the caldera of the active, Deception Island volcano.  Deception Island is one of the South Shetland Islands and is the only active volcano in the chain. When we geologists say active we mean that it has occurred in the relatively recent past. The last eruption here was in the late 1960s and buried a British Antarctic Survey base under a layer of volcanic ash and lapilli (small gravel size bits of volcanic debris).

The entrance to the caldera is through a relatively narrow channel called Neptune’s Bellows.  As we passed through the entrance to the volcano a good cross-section of the volcanic deposits was visible. Much of the upper slopes of the volcano are covered with snow and glaciers.

Note the layers of lava and the light colored ash overlying the slopes.

 The weather has taken another turn for the worse. We are sheltered from the high seas by the caldera walls.  It is quite breezy out, though (understatement).  The wind speeds are up to 25 knots.

We made two landings here. The first looks like a miserable wet, landing.  Not much to recommend it.  Ted Cheeseman spoke of some hot volcanic soil with rare lichens.  I have elected to pass on this, though.  Those who went reported back that it was unexciting. This afternoon we are scheduled to move to Whaler’s Cove and the potential for a swim in the hot springs.  That is definitely something I will try for. 

Well, I wimped out on the swimming at the hot springs.  The wind was howling at probably 20 to 30 knots.  Not much of a hot spring, either.  The volcanic soil (ash and lapilli) on the beach along an area of a couple of hundred yards is heated from underneath by the volcanic gases/fluids.

The steam in the foreground is the "hot springs!"
Not what I was expecting at all.

Forlorn remains of a whaler's boat.

As the tide comes in the cold, Antarctic water mixes with whatever transient water is there. There is no quiescent pool of water.  I still have the remnants of my cold (stuffy nose) and thought it prudent to avoid the wind and cold.  However, a couple of dozen people did elect to wallow for a few seconds in the waves.  They all seemed to survive and so that is good.

Pretty much the only thing going for Deception Island is the fact that it is a volcano.  The remains of a couple of bases are scattered around the island.  A lonely penguin and some abandoned boats summed up the feeling of the place well. 

Leopard Seal lounging on the volcanic sand.
No one took me up on my suggestion to go and
wake it up.

I did hike up to Neptune’s Window (an opening in the rim that allows a view out on the sea).  The wind made it difficult to walk across the ash and lapilli on the beach. It was quite miserable.

A Leopard Seal was lounging on the beach and I did get a few photos of that.  It moved its flippers a few times, somewhat reminiscent of a dog kicking its legs while dreaming.

Getting back to the ship was like being in a shower.  The waves were kicking up and the wind was directly in our face.  A hot sauna was waiting for me on my return.

Late in the day (around 11:00 pm) I went up to the bridge to look at the sunset.  There was no one on the bridge except for the Russian watch officers.  I sat awhile and watched the bow move up and down more than 20 feet.  Spray occasionally launched itself over onto the deck. It was hypnotic.

Hope Bay, Antarctic Peninsula, January 12, 2013

It is late in the morning and we are headed to Hope Bay on the Antarctic Peninsula finally!  Landfall is anticipated shortly (around 11am).  Many of the passengers are up on the bridge scanning the bergs for Emperor Penguins. 

Scanning for penguins.

A sign-up sheet was posted and the person correctly guessing the time of the first viewing wins a prize. It turned out that, unfortunately, we never did get to see an Emperor Penguin. These are the tallest of the penguins and heaviest of the penguins at nearly 4 feet and up to 90 pounds. Contrast that with their near cousins the King Penguins which are about 3 feet high and only about 40 pounds.

The ship is headed through a maze of icebergs and ice chunks.  Some of them are beautiful with aquamarine coloring and interesting shapes.

Icebergs. The staining on the one to the
 lower left is probably algae. 

Close-up of berg with icicles hanging from it. 

Ho, hum. Another glacier descending to the sea!

We have finally reached an anchorage near the Argentine base and I am taking this opportunity to get a few photos of the stunning landscape. The dark rocks contrasted against the white snow and white-blue of the glaciers is stunning. Pictures don't do it justice.

On the beach at Hope Bay.

Just returned from my first visit to the mainland of the Antarctic Continent.  Visited two sites near the Argentine base (Esperanza). The exposed rocks are Triassic-age turbidites.  However, on the beach I found some Jurassic- to Cretaceous-age terrestrial and volcanic rocks.  These were carried to the shoreline by the glaciers that overrode these rocks miles away. I did get a couple of samples…shh! We are not supposed to remove rocks from the continent. As a geologist how am I supposed to go to Antarctica and not come back with a rock or two?

During my hike across the exposed rocky beach I noticed some amazing jellyfish and other life in the tide pools. There were copepods (small crustaceans), worms, jellyfish, and algae.

Also on view in Hope Bay was a colony of Adelie Penguins.  The colony numbered in excess of 50,000 and stretched for nearly ½ mile in a band a couple of hundred yards wide. They clambered about on "Penguin Highways" or paths worn smooth in the snow by their marching feet.

Note the penguins on the top of the hill, too.

A grounded berg showing the amazing shapes they get
as they weather and erode at sea.

The Adelies were comical to watch as they marched single file across the snowfields to get to a place where they could access the beach.  I was able to get some video. Unfortunately, Google is not letting me upload the file.

The Adelies are so unafraid of us.  I stood still at one point and they got within inches of me.

Later we cruised along the peninsula and were treated to an incredibly stunning sunset. Of course, being so far south it went on and on for hours. One of the Russian crew on the ship thought it was the most beautiful she had ever seen. I would definitely rate it in my top ten. Of course, no photo could do it justice but here are a couple that show some of the highlights.

Sun setting over the Antarctic Peninsula.

Penguins on a berg in the foreground.