PLANS TO VISIT ANTARCTIC OASIS

Chronicle (Levin), 28 August 1946, Page 5

PLANS TO VISIT ANTARCTIC OASIS

fSpecinl Correspondcnt.)

LAND DISCOVERED BARE OF SNOW AND ICE

Received Tuesdav, 7 p.m. LOXDOX, Aug. 27. An expedition to survey an "oasis' of niountaius bare of snow and ice in the extensive area kiiown as Queen Maud Land in the Antarctic, is expected to take place "in about tWo years ' tinie. " British and Xorwegian expiure rs will take part and, in the words of Mr. L. P. Kirwan, director and secretarv of the Iioval Geographical

Society, * ' there will be consideraide. dis cussions during the next year and we hope X fw Zealand will be in theni." Mr. Kirwan, who einphasised that the plans' were in their earliest stage, said the inatter had been discussed with I)r. II. Marsden and oUier Xew Zealand ■ scientists reeenth ai Cambridge, "in a purely infonnal scientilie wav. " He added that there was "a po.ssibilit.Vj that the expedit ion would leave. for the Antaretic from Xew Zealand and the Domiiiion would be kopt fullv infonned on the progress of the talks. " Mr. Kirwan said that from the srienlilie viewpoint, the "oasis" was an extremely important area. There was a nnmber of things that might In1 disco vered apart from the purely glai-ia logieal and meterological conditions. It eould be seen whether there was plant or aninml life which it was impossible to deteet from the air, while the rela t i on between ihe area and the nearest continents geologieally, was also of great interest. One of Ihe probleins to be solved by those phmning the e.xpedi tion was to secure a ship capable, of carrying aireraft, snow jeeps and etjuip ment.. We have got a lot to do to gei arouiid that bne," remarked Mr. Kir,wan. _ & T'hfi axistohee of the "oasis" was •discovered on the eve of the outbrea'ft of war in 19.39, by Xazi explore'rs! They surveyeil and photographed the nioun taius from the air and dropped swastika flugs in an attempt to lay claim to t.h" territory which is Xorwegian. The vallev. which is believed to be volcanicallv warmed, is thought to lie 200 niiles south of the sea in the un niapped area. The real ptirpose of the dennan expedition was to establish :i meterological base to aid their ocean raiders. A dennan report, with photo graphs was published in Leipzig in 1942. As well as Professor Kirwan, Pro fessor H. W. Ahimanu, of Stockholiu Kniversity, is associated with the new expedition, the operational base for which is likely to be Xew Zealand oi Tasmania. It is reported that a former dennan motorship carrying snow jeeps and aireraft, is being prepared at Oslo.