A GREAT PLATEAU.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 53, 27 March 1909, Page 5

A GREAT PLATEAU.

' EVIDENCE OF A FORMER MILD CLIMATE. THE IDEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES. One of the most important geological Jesuits of the expedition is to prove that the Antaretie region from Ross Sen to the South Pole is a great continental area in the nature of a- high plateau, its northern extremity near Cape North liein" 'from #OOO to 7000 feet ahove sea level, over 7000 feet near the magnetic pole,' over 8000 feet where it Mas traversed by Captain Scott's expedition, and about 10,500 feet at the furthermost (point reached by Lieut. Shackleton and party, 88deg. 23min. south. This plateau continues across to the South l'ole {or some distance and probably extends onwards in the direction of South Ameirica towards Coates Laud, discovered 1)V Bruce. The DISCOVERY OF COAL MEASURES and of thick measures of limestone as far as 80 degrees south is obviously of extreme internet as showing a former mild cliinat c close to the South Pole, for Iboth limestone and coal ownir only under such conditions. This coal measure ond the limestone formations extend in almost an uninterrupted sheet from 8j deg. south, across to the magnetic pole, a distance of over 1100 miles. Under the coal and sandstone formation is a widely spread foundation of very rocky granites nices schists ami coarse CrVfltalline marble. Mineral monazite from which thorium 19 "commercially extracted for incandescent gas mantles is <so common in places | itliat it > 9 one * oea ' TOt "' c f" rm ' n n j mineral like black bica in granite. This | mineral was discovered by Mr. Douglas Mawson at several spots along the coast on the west side of R«* Sen. Professor n a „id said' that the ringed penguin found at Cape K °y ds I> ro,)aU - v ram <\, al j tl,p -'-emendous distance from Grahams land and was the only bird of the sort ' seen at this , particular spot. The B Kn -"ker also stated that the results of »i. e meteorological observations were f a, n" worked up, and it was hoped they I wo Ul prove eminently useful both to S& "New Zealand and to Australia, b. For the solving of many impoitaii Br" iitlnr "*' the bearing of Antarctic HsRSSSiI-lnM unon the wether in these lati-

Ed up here by the local and expedition J scientists and they would be enabled to , compare a series <>x observations taken simultaneously over a period of lU'tceu months in the south polar regions and here, and to ascertain th e effect of the tremendous blizzards experienced iu tho upon the weather condition* oi Australasia, . -CIA)UDS OF SMOKE.

At Cape Rovds tile northern parly. Lieutenant Sliackietoirs party and tl'iv ship all look observations, Their situation at Cape Ho.vtU was most favorable for studying the vtlects of the upper air currents. A most interesting feature in thi* i-e-pect was the fact that they were enabled to watch tli c clouds of smoke moving over the top of Mount Erebus.