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Show Antarctic Survey Discovers New Facts on Polar Cap Almost a ton of Antarctic rock speciments, including a 70 pound meteorite,, have been sent to the United States Geological Survey for laboratory study. The large meteorite, which is believed to be the first sizable authenticated meteorite found on the polar continent, was discovered, discov-ered, when scientists of the survey sur-vey were conducting studies at the austral summer just ended. There is no doubt about the authenticity of the recent survey find. It was made in the eastern Horlick Mountains about 350 miles from the South Pole, during dur-ing the first systematic geological geologi-cal mappnig of the area ever attempted. at-tempted. The word in progress is part of an Antarctic survey program sponsored by the National Na-tional Science Foundation. When found the meteorite was in two sections, both lying exposed ex-posed in moraine on top of the continental ice cap, about 100 yards apart. "Obviously, the pieces had been a single mass as the meteorite meteor-ite entered the earth's atmosphere," atmos-phere," said Dr. Arthur B. Ford of Washington D.C., leader of the group. "Fracture probably took place upon impact with nearby rock outcrops." One portion is about 50 pounds, the other 20. About 10 inches in diameter when reassembled the Antarctic meteorite is of special interest to scientists because it is a less common type, a "siderolite " of part iron and part stone, containing contain-ing large proportions of nickle and a silicate. Meteorites are composed of the same chemical elements as rocks here on earth, but they are distinguishable from terrestrial material by their high density, and by their unusual textures and mineral assemblage. "The eastern Horlick Mountains Moun-tains occupy a geologically interesting inter-esting position near the intersection intersec-tion of two great mountain chains, the trans Antarctic Mountains Moun-tains and the Ellsworth Mountains. Moun-tains. The mapping suggests that large blocks of the earth's crust bounded by faults are partly responsible re-sponsible for the .mesalike forms characterizing the eastern Hor-licks," Hor-licks," Dr. Ford said. Bjorn G. Andersen, a glacial geologist, has carried out studies of the ice cap near the mountains, moun-tains, and rock weathering. He finds that in times past the ice cap there was more extensive than it is today, completely covering and overriding some of the peaks. |
