Mt. Erebus

 12-8-2022

Mt. Erebus
Mt. Erebus… I’ve described it earlier in the blog but today she was particularly active. The volcano has been very inactive over the past couple of weeks, noticeably so. Normally there is a small plume over the cone. From a distance it looks like a cotton ball sitting on top of the volcano. When it was inactive there was no cotton ball. Levels of very low activity are of concern to vulcanologists because the normal pressure that is released is not being released for some reason. 



The hope is that pressure doesn’t build to the point that the volcano erupts. Today, on my way to work, Erebus was more active than I have ever seen in my three seasons here. A plume extended for about 20 miles from the cone and is visible in the picture. Hopefully this venting will relieve some of the pressure that has built up over the last few weeks. 

"Bombs" from Mt. Erebus 
In the normal course of events huge chunks of lava are spewed out of the cone. Normally they don’t fly far and embed themselves in the snow near the peak. If you break a bomb open, you will find what are called Erebus Crystals. With proper care they can be polished and set in jewelry. The last season I was here a man who worked in one of the shops made jewelry from these crystals. I was fortunate enough to buy a few of his creations. Unfortunately, he retired several years ago, and I haven’t found anyone who is currently making this type of jewelry.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Cargo Ships and Whales

Image
  2-7-2023 Ship change…The first cargo ship left port last night and the next ship pulled right in behind him and began off-loading. Because of that, our Yacht Club meeting was cancelled because our Commodore was pulling line duty on the ship change. (For non-nautical people it means he was handling ropes used to tie the ship up to the pier) Because of the sun falling further in the sky it now feels like dawn and dusk all day. The first sunset is February 20 th , the day I leave McMurdo. The days are also getting cooler.   It’s not too bad when the wind isn’t blowing. If I can stay awake, I can visit the McMurdo Museum which is open from 8:00 to 10:00 this evening. The Minke whales are in the sound in large numbers. Last night I watched a pod of about 12 swimming around. It’s fun to watch them all “blow” as they surface. The Orcas are also still around. Penguins stay near the ice edge and are in jeopardy. All the seals are near Scott Base away from the ice edge and danger.
Read more

The Delta

Image
  12-6-2022 The Delta The transition from land to glacier has gotten almost impassable for vehicles, even those with the largest of wheels. One of the vehicles that can still make the passage is called “The Delta”. Remember watching “earth movers” when you were a kid? They had a huge tractor like front end connected to a large trailer that scraped dirt into itself.  Wow, that wasn’t a very good description, but I hope you know what I mean. That’s kind of what a Delta is except it’s designed to haul people instead of dirt. I’ve attached a picture to help your imagination. That’s what I rode on this morning getting to work. If you like roller coasters, you want to ride in the very back of the passenger compartment. Every bump and turn are magnified to the point that if you don’t have a seat belt on you may well bounce your head off the ceiling.  The other interesting thing is on the inside of the Delta, instead of graffiti people put stickers on the walls and ceiling. I’ve included just
Read more

Scott Hut

Image
  10-29-2022 Tomorrows supposed to be very cold and windy (50 mph) so I went for a walk down to Hut Point after work today. The hut was built in 1902 but on the outside, it looks like it did the day it was built. I’m just stunned by its pristine appearance. Outside the front door is a seal that was left there when Scott abandoned the hut over 100 years ago. The seal has remained frozen in place since that day The Hut was open to the public when I was last here but because people were removing artifacts, they now keep it locked. Tours are available on given days and a volunteer docent answers questions and ensures artifacts remain intact for future generations. As you enter the building, you’re forced to duck your head in order to enter through the very short door. When you enter you feel as though you have literally stepped back in time.  Socks and t-shirts are draped over the bunk beds. Blankets and sheets lie rumpled as though the men had just rolled out of bed. A penguin, the object
Read more