antarctica the mystery continent

Antarctica

The Mystery

Continent

WASHINGTON | Recently released remote sensing photography

of NASA’s Operation IceBridge mission in Antarctica led to a

fascinating discovery when images revealed what some experts

believe could be the existence of a possible ancient human

settlement lying beneath an impressive 2.3 kilometers of ice.

Antarctica is the largest

desert in the world.

Antarctica is the coldest, windiest,

highest and driest continent on Earth.

The coldest place on Earth is a high

ridge in Antarctica where

temperatures can dip below -133°F (-

93.2°C).

The highest temperature ever

recorded in Antarctica is 58.2°F

(14.5°C).

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FACTS AND INFORMATION

Who owns what part of

Antarctica?

Antarctica does not belong to any

nation, but is governed under an

international treaty that bars

countries from owning or exploiting its

land. The 1959 AntarcticTreaty, signed

by 45 nations, suspended the claims of

seven countries for territory in the

region.


How cold does it get in the

Antarctic?

The coldest temperature recorded in

Antarctica was -89.6°C at Vostok station in

1983. The average winter temperature at

the South Pole is about -49°C. Your home

freezer is only about -15°C. The wind chill

factor means that it can feel much colder.


There’s an active undersea volcano off the

Antarctic coast.

In 2004, a research ship sent to investigate the

collapse of the Larsen B ice sheet made an unintended

discovery. Near the Antarctic Peninsula, the

continent’s northernmost point, scientists detected a

previously unknown, 2,300-foot tall volcano rising up

from the sea floor to within 900 feet of the water

surface. Temperature probes moving along the sea

found evidence of geothermal heating of seawater,

which along with other evidence indicate that the

volcano has been active recently.


There are no permanent

residents in Antarctica.

The only people who

live there are visiting scientists.

During the summer, the number

averages about 5,000. In the

winter, it drops to 1,000.


Why do fish not

freeze in cold

water?

Scientists studying

why fish in the Arctic

ocean don't freeze have

discovered how a natural

antifreeze that keeps

blood flowing at sub-zero

temperatures works. The

temperature of

the water in the Arctic is

a fairly constant 28.6

degrees Fahrenheit year-

round, close to

the freezing point of

seawater.

Why does it take

so long for salt

water to freeze?

While pure water

freezes at 0°C

(32°F), salt

water needs to be

colder before it

freezes and so it

usually takes longer to

freeze. The

more salt in the water,

the lower

the freezing point.


The Antarctic Ocean's freezing

temperatures of 28.8 degrees

Fahrenheit (minus 1.8 degrees

Celsius) are lower than the freezing

point of fish blood, which is

about 30.4 degrees F (minus 0.9

degrees C), which would seem to

suggest that all those fish should be

frozen in their tracks.


Why the oceans do not

freeze?

Ocean water freezes just like

freshwater, but at lower

temperatures. Fresh waterfreezes at

32 degrees Fahrenheit but

seawater freezes at about 28.4

degrees Fahrenheit , because of the

salt in it. When seawater freezes,

however, the ice contains very little

salt because only the water

part freezes.


How wide is

Antarctica?

Antarctica is

roughly 5.4

million square

miles (14 million

square

kilometers) in

size, and that's

with all of its

ice.

How thick is the

ice in the

Antarctic?

The tallest mountains

extend above the ice

sheet. The highest

mountain summit is the

Vinson Massif at 4,897

meters above sea level.

The deepest known ice

rests2,555

meters below sea level,

where the ice is over 4

kilometers thick. This

shaded relief view of

Antarctica emphasizes

the irregular shape of

the surface.


Is the Arctic ice or land?

The Arctic is a semi-enclosed

ocean, almost completely

surrounded by land. As a result, the

sea ice that forms in the Arctic is

not as mobile as sea ice in the

Antarctic. Although sea ice moves

around the Arctic basin, it tends to

stay in the cold Arctic waters.


The Protocol on Environmental

Protection to the Antarctic Treaty,

added in 1991, explicitly bans any

extraction activity relating to mineral

resources, except for scientific

purposes.

But there are a number of countries in

Antarctica today doing just that…


The Piri Reis map is currently

located in the Library of the

Topkapı Palace

in Istanbul, Turkey, but is not on

display to the public.

This map shows Antarctica

with people and animals living

on the land despite it not

officially being discovered until

1818.


The Piri

Reis map

The Piri Reis map

The Piri Reis map

overlaid on a

modern day

Map --lines up

perfectly.

The Piri Reis map

overlaid on a modern day

Map --lines up perfectly.

This area shows Antarctica.

The Antarctic coast

There are two major discrepancies from known

coastlines: the North American coast mentioned above,

and the southern portion of the South American coast.

On the Piri Reis map, the latter is shown bending off

sharply to the east starting around present-day Rio de

Janeiro. A more popular interpretation of this territory

has been to identify this section with the Queen Maud

Land coast of Antarctica. This claim is generally traced

to Arlington H. Mallery, a civil engineer and amateur

archaeologist who was a supporter of pre-Columbian

trans-oceanic contact hypotheses. Though his

assertions were not well received by scholars, they

were revived in Charles Hapgood1966 book Maps of the

Ancient Sea Kings. This book proposed a theory of

global exploration by a pre-classical undiscovered

civilization based on his analysis of this and other

ancient and late-medieval maps


Who Discovered

Antarctica and

when was it

discovered?

1773: In January, Captain

James Cook and his crew

become the first men to

cross the Antarctic

Circle. 1775: In January,

Captain Cook, on his

third voyage, sails past

South Georgia and

discovers the South

Sandwich Islands two

weeks later.

How is a diamond

formed in the

earth?

Most natural diamonds

are formed at high

temperature and

pressure at depths of 140

to 190 kilometers (87 to

118 mi) in the Earth's

mantle. Carbon-

containing minerals

provide the carbon

source, and the growth

occurs over periods from

1 billion to 3.3 billion

years (25% to 75% of the

age of the Earth).


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DIAMONDS

New findings about diamond

deposits in Antarctica

Scientists say they have discovered

compelling evidence that diamonds

exist in the icy mountains of

Antarctica.

The researchers have identified a

type of rock in the permanently

frozen region that is known to

contain the precious stones.

DIAMONDS

DIAMONDS

Diamonds are called

"ice" with good

reason. Objects feel

cold not only because

they are at a lower

temperature than our

bodies, but also

because they can

extract or conduct the

heat away from us.

When you touch

a diamond to your lips,

it feels ice-cold

because it robs your

lips of their heat.

Why

are

diamonds

referred

to as

ice?

DIAMONDS

gold

Diamonds are called "ice"

Diamonds

Diamonds

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INTERESTING SCIENTIFIC

DISCOVERIES IN ANTARCTICA

1. Dinosaurs once lived in Antarctica.

2. A meteorite found in Antarctica contains

possible evidence of ancient life on Mars.

3. Antarctica is the best listening spot on the

planet for earthquakes.

4. There’s an active undersea volcano off the Antarctic coast.

5. Antarctica may have been connected to North America

6. Antarctic icebergs are hotspots for aquatic life.

7. Antarctica once was a refuge for animals from an

ancient mass extinction.

8. Antarctica’s glaciers are in an irreversible retreat due to

climate change.

9. There’s a valley deeper than the Grand Canyon hidden

under the ice of West Antarctica.

10. Life exists thousands of feet under Antarctica’s ice.

SCIENTIFIC FACTS

Is there any oil

in Antarctica?

The most valuable

resources

of Antarctica lie

offshore, namely

the oil and natural gas

fields found in the Ross

Sea in 1973.

Exploitation of all

mineral resources by

signatory states is

banned until 2048 by the

Protocol on

Environmental

Protection to

the Antarctic Treaty.

What are the

natural

resources of

Antarctica?

Some of the natural

resources of

Antarctica include its

mineral deposits of

iron ore,

chromium, gold, copp

er, nickel, and

platinum, marine

wildlife and small

reserves of coal and

hydrocarbons.


Floating oil rig (platform)

How does an oil rig float?

The official term for a buoyant oil

rigs is a floating production system.

The main types are classified as

FPSO systems, which stands

for floating production, storage and

offloading. Floating production

systems are generally utilised in

water depths ranging from 600 to

6,000 feet.

Floating oil rig (platform)

Antarctic Scientific Research

Stations and country flags

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=14&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiVs5ao_5jTAhVI_mMKHWQkBTgQFghcMA0&url=http://www.coolantarctica.com/Community/antarctic_bases.php&usg=AFQjCNFDIpAHsztrnemkAR-JiWyN7IFmrA&sig2=sEv3JAV7q-OPjeOCVLg8qg

Seven countries have laid

claim to parts of Antarctica

and many more have a

presence there - why do they

all want a piece of this frozen

wasteland?


Some countries maintain a

permanent army presence on

the Antarctic mainland, and the

worry is that some countries

are either not reporting military

deployment, or may instead be

recruiting civilian security

contractors for essentially

military missions.


How many nations

have stations in

Antarctica?

Seven nations have made

claims in Antarctica, but

about 30 of the countries

that have signed the

Antarctic Treaty send

personnel to research

stations on the Antarctic

continent and the

Antarctic Peninsula. All

told, there are as many

as 45 year-round stations

and 30 summer stations

(field stations).

The US operates a base

at the South Pole, which

conveniently straddles

every territorial claim.

This year China built its

fourth base. Next year it

will build a fifth.

All Antarctica's 68

bases are research

stations, established for

scientific purposes.


Amazing Antarctic Research Buildings

THE BRITISH ANTARCTIC SURVEY'S HALLEY VI it's probably the most

well-tested: the first in the line of Halley stations is from the late 1950s, and

VI opened up in February. This variation has hydraulic legs

(it can ski) and houses up to 52 researchers.

research stations

THE BRITISH ANTARCTIC

SURVEY'S HALLEY VI research

station

research stations

Occupied and managed by the Korea Polar

Research Institute. The design looks like a flying-

saucer. Is able to comfortably hold as many as 60

researchers at a time.

research stations

The Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station is a

United States scientific research station at

the South Pole, the southernmost place on

the Earth.

research stations

The front of the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station

research stations

research stations

Concordia Antarctic

Research Station

Jang Bogo Korean Antarctic

Research Station 1

research stations

India's Bharati Research Center

(the country's third Antarctic station)

is made from 136 prefab containers, but you

wouldn't know from looking.

The station's designed to

keep a minimal carbon footprint and

is wrapped in an aluminum case to protect against

wind and cold.

research stations

German Antarctic

research station

research stations

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China Taishan Antarctic

research station

The SANAE IV research

base

The Comandante Ferraz Antarctic Station is a

permanent Antarctic research station named

after the Brazilian Navy Commander Luís

Antônio de Carvalho Ferraz, who visited

Antarctica many times.

research stations

US Foreign Policy

Antarctic research

station.

research stations

Vehicles scientist use to

travel around Antarctica

More than 20 additional flights will transport hundreds

of scientists and support personnel to Antarctica. The

photo above shows newly arrived passengers getting on

a transport vehicle to be taken from the Sea Ice

Runway to McMurdo Station.



McMurdo Station

Base Antarctica.

Unmanned underwater vehicle provides first 3-D images of

underside of Antarctic sea ice.


Look at these

rims

Made for the

snow



Scientist make these

holes to get

to the water at the bottom

beneath the ice


What kind of animals live in

Antarctica?

Antarctica Animals -South Polar. Antarctic

animals - The most abundant and best known

animals from the southern

continent. Penguins, whales

seals, albatrosses, other seabirds and a

range of invertebrates you may have not

heard of such as krill which form the basis of

the Antarctic food web.


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Pyramids of Antarctica

Pyramid in Antarctica

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Doomsday vault

For storing all the

Worlds seeds.

Doomsday vault

Ruins Of Ancient

City Found In

Antarctica


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Why Are There No

Real Photos of The

Complete Earth?

NASA has never been

into space far enough

from the Earth to get the

whole planet in

the frame

IN NEARLY 60 YEARS of alleged

space exploration NASA has

never been able to offer us a

single genuine photograph of the

Earth from space—NOT ONE!

Even though we’ve had good,

high-resolution cameras for

nearly 100 years, NASA has

never taken a true photograph of

the Earth.

By their own admission, all of

the pictures we see are

composites, paintings or

computer-generated images.

Why is this? Could the answer

be, horror of horrors, that NASA

has never been into space—or at

least, not far enough from the

Earth to get the whole planet in

the frame?


The New Zealand crew of the Tangaroa vessel conducted

parallel sonar sweeps (pictured in a photo illustration) to map

the geography of Antarctic sea life as part of a marine census in

The team also used advanced video imaging to photograph the

seafloor to a depth of 2.1 miles (3.5 kilometers)—resulting in

eye-opening images of little-known polar animals.

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animals in Antarctica

Giant sea stars or starfish that measure 24 inches (60

centimeters) across are held by Sadie Mills, left, and Niki

Davey

Giant, Unknown Animals

Found off Antarctica


Found off Antarctica

The 19-inch-long (50-centimeter-long) creature might

be a tunicate, or sea squirt, say scientists who found

it during a large-scale survey of Antarctic life

Collected from the Ross Sea shelf in southern Antarctica,

this 9.8-inch-long (25-centimeter-long) giant sea spider was

one of 30,000 animals found during a 35-day census in early

2008.


Found in Antarctica

An Antarctic octopus found at 3,280 feet (1,000 meters) in

southern Antarctica's Ross Sea was one of about 18 octopus

species recorded.


Found in Antarctica

This predatory fish, called a stareater, uses its luminous red

chin appendage to lure prey into striking distance.


Found in Antarctica

This 19-inch-long (50-centimeter-long) daggertooth sports

a striking iridescent body and sapphire blue eyes. An

Antarctic neighbor of the predatory stareater.


Found in Antarctica

This shrimplike crustacean was collected 985 feet

(300 meters) deep on the Ross Sea shelf.


Found in Antarctica

This sea cucumber—held by Sadie Mills of New

Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric

Research—is known as a sea pig.


Found in Antarctica

High-powered cameras photographed this sea star or a starfish

of the genus Labediaster (lower left) surrounded by brittle stars

on a seamount 492 feet (150 meters) below the surface of

Antarctica's Ross Sea.


This hydroid—likely a new species—measures

2.5 inches (6.5 centimeters) across its head

and has stalks over 39 inches (100

centimeters) long.

Giant, Unknown plant

Found in Antarctica

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antarctica the mystery continent

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