Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-19
BYRD EXPEDITION HAS REVEALED
MUCH OF ANTARCTIC INTERIOR
Previous knowledge Gained From Narrow
Fields Opened by Shackleton
and Amundsen.

& Rsdio q 70 r.. S Star and Is. New York
Times.
LITTLE AMERICA. Antarctica. June
climate. when one contemplates only
the geographic isolation Of the Antarc-
tic Continent he has little cause to
wonder that 1t is still the terra tncog-
nita OF the whole world. Here Is q
continental land mass nearly as large
as the United States and continental
Canada combined. surrounded by a
great sea in no place less than 500
miles in width and everywhere oceanic
in character.
Not only are these seas generally
the most tempestuous of any on the
globe, but their southern limits are
perpetually infested with great fields
Of sea ice and irnumerebie icebergs,
so that vast areas have never been
navigated.
Our knowledge of the Antarctic is
by no means as extensive as one would
suppose from studying existing maps.
Actually little more than one-third of
the coast line has been roughly chArted.
Map makers have fallen into the habit
of connecting unknown areas with little
regard to their isolation, thus giving
quite an incorrect impression. Add to
this the fact that before the present
Byrd Antarctic Expedition began its
work our notions about the continents
interior were chiefly the result of in
formation cleaned from narrow fields
of view opened by journeys to the South
Magnetic Pole and the converging
routes of Journeys made by Scott
Shackleton and Anundsen toward the
South Pole.
A Circular Continent.
In shape the Antarctic Continent at
once suggests rudely circular outline,
with the South Pole as its center. Its
main departures from such outline are
caused by two great indentations from
almost opposite sides-from the Pacific
side, the Ross Barrier, which penetrates
to within $50 miles of the pole, and.
from the Atlantic, the Weddell Sea-
which penetrates only about to lati-
tude Is degrees, or $50 from the pole.
These great penetrating seas suggest
at least a structural division of the
continent, and II is customary to speak
of the portion that lies on the Atlantic
and that facing Australia as Eastern
Antarctica and that part lying on the
Pacific side as Western Antarctica.
Parts of Antarctica are also identified
with reference to lands or seas that
appear to the north Of them. Thus
Eastern Antarctica comprises the Aus
tralian. African and part of Ameri-
can quadrant and western Antarctica
contains the Pacific quadrant and part
of American to coast land.
In spite Of the apparent basic divi-
sion of Antarctica into two sections,
its great ice cap gives general as
pect Of oneness which is unique. This
unity is further expressed in the cli-
mate and in life that is, Of course, re-
stricted TO coastal zones and adjoining
seas. Everywhere one finds the same
species Of seals, whales and birds. With
an average altitude estimated at 5000
to 1000 feet above sea level, this is by
far the highest Of all continents.
From the fact that this great aver
age elevation is due to an ice cover
variously estimated at from 1000 to
10000 feet in thickness, it naturally
of land project above the Ice at any
great distance inland. Along coasts
where the ice is thinner there are more
extensive patches OF bare rock and ice
free islands. Yet, all of these areas
combined are negligible when COM
pared with the total extent Of the con-
tinent They are, nevertheless, to-
gether with debris carried in ice, our
only sources Of geological information.
Furthermore, the fact that the ice so
largely debouches into the sea means
that rock matter brought by glaciers to
the margin OF the continent Is largely
deposited upon the sea floor. It seems
that all the forces Of nature, have COM
bined here to hide geological secrets.
Despite these obstacles. combined with
a climate which Is of unparalleled
severity. much good geological work
has been done.
Geological Discoveries.
With the preceding geographic facts
in mind, we can sketch the main out
lines of our knowledge Of Antarctic ge-
ology. First. the structural features