Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-07-24
Scientists Muy Plan
Alaskan Observatory
Team to Climb Volcanic
Peck $4,000 Feet High
By THONGS R. Henry

Feasibility of a permanent cosmic
ray observing station on top of $4,000.
foot Mount Wrangell, Alaska, will be
determined this summer.
This will be joint enterprise of the
University of Alaska and New York
University. sponsored by the ONCE Of
Naval Research.
Mount Wrangell is peak with a
broad, fiat summit in Southeastern
Alaska about equidistant between An
chorage and Fairbanks and about 100
miles from the coast. It is volcano,
practically extinct, although it is re-
ported that steam comes from vents
near the surface.
The need Of permanent observatory
in high latitude and at great alti-
tude has been recognized for some
years. The great problem is one of
accessibility. First, it is proposed to
climb the mountain on foot. AS the
ground party reaches various elevations
where good fiat areas are found, ex-
perimental landings with small pri-
vate plane piloted by DR.. Terry Moore,
president of the University of Alaska,
will be made. This will be done at
how high plane can be landed and
taken of. but DR.. Moore has success
fully landed as high as 10000 feet in
past seasons. The purpose Of this will
be to determine the highest point at
which supply base can be maintained.
Volcanic Heating.
There has been some discussion Of
the possibility of using volcanic steam
for heating. This would be an i'm
portant contribution to the supply
problem.
Once the station is established, it is
proposed to record particularly the
number of neutronS produced at this
elevation and the fluctuations in this
quantity which may be produced by
solar disturbances. These fluctuations
will be studied to determine if they
show any relationship with other upper
atmosphere effects.
The earths body temperature f1uc-
tuates.
Variations in the heat emanated by
the earth itself are being measured on
the floor of the Atlantic by DR.. Edward
c. Billiard of the British National
Physical Laboratory.
The system is to drop electric ther-
mometers into the bottom ooze 1000
fathomS deep off the west coast of Ire
land. Better understanding of the heat
flow from the inaccessible interior will
help geophySiciSts understand volcanic
eruptionS, and understanding of tenn
perature gradients of the earths man.
tie will help mining engineers and oil
prospectors.
Ocean Less Radioactive.
The floors of the oceans, Dr. Billiard
believes, should be less radioactive than
the granite interior of the great land
masses and therefore should send out
less heat AS almost three-fourths Of
the earth's surface is covered with
water, it is essential to know how much
heat is being thrown off from the sea
bottoms to estimate the heat of the
planets interior.
DR.. Billiard believes that the sea-ooze
thermometer tests will prove his point
that the sea floors give off less heat
than the land. The apparatus will lie
below the bottom for half an hour be-
fore being hauled back aboard ship.
The temperature, he believes, will be
slightly above that of the surface of
the mud at 1000 fathoms. The average
temperature there is about degrees
centigrade.
At the most, terrestrial heat flow is
extremely minute, amounting to only
about millionth of calorie per square
centimeter of surface area second.