ANTARCTIC EXPLORATION AND RESEARCH 26 1 



In this case, were the Antarctic ice cap to melt and disappear, a 

 shallow sea channel situated to the south of King Edward VII Land 

 might connect the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. 



However, so little is known of the area that, instead, there may be 

 quite elevated ice-capped land extending from Graham Land to King 

 Edward VII Land and south to the Queen Maud Range seen by 

 Amundsen. Against this, the chances of much elevated land to the 

 southeast of Amundsen's winter quarters at Framheim (78^° S. and 

 165° W.) at the edge of the ice barrier are discounted by the fact that 

 unusually calm conditions were found to prevail there, whereas high- 

 lands in that direction would surely have started a strong outward 

 wind flow. 



What little we yet know of the tectonic features of Antarctica 

 suggests to me as most probable that the Andean structures will be 

 found to skirt around the borders of the Pacific Ocean to the neighbor- 

 hood of King Edward VII Land; that the boundary of the plateau 

 block of East Antarctica extends along the west side of Ross Sea and 

 then straight across to Prince Luitpold Land on the east side of Wed- 

 dell Sea; sandwiched in between these two belts and extending between 

 Ross Sea and Weddell Sea there may be, crumpled against the massif 

 of East Antarctica, undulating and but moderately elevated land com- 

 posed of newer geological formations with igneous contributions. 

 But this is, of course, pure speculation, and the solution awaits the 

 explorer. 



As regards the great mass of East Antarctica, there appear to be 

 good grounds for suspecting that the major portion of it, at least, 

 exists as ice upon a rock base standing above sea level. 



Determination of the Profile of the Ice Cap 



From what has already been stated it will be observed that, though 

 a great and elevated continent of ice resting upon a rock foundation 

 surely exists around the south pole, still we have as yet no knowledge 

 as to how much of this is ice and how much is rock. Sledging journeys 

 inland in the neighborhood of the pole and in the region between 

 Adelie Land and Ross Sea have demonstrated the existence of a vast 

 ice plateau to the west of the rocky ranges that constitute the scarp 

 face overlooking the great downsunken area of Ross Sea. Further, 

 what is known of the continental margin elsewhere, such as at Prince 

 Luitpold Land, Coats Land, Kaiser Wilhelm II Land, Queen Mary 

 Land, and Wilkes Land, is strongly indicative of a continental ice 

 cap extending over the remainder of the area. The domed plateau 

 usually rises to elevations of 3000 feet within sight of the coast, and 

 there is little reason to doubt that by far the larger portion of it stands 



