120 THE ICE AGE IN NORTH AMERICA. 



Interest in Antarctic exploration did not revive until the 

 beginning of the present century, but since then it has been 

 very active. In 1901 Captain Scott of the English navy set 

 out in the vessel Discovery and, during the following year, 

 reached a point within 670 miles of the south pole, 100 miles 

 nearer than anyone had been before. 



On August 7, 1907, Lieut. Ernest Shackelton, of the Eng- 

 lish navy sailed from Plymouth for the purpose of reaching 

 the south pole. On January 6, 1909, his party reached a 

 point within ninety-three geographical miles of the pole and 

 then was compelled to turn back. Here they were on a plateau 

 between 10,000 and 11,000 feet above sea-level, which seemed 

 to stretch unbroken southward as far as their glass could 

 extend their vision, thus revealing conditions very different 

 from those about the north pole, where there is a sea several 

 thousand feet deep covered with drifting ice. 



According to Lieutenant Shackelton, "We now know that 

 the Great Southern Ice Barrier is bounded by mountains 

 running in a southeasterly direction from 78° south at least, 

 and that an immense glacier leads to a plateau over 10,000 

 feet above the sea level, on which is situated the geographical 

 south pole. 



"Numerous inland mountains have been discovered, and 

 specimens of rock from them show that at some period in 

 the geological history of the earth a warm climate prevailed 

 in these ice bound regions." 



"The discovery of microscopical life in the frozen lakes is 

 extremely interesting. The scientists of the expedition demon- 

 strated that the tiny rotifers could exist in a temperature of 

 100° of frost, and also emerge unscathed from the test of a 

 temperature of 200°F. .... Strange as it may seem, 

 there is a large marine fauna in the icy waters of the Antarctic. 

 The temperature of the sea in those regions varies but little 

 in winter and summer, and this fact is conducive to an abun- 

 dant marine life." 



